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Network Journal 2007 Issue 2 March/April |
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Campaigns – Scottish Christmas Day and New Year's Day Trading
Campaigns – Freedom From Fear
Campaigns – National Minimum Wage
Campaigns – Parents and Carers
Companies
Conferences
Editorial
Equality
Health and Safety
International
Letters
Lifelong Learning
News In Brief
Pensions
People and Events
Politics
Recruitment and Organising
Training
Young Workers
Campaigns – Scottish Christmas Day and New Year's Day Trading
Campaigns – Freedom From Fear
Tesco and Usdaw put respect first
Usdaw and Tesco have joined forces to combat abusive shoppers by placing posters in every store warning that staff have the right to work in a safe environment.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Campaigns – National Minimum Wage
Campaigns – Parents and Carers
Companies
New deal at Grampian
Reps from a number of Grampian Country Food Group sites from across the UK attended their first national forum meeting in Warrington in February.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Reprieve for Kwik Save but job losses follow
Usdaw has welcomed new investment into Kwik Save saving the company from administration however the company has announced job losses as part of the restructuring package.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Conferences
Usdaw’s parliament
Preparations are well-advanced for the union’s 61st Annual Delegate Meeting to be held in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens from April 22-25.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Editorial
Reps deserve time off to do their job
The Government is consulting on the rules and regulations covering workplace reps and Usdaw is busy compiling its evidence to present to the Department of Trade and Industry.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Equality
Civil partnerships in focus
The Civil Partnership Act allows same-sex couples to enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexual married couples.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
LGBT reps get-together
Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) reps from the union’s divisional equalities forums met up in Manchester in February to discuss key issues for LGBT members and to put forward their ideas for local divisional activity.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Sexual orientation
Usdaw is delighted the Government has decided to implement the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) regulations 2007 without any exemptions making discrimination in the provision of goods and services on grounds of sexual orientation illegal, writes acting equalities officer Jo Bird.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Standing up for women at the TUC 2007
Usdaw women spoke up to ‘Support a woman’s right to choose and defend the abortion time limit’, the theme of the 2007 TUC women’s conference.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Health and Safety
Don’t just sit there!
Workers spending excessive time at their desk could be putting their lives at risk, according to a study.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Driving at work under scrutiny
A German lorry driver has been jailed for five years following the deaths of four people in a motorway crash caused when he fell asleep at the wheel.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Life as a busy safety rep
Midlands division’s Angela Tune has been enjoying her health and safety role for the last five years at the Tesco store in Worcester.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Meaty advice
Guidance notes on health and safety in the meat industry are now available on the web site of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA).
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
RSI shopfloor risk
Following the recent Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Awareness Day (24 February) the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) has warned that workers on the factory floor are more susceptible to RSI than professionals and managers.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Workers’ Memorial Day
Workers Memorial Day whose slogan is – Remember the Dead: Fight for the Living – will be held on 28 April.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
International
Justice for Colombia
Usdaw’s commitment to international solidarity for trade unionists around the world was on display in London last month when deputy general secretary Paddy Lillis headed the union’s delegation on a demonstration outside the Colombian Embassy.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Letters
Gertie logue: 30 year award
Michala Lafferty, area organiser, Belfast.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Green Tolpuddle on offer this year
Tim Lezard, TUC media officer
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Health and safety award
Doug Russell, health and safety officer, Usdaw.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Legal Plus comes up trumps
Christine Taylor, North West M&S K193.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Millennium makers
David Johnson, area organiser, Bristol.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
National award for learning rep
Margaret Coyle, Usdaw development worker, Boots.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Support ESOL
Kate Kasia, NFT St.Albans.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Thanks from reps at Martland Mill
Rita Rigby, Wigan Mail Order K58.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Useful advice praised
Janina Barlow, Sainsbury’s Yorkshire F173.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Lifelong Learning
More reasons to learn at Morrisons
Mobile union learning rep Karen Browning is the driving force behind a new learning initiative which aims to improve the skills and personal development of hundreds of Morrisons workers in Scotland.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
New skills at DHL Exel Logistics
Lifelong learning is delivering new skills for warehouse operatives at the DHL Exel logistics site at its Hams Hall distribution centre in Birmingham.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
University for life
The Open University (OU) is the best thing I’ve ever done, said 56 year-old Jennifer Green from Morayshire in Scotland, who graduated last year with an honours degree in humanities.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Westminster appearance for Hayley and Simon
Union Learning Reps Hayley Pickles and Simon Mahoney have lobbied MPs about the central role Union Learning Reps (ULRs) play in delivering lifelong learning and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
News In Brief
Pensions
Pension course: Sign up now
You can find out about pensions issues by signing up for Understanding Pensions – Usdaw’s very own Home Study course designed especially for members who want to get to grips with state and company pension schemes.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Pension trustee?
