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Positively Public Briefings
Monthly briefings providing the latest campaigning, privatisation and good practice news.
 Available hereNational news
UNISON welcomes assurances over NHS reform(09/05/08) Government pledges staff and patients will be the driving force for changeFor safety’s sake(08/05/08) Meat inspection to remain in public controlEveryday heroes(06/05/08) Say ‘thank you’ to the special people who care for the UK’s sick childrenFood for good(01/05/08) UNISON calls for school (and hospital) meals to be sourced locallyNews list > |
Positively PublicThe issues:PFI-PPPPublic private partnerships (PPPs) is a generic term which refers to different kinds of initiatives which bring the private sector into the provision of public services. The most common form of PPPs is private finance initiative (PFI) which is used to finance, build and operate new public buildings and facilities such as hospitals and schools. Under PFI or PPP, private companies design, build, finance, own and then operate halls of residence in return for a fee for the duration of a contract which is typically as long as 25-35 years. There is a growing use of PFI or PPP to allow private companies to raise money for major public service projects. But it costs more for private companies to raise money than it would for the government or local government. The only way private companies will make their money back is to cut either services or staffing costs. That means public service workers and users pay the real costs.To find out more see our Private Finance Initiative (PDF) section. Housing campaignUNISON continues to campaign for direct investment in social housing to improve housing to a decent standard and to provide services which are responsive to housing needs and demand. Currently, there are very limited investment options to improve social housing. These involve privatisation or part privatisation of stock or the service through stock transfers, arms length management organisations or PFI. There is no option of direct housing investment. UNISON is opposed to investment options which lead to privatisation and is campaigning for tenants not to be financially penalised if they choose to stay with their council landlord. For more information:
HealthThe health service has undergone fundamental change in service provision over the years. There is now an increasing use of private health providers which threaten to undermine the viability of publicly provided health services. They include private sector diagnostic treatment centres, foundation hospital trusts and private finance initiatives. UNISON is opposed to privatisation in the health service which privatises staff, impacting on their pay and conditions of employment and creates a two-tier workforce . More information from: Carving up the NHS
The two-tier workforceOver the past 15 years there have been dramatic changes in the way local councils and NHS hospitals deliver many of their services. Tens of thousands of staff have been transferred from local councils and the NHS 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. So what is UNISON doing about this? UNISON has led the campaign to end the two-tier workforce in public contracting services and is also campaigning for a fair wages clause to protect the pay and conditions of workers, regardless of who employs them. In 2003 UNISON secured an agreement to end the two-tier workforce in local government called the Best Value Code of Practice on workforce matters. Negotiations are ongoing to roll out the Code to all public services. In 2005 the Labour government agreed to roll out the Code to all public services and this is now being negotiated.For more information:
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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
Individual Budgets
The government has said that Individual Budgets should be available to anyone in receipt of social care services. This Fact Sheet explains how Individual Budgets currently work and identifies key concerns around support arrangements, likely costs, impact on services and workforce issues.  Individual Budgets (358400 bytes)
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  Acrobat 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. 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. Acrobat 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. Library factsheet (366592 bytes)
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Best Value Code of Practice on workforce matters
