Tuesday 14 April 2015

Election Hustings for Weston super Mare Parliamentary Constituency - 24th April 2015

HOW WILL THE NHS SURVIVE THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

YOUR CHANCE TO QUESTION YOUR NEXT MP

Friday April 24th at 7.30pm

Blakehay Theatre, Wadham Street, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1JZ

Panel includes:
John Penrose MP (Cons), Dr Richard Lawson (Green), Tim Taylor (Lab), John Monroe (LibDem), Ernie Warrender (Ukip)

The General Election on May 7th 2015 will be the most important vote we will have for the future of our NHS.  Are we heading for a US style health insurance model or is there a chance of retaining a health service which remains free at the point of use.

Everyone is invited to come and hear what all the candidates are thinking their party will do if it gets into power.  And with the way the polls are looking at the moment, it looks as though we will have another five years of a coalition of some sort.

Remember these public meetings are an essential part of our democracy.  Come along and ask the difficult questions, raise the burning issues and make sure your chosen candidate tells you exactly what their party will do if they get into power.

If you can’t make it to the meeting you can send your questions to The Weston Mercury: simon.angear@archant.co.uk

For further information please contact: NorthSomersetHustings@outlook.com

Thursday 9 April 2015

Campaign for the Living Wage in North Somerset Schools and Academies

North Somerset UNISON will soon be writing to all North Somerset Schools and Academies to make them aware of our campaign for the Living Wage for Schools Support Staff across the district.

Over the last year or so UNISON has signed national agreements to implement the Living Wage with the Church of England, the Catholic Church, the Schools Co-operative Society, and a number of Academies.

In North Somerset there are 25 Church of England Schools, 3 Catholic Schools and 5 Co-operative Schools. This means that over half the Primary Schools in the area are being encouraged by their Churches and Society to pay the Living Wage. In addition we understand that 2 out of the 10 Secondary Schools (including Academies) in North Somerset are likely to implement the Living Wage within the year. As all these Schools begin the process of implementing the Living Wage, others will be forced to follow, or else they may find themselves facing recruitment problems in a recovering jobs market.

Further information on UNISON's Living Wage agreements with the Church of England, the Catholic Church and the Schools Co-operative Society can be found at the following links.

Church of England announcement:
https://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2014/09/unison-and-church-of-england-reach-landmark-agreement-to-bring-living-wage-to-all-schools.aspx

The Living Wage - A briefing and plan for implementation in Church of England schools

Catholic Church announcement:
http://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/news/ces-news/item/1002826-living-wage-guide-for-schools-from-catholic-church-and-unison

The Living Wage - A briefing and plan for implementation in Catholic schools

Schools Co-operative Society announcement:
http://www.co-operativeschools.coop/media_events/living_wage

The LivingWage - A briefing and plan for implementation in Co-operative Schools