Are you an Usdaw member who is, or interested in becoming, a trustee of your pension scheme, or on a Pensions Consultative Committee?
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Salary sacrifice or ‘Smart’ pensions
Both the Co-operative Group and Wincanton have recently introduced Salary Sacrifice (or SMART) schemes to reduce the cost of pensions. These schemes are now becoming very common, particularly in retail.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Tax simplification – not quite!
Tax simplification has made small pensions more complex! writes pensions officer Eleanor Lewington.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
People and Events
Activist in depth: Ian Chapman
As part of a regular feature, Network meets up with one of Usdaw’s 10,500 strong army of reps and finds out what life is like at the sharp end. In this issue North Eastern division’s Ian Chapman answers our questions.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
New area organisers
Three new area organisers have been appointed.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
New divisional officer for Scotland
One time Deputy Divisional Officer (DDO) Lawrence Wason has made the step up to divisional officer moving from the Edinburgh to Glasgow office to take up his new role
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Obituary: Alan Hutchinson
Former Southern divisional officer Alan Hutchinson died in January, he was 95.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Retirements
Scottish divisional officer Bruce Fraser and Leeds area organiser Joan Wilson retire.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Politics
Recruitment and Organising
Active reps network in the Co-operative sector
Bank holiday working, recruitment techniques and the law at work were all covered during a two-day get-together for Co-op reps in the North Eastern division.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Divisional membership
Divisional membership as at March 24, 2007
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Morrisons reps in Blackpool
Organising the workplace was the central theme for Morrison’s reps from the North West who attended a special two-day get-together in Blackpool in February.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Northern Ireland Tesco weekend
More than 45 reps and officials gathered at the Malone Lodge Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland for the first ever North West Tesco reps recruitment and organising weekend in February.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Organising migrant workers
Usdaw’s campaign to recruit and organise migrant workers topped the agenda at a special workshop held in February.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Recruitment Information
Information of recruitment publications and courses
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Sainsbury’s reps get-together
Meanwhile, organising topped the agenda for reps from Sainsbury’s, Jacksons and Bells stores in the North East who gathered in Scarborough for a two-day get-together with senior union officials and company personnel.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Special week boosts membership
Richard Ward and his team of reps at the JD Williams Home Shopping call centre in Manchester ran a very successful recruitment week in January, which saw membership levels increase by ten per cent.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Stand down success
Spending time as a stand-down rep not only helped improve my recruitment skills but also gave my self-confidence a massive boost, said Morrisons rep Donna Williams.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Training
Branch officers course
Branch officers have their own specially-designed five day residential course just for them. It is one of the most popular courses on offer and is held in Warrington at various times in the year
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Glasgow Federation school
The age discrimination law which came into force last October was the subject for members from a number of branches across Glasgow at a special two-day Federation School held in February.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Tesco induction session: pays immediate dividends
Tesco reps from across the North East attended a special two-day training session in Wakefield in January designed to help them improve their recruitment skills and get the best out of their inductions.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Young Workers
Young activist
Network caught up with young member Dean Ardron from Eastern division.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Young and active
Network caught up with young activist and Usdaw award winner Hollie Weeks.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Young rep
Network caught up new rep Daniel Drew.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Youth co-ordinators
The union runs divisional and national activities for members aged 26 and below. These range from training courses, get-togethers and local campaign days.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
Youth weekend
If you’re aged 26 or below you can go to Usdaw’s annual youth weekend to be held at the national training centre in Warrington from 10 – 11 November 2007.
10 April 2007 [Full Story]
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