Campaigns
Positively Public Briefings
Monthly briefings providing the latest campaigning, privatisation and good practice news. Link to another page on this siteAvailable here
National news

UNISON welcomes assurances over NHS reform

(09/05/08) Government pledges staff and patients will be the driving force for change

For safety’s sake

(08/05/08) Meat inspection to remain in public control

Everyday heroes

(06/05/08) Say ‘thank you’ to the special people who care for the UK’s sick children

Food for good

(01/05/08) UNISON calls for school (and hospital) meals to be sourced locally
News list >

The Two Tier Workforce and Fair Wages

Over the past 20 years, tens of thousands of staff have been transferred from public authorities to private contractors. Most of these will have conditions protected when they transfer, but newer staff taken on after transfer usually face worse pay and conditions, leading to a two tier workforce.

UNISON has won important protection against the two-tier workforce, but they do not protect all workers in every situation. UNISON therefore continues to campaign for an end to the two-tier workforce and for fair wages resolution in public contracting that will protect the pay, conditions and pensions of all staff providing public services, regardless of who employs them. Such a clause would also ensure that private contractors could not compete for contracts on the basis of lower pay and conditions and it would remove incentives to privatise in order to achieve savings on labour costs.

For more information:
Link to an Acrobat PDF Fair Wages: How to end the two tier workforce in public services and achieve fair wages [PDF]

Background about our campaign to end the two-tier workforce
Link to a web page on this site Best Value Code of Practice on workforce matters

CONTACT DETAILS
• The UNISON contact for the Positively Public campaign is Margie Jaffe.
Positively Public
1 Mabledon Place
London WC1H 9AJ
Email: positivelypublic@unison.co.uk
Recent documents
NHS @ 60
Document containing a mix of serious articles (including one by Dave Prentis), light-hearted features and potted histories to illustrate why it's essential that we continue to celebrate and defend the NHS as it turns 60
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF version
Machines, markets and morals

This pamphlet from the think tank Compass calls on the government to end the marketisation of the NHS and instead allow staff and users to shape the service democratically.Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF (1709088 bytes)

PFI cost to the NHS
This study analyses the cost of using private finance to build the first 12 operational PFI hospitals by 2001-2002. It shows that PFI creates budget inflexibilities that increase pressures on the NHS to cut its largest cost: the jobs, working conditions and pay of staff, therefore impacting on the quality of healthcare services.
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF (70277 bytes)
The UK Public Library Service - facing the challenges
This factsheet highlights the challenges the public library service faces and UNISON's campaign to defend the service, which is very popular and valued by local communities.
Link to a document on this siteLibrary factsheet (366592 bytes)
Private Finance Initiative (PFI)
This fact sheet outlines the arguments against PFI.
Link to a document on this siteWord document (375296 bytes)
All Positively Public reports >