Health & Safety

More positive year, but more reps needed

1999 was a very busy year on the health and safety front.

This was mainly down to the excellent input from health and safety representatives, shop stewards and UNISON members who all raised concerns in the workplace and with the Convener at branch level which led to health and safety issues being tackled effectively across all sections covered by the branch.

Positive Approach

The City of Edinburgh Council has been particularly positive in its approach to the raising of and effective tackling of health and safety issues in workplaces across all departments of the Council.

The help, advice and expertise from the senior Health and Safety Adviser for the City of Edinburgh Council has been particularly beneficial in the resolving of health and safety issues.

Positive Sectors and Depts

Edinburgh Leisure has been particularly active on the health and safety front. The Convener was involved in the setting up of, and will have direct input to, the health and safety committee for this department.

Edinburgh Leisure have also shown a positive approach to the effective tackling of health and safety issues across all areas within their remit.

The Social Work Department and Education Department have, for the second year running, continued to react very positively to health and safety issues raised.

Long may this positive approach continue.

We need more reps

Deja-vu strikes again! I recall trotting out the same plea last year i.e. the branch needs more health and safety representatives. I am afraid the same is true of this year. The Branch still does not have a very large number of health and safety representatives compared to the size of the membership.

If you are considering becoming a health and safety representative for your workplace, please remember that you have the support of the Branch for advice and assistance on all health and safety matters.

The Branch can only tackle health and safety issues effectively in all areas by receiving positive feedback from health and safety representatives within the workplace.

Danny Currie
Health & Safety Convenor

Equalities

Single status must mean equality for all

“pressures are now creating a work environment where trust and respect for colleagues is becoming secondary to work outputs”

Last year's Annual Report highlighted the problems caused through Equalities meetings being inquorate and I stressed the need for members of the committee to have real participation rather than just being a name on a sederunt.

Regrettably, my pleas went unheeded and in the past 12 months we have only managed to have three quorate meetings Consequently many important decisions have had to be made by myself and other branch officers without any discussion involving members of the Equalities Committee.

This is not an accountable way of working and it cannot be acceptable. If you are asked to be a departmental representative to the committee please consider whether you are prepared to participate on a regular bass if the answer is no, find someone who will.

Irrespective of the lack of meetings this has been a busy year on the Equalities front.

Disabled Group set up

The branch finally established a Disabled Members Self Organised Group. Still in its infancy this forum win allow our Disabled Members to give a lead on the issues that matter to them. Members have attended Scottish and National conferences and took part in a lobby of Parliament on the controversial changes to benefits.

Our other self organised groups (Womens section and Lesbian and Gay) have both had organisational difficulties with the number of participating members being regrettably low.

Irrespective of that issue, we have been represented at all the relevant conferences and our delegates have played an active part in setting policies and agendas for the self organised groups.

Service Conditions

There is a wealth of experience within this branch and we must focus on how we can tap into those members if we are to re-establish our self organised groups as an integral and important asset to the branch.

The involvement in Service Conditions cases has been an increasing aspect of the Equalities Officer's duties. As well as giving guidance and advice, there has also been a greater need to represent members on a wide range of issues.

Harassment

Application of Job Share, Paternity and Maternity rights, access to training, Disability Discrimination, - the list is endless but it is disconcerting to see the increasing number of cases involving harassment.

The budget cuts of the past few years have placed pressures on all of us. It is clear those pressures are now creating a work environment where trust and respect for colleagues is becoming secondary to work outputs.

Many of the cases we are involved in are caused through perceptions and misunderstandings which could be avoided if people could be more considerate of the needs of their colleagues. The old maxim " Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" holds true.

School visits

One of the most enjoyable tasks I have carried out in the past year has been my involvement in school visits. The Branch has established links with Modern Studies teachers in Leith Academy and have made several presentations to pupils on the need for equality in the workplace. This can be fairly daunting (the pupils being very well informed ) but it does focus your mind on what we do and why we do it.

The next 12 months are undoubtedly going to be intensive with the onset of talks on Single Status. We desperately need to kickstart discussions on harmonising all our conditions of service.

Harmonisation

The fact we still have exDistrict and exRegion conditions applied to different groups of staff is nothing short of a disgrace. This is particularly true in Equalities issues. We have two Harassment procedures, two Job Share Schemes, two Policies on Access to Personnel Files etc.

It is no wonder members and stewards are confused. Single Status is primarily about all staff being treated equally. The Branch Equalities Officer will have to ensure all procedures and agreements are drafted with that ethos being paramount.

My thanks go to Stevie and the office staff who have been of tremendous assistance. They are sometimes taken for granted but their input has been invaluable in ensuring the job gets done.

Irene Stout
Equalities Officer