Pension charges code is 'a big step forward', says TUC

The TUC has welcomed the new code of conduct on communicating information about charges in defined contribution (DC) schemes to employers, published today (Wednesday) by the pensions industry.

 As part of automatic enrolment many employers are required to set up a workplace pension scheme for the first time. Under the new code, providers and advisers will be required to tell companies how their staff will be affected by charges taken out of individual pension pots.

 TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "The code is a big step forward. Employers need help in choosing the best auto-enrolment pension, and their staff need to know they have made a good choice too.

 "This new code brings greater transparency to charges. This is vital as even small variations can make a big difference to the pensions people receive.

 "It's good to see consumers, unions, employers and the pensions industry working together on this code. This co-operation must continue to ensure compliance with the code.

 "And whilst the charges code will be of great help we still need to develop more ways to ensure that both employers and employees get the best possible return from each pound saved."

Black Country Youth Unemployment Summit to be held by TUC/Dudley Students Union

On November 30^th the TUC and Dudley Students Union will hold The Black Country Youth Unemployment Summit in Dudley College’s newly built Evolve Theatre.  The Summit will bring together local MPs – including Ian Austin (Dudley North), Pat McFadden (Wolverhampton South West) and John Spellar (Warley) - councillors, trade unionists, students and unemployed young people to share their experiences and debate the TUC’s Charter for a Future that Works.  The Charter calls for positive actions to tackle the youth unemployment crisis in the Black Country which has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the country.  The Charter states there is a need for:

• ·         Job Guarantees for young people unemployed for 6 months or more                                                                  
• ·         Quality Apprenticeships
• ·         Quality Work Experience 
• ·         Welfare reform to support young people to study to get back to work
• ·         Financial support for costs such as transport

The Summit will provide a high profile platform for young people to tell decision makers how the Government’s austerity policies have damaged their opportunities to find work and gain skills.  The Summit is being organised by the TUC in partnership with Dudley Students Union and local young unemployed campaigners who recently led the TUC’s Future that Works demonstration in London on October 20^th. 

Kelly Russell, President of Dudley Students Union states:

‘Dudley Students Union are proud supporters of the TUC’s Charter for a Future that Works and chose to host the Summit because youth unemployment is a major concern of Dudley students.

‘Every day I hear students’ fears for the future. During my time in office I have witnessed unprecedented and continuous attacks on students from the removal of Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) to the rise in tuition fees and threats to the Care to Learn budget.

‘Dudley students want EMA restored, the creation of many more apprenticeships and quality work experience with guaranteed pay for interns. We hope that the Summit debate will be the start of a strong message to Government from the Black Country that young people and their future matter to all of us and the government needs to act now.’

TUC Local Organiser Rosa Crawford, who is co-organising the Summit, comments:

‘The fact that local young people have played a central part in the practical and creative development of The Black Country Youth Unemployment Summit shows politicians that young people are skilled and highly motivated to work.  That is why it is so sad and wasteful that there are so few jobs for these young people in the Black Country today.  This is a clear result of the millions of pounds of cuts to the public sector and careers services cuts, trebled costs of University tuition and abolition of EMA.  Instead of austerity and cuts, we are calling for the Government to invest in jobs and skills for young people so they can contribute to society.’

Further information:

- The Summit will take place at The Evolve Theatre, Tower Street, Dudley, DY1 1AF between 2 –  4pm on November 30^th 2012.  Free parking will be available   at the College with advanced booking – email rcrawford@tuc.org.uk

- Photos can be provided after the event on request to rcrawford@tuc.org.uk

- The TUC Charter for A Future that Works has been signed by 15 Midlands MPs so far and both Midlands MEPs.  A full list of signatories can be found at www.tuc.org.uk/blackcountrycharter

-The TUC’s policy on Work Experience can be found at: http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21054-f0.pdf

- Follow the TUC campaign against youth unemployment on Twitter: @tucwestmidsaction

PCS taking action this Friday, 30th November

Two PCS groups of members are out on strike on Friday 30th November, the Department of Transport (inclusive of all DVLA, DSA, etc, that will mean driving tests for example will not take place), and the Enforcement section of the Ministry of Justice (Fines collection)

DFT will be taking action about the jobs reduction and office closure programme, that will mean at least DVLA in Nottingham will close. Ministry of Justice Enforcement is facing privatisation.

Messages of support can be sent to Paul Williams Dept of Transport PCS Group Chairperson, by email to PAULW@pcs.org.uk or to the PCS Office, Driving Standards Agency, Parliament Street, Nottingham. For Ministry Of Justice please send messages to Kevin Greenway MOJ PCCS Group President by email KEVING@pcs.org.uk or to 28, Central Road, Bromsgrove B60 2NR.

There will be picket lines across the region the best ones to attend, if people can, will be at the DSA office in Nottingham on Parliament Street (from 7 a.m. onwards), and DVLA offices Birmingham 30 Granby Avenue, Garretts Green, Birmingham B33 0SD .

World Aids Day Fund Raisers

The Midlands TUC LGBT and Disability Networks are running their fund raiser event for a second year - looking to raise over £1,000 for HIV services in the Midlands and to raise awareness of World Aids Day. These events will also give the opportunity for our volunteer fund raisers to raise what trade unions are doing to campaign against the austerity cuts and how we speak up for our communities.

There are two events:
Thursday 29th November - from 8 p.m. @Sidewalk Bar, 125 Hurst Street, Birmingham

Saturday 1st December @Queen of Clubs, Heathcote Street, Nottingham

If you would like to help out at one of these nights please contact alex.dewinter@unitetheunion.org giving your email and mobile phone contact details.

