We know that our members working in health and social services are at the front line in dealing with the Covid 19 emergency. We know that pressures in the acute and community sectors are building.
In a fast moving situation UNISON is pursuing key issues for our members including the provision of PPE, advice for pregnant workers, redeployment and access to childcare for essential staff as part of the planning by EA and the Department of Education.
To all members working in Education and in school settings.
Dear Members
We are all operating in a fast moving and fluid situation.
We understand that you have a number of unanswered questions on how school closures will unfold over the next week and how the Department of Education and EA intend to support child care for essential workers substantially in the health service.
As the COVID-19 virus spreads, find out what your rights at work are if taking sick leave or self-isolating.
We have received an increasing number of enquiries on what employers – and members – should do to minimise the risk of infection at this worrying time.
The issues and risks will vary depending on the sector you are working in, so UNISON has been proactive in negotiating jointly agreed advice in a number of sectors.
Today (24th February) UNISON can announce that our members working across the health and social services system have overwhelmingly voted to accept the proposed framework agreement on pay parity and safe staffing. Commenting on the result, UNISON Regional Secretary Patricia McKeown said:
On behalf of UNISON members in Northern Ireland I extend a message of solidarity to your 8,000 members on strike at Swedish healthcare facilities in Seattle. We are proud of our long standing relationship with SEIU 1199 NY and offer any support we can.
In Northern Ireland 26,000 of our members across the health service have been engaged in strike action for 7 weeks. We have just suspended the action to ballot on an offer that restores pay parity and commits to tackling safe staffing issues right across the service.
We are aware that members are anxious to be fully informed on the content and detail in the proposed framework agreement on pay parity and safe staffing.
The negotiating team agreed following the endorsement by the Minister that we would ensure all figures and detail in the proposal are verified with the Department of Health and over the last few days we have been working on doing just that. So if any of you have seen figures recently distributed these are NOT officially verified.
