Welcome to UNISON Caerphilly
We are the largest Trade Union in Caerphilly, supporting public service employees
"You're strong and we're standing strong with you."
Caerphilly UNISON, Tredomen Business and Technology Centre
Tredomen Park, Ystrad