Youth Unemployment Summit Speakers Revealed

With just one week to go until the TUC YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT SUMMIT in Dudley, we are excited to announce the we fantastic line-up of the speakers participating: 

    

Ian Austin MP (Dudley North)

Pat McFadden MP (Wolverhampton South East)

John Spellar MP (Warley)

Will Duckworth, Deputy Leader, The Green Party

Rob Johnston, Regional Secretary, Midlands TUC

Ravi Subramanian, Regional Secretary, Unison

Cheryl Pidgeon, Regional Secretary, UCATT

Cheryl Pidgeon, Regional Secretary, UCATT 

Daniel Batchelor, President, Wolverhampton Students Union

Kelly Russell, President, Dudley College Students Union

...and many more!

Ian Austin MP Dudley North

YOU can join them to debate how we can put the TUC's Charter for a Future that Works into action to tackle the shockingly high rates of youth unemployment in the Black Country – just  email rcrawford@tuc.org.uk for your FREE PLACE at the Summit.

The Summit will take place at:

Nov 30^th, 2-4pm, Evolve Theatre, The Broadway, Dudley, DY1 4AS

For more information on the Charter for a Future that Works click here

West Midlands Police privatisation plans halted

The announcement that the new West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Bob Jones intends to halt the privatisation of core police services was hailed as “a victory for common sense” by Unite, the country’s largest union.
Unite welcomed the announcement today (Thursday, 22 November) that the Business Partnering for Policing Programme – the gateway to privatisation – will cease.
Unite national officer, Fiona Farmer said: “The threat to privatise core police functions, except the power of arrest, in the West Midlands has been halted by today’s (Thursday, 22 November) excellent decision by Bob Jones.
“The privatisation of police services would have gravely dented staff morale; led to the fragmentation of services by private companies in pursuit of big profits; created a two-tier workforce; and resulted in seriously eroding the fight against crime.
“Unite had campaigned strongly against the misguided attempt by the former police authority to proceed with privatisation that could have seen services, such as 999 call handling, neighbourhood patrols and the forensics service, being handed over to the private sector.
This is a victory for common sense and Unite calls on the other newly- elected police and crime commissioners to follow Bob Jones’ courageous example and reject the privatisation route that is an anathema to the general public.”
Bob Jones, who has been a long-standing Labour councillor in Wolverhampton, said: “I wish to see core policing services remain within the police service.  Staff and officers exercising police powers and the staff who support them in fulfilling those powers must remain under the direction and control of and accountable to the Chief Constable.”
The West Midlands police authority had put its privatisation plans on hold in the summer, pending the PCC elections which were held last week. 
Today, Unite also supported a joint union call for newly-elected PCCs and chief constables to sign up to a new Police Staff Employment Charter which seeks to promote fairness, equality and accountability across police forces and between police workers

Part-time workers earn a third less per hour than full-time staff

The 36 per cent pay gap between part-time and full-time workers is the main barrier to closing the gender pay gap and tackling in-work poverty, the TUC says today (Thursday).
The warning comes as the Office for National Statistics publishes its latest annual pay statistics at 9.30 this morning.
The ONS pay survey will show whether any progress has been made in the last year towards closing the full-time gender pay gap; currently 10.5 per cent or 15.9 per cent depending on the measure used.
But the pay gap between full-time and part-time workers is far larger - 36.3 per cent - and has hardly fallen in 30 years.
There are currently over eight million part-time workers in the UK, nearly three-quarters of whom are female. However, the proportion of men working part-time today is at an all-time high, with the number of male part-time workers more than doubling in the last 20 years.
A large number of part-time workers live in poverty, with an average wage of just £8 per hour. Two fifths of part-time workers in the UK earn less than the living wage of £7.45 an hour, while two in five part-time workers in the capital earn less than the London living wage of £8.55.
The lack of high quality part-time work is illustrated by the fact that the five highest paid occupations - aircraft pilots, chief executives and directors of advertising and PR, marketing and sales, and telecommunications firms - are all are dominated by men and have a negligible number of part-time positions.
In contrast, four of the five worst paid occupations - waiters and waitresses, bar staff, catering assistants and launderers - are dominated by women and have more part-time jobs than full-time ones.
Recent research from the Resolution Foundation found that while the UK has a high proportion of female part-time workers - the third highest in the OECD - the quality of part-time work is low compared to other countries.
More high quality part-time work is the key to reducing in-work poverty and closing the gender pay gap, says the TUC.
The TUC believes that extending the right to request flexible working to everyone, announced recently by the government, should help more people to adjust their work patterns without having to change jobs. However, employers still need to do far more to support part-time work, like encouraging job shares at a senior level.
TUC General Secretary Designate Frances O'Grady said: "We hope that figures published later today show that the gender pay gap is narrowing.
"However, any small progress will be cold comfort to the millions of mainly female part-time workers who suffer a far larger pay penalty.
"Most women become part-time workers to balance work and caring responsibilities. This shouldn't mean also having to abandon their careers and accept poverty wages. It cannot be right that two in five part-time workers don't even earn the living wage.
"No healthy modern economy should have an enduring gender pay gap and growing in-work poverty. Unfortunately common sense solutions such as senior level job shares and flexible working are rarely available in the private sector, and are now under attack in the public sector. Unless we change the way we work we will never eliminate the pay gap or tackle poverty."