- Mon 16th - 12:30 - East District Housing Office Community Lounge
- Tue 17th - 12 noon - Dundee House Room 1.1
- Wed 18th - 12:30 - West District Housing Office Community Lounge
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This Friday sees local school students once again join millions of others across the world taking needed action to protest against the rapidly looming threat of devastating climate change.
If we care about the world we leave to them, we need to do everything we can to support their ongoing campaign to make politicians wake up to the desperate situation regarding accelerating global warming and the clear evidence of it's impact on our weather.
In Dundee, students will again take to the City Square from 11am to 3pm to protest.
Dundee City Unison has been working hard to help fund and support the campaign work of the Scottish Youth Climate Strikes group in our city. We will do so again on Friday.
While this event is not specifically asking for Trade Union support and involvement, it will be very welcome.
We are asking all our members to do what they can to show support, preferably by coming along to support the protest in the city square. as with 20th September, our branch banner will proudly stand alongside the placards of our school students and other climate activists.
Please come along and join in.
Dundee City Branch is encouraging all members to get involved in activities across the week.
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Green UNISON Week gives UNISON members the chance to show support for the school climate strikers ahead of their campaign to raise awareness and the school climate strike on 20 September.
Anti-trade union laws mean that UNISON branches cannot take strike action but there are many ways you can show your support for the school campaigners:
You can find others who share your concerns about climate change and let UNISON Green Week be your springboard into starting a new green UNISON network where you work.
If you have any questions about Green UNISON Week, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Work in Scotland? UNISON Scotland have their own green activities planned. See what they are doing.
You’ll find lots of tips and suggestions to help you kick-start your climate campaigning in these resources from the TUC:
Download social media graphics and a workplace pledge card below.
Dear UNISON Member
You will recall that we carried out a consultative ballot around the imposed Managing Workforce Change policy. You responded by voting overwhelmingly in favour of strike action and action short of strike, giving your branch officers a clear mandate to inform discussions with the employer. We met with the employer on 18 April and again on 8 May where it was clear that although there was willingness to talk about the three contentious issues, there was no willingness to remove any preconditions set when they imposed these changes.
The three contentious issues are:
Given the strength of feeling we received as a result of the consultative ballot and the unwillingness of the employer to engage in negotiations without their preconditions, then we are left with no option other than to formally ballot you for industrial action.
The employer has been served notice today of our intention to ballot members from 16 May 2019. That ballot will end on 6 June 2019. You will be aware of the ballot threshold introduced by the current Westminster government which mean that more than 50% of members must vote in the ballot, we therefore urge all members to participate. Ballot papers will be sent to home address and this ballot covers both Dundee City Council and Leisure & Culture Dundee members.
We have organised a UNISON members meeting for Monday 20 May at 17:30 in The Steps Theatre, Wellgate Centre, Dundee. Your branch officers and reps will be there to answer any questions you have and this will also allow us to discuss what action might look like. Please make every effort to attend.
We will be working closely with Unite and the GMB who are also balloting their members. Lets send a huge message to the employers that the way they have treated you and your union reps is unacceptable. We will continue to make ourselves available to talk to the employers who somehow expect us to trust them and just accept how they imposed the Managing Workforce Change policy. You have likely received the communication sent to you last night by the employer, where they attempt to justify what they did and convince you that you should just accept it and that it has all been done for your benefit.
That communication is full of contradictions and is an attempt to cast doubt in your mind about taking action, it is an attempt to undermine any action you plan to take. You should probably expect more communications like that as the ballot process gets underway, we will not be drawn in to petty squabbles with the employer. Instead we will inform our members and encourage you all to participate in the ballot, ultimately trying to negotiate with the employer from a level playing field.
We will now be writing to all Councillors seeking support to have this policy decision reversed to allow meaningful negotiations to take place, essentially resetting the clock back to 17 February 2019. We plan on lobbying the next Policy & Resources Committee at the City Square on 3 June at 5pm, if you can attend and show Councillors your strength of feeling then that would be appreciated.
Lets tell the your employer that Enough is Enough.
Ask yourself what you think it means when a position is advertised as a secondment?
Do you think it means that if you get the job, your existing substantive post will be kept (perhaps back-filled temporarily) for when your secondment completes?
If you think yes then you need to go on a training course on the language of Dundee City Council HR and Staffing sections.
It has been revealed that staff in DCC are being told posts are open to secondment, applying for them in good faith and being successful at interview, only to be handed secondment papers, at the point of accepting the appointment, that say something like "we cannot guarantee you a post at the same grade on your return and will offer 1 year cash conservation, should this be the case".
DCC HR have thus far failed to respond to Unison questions over this practice.
Our advice to members therefore has to be, if Dundee City Council offer a post as "secondment" opportunity, just smile politely, perhaps offer a rueful shake of the head, and walk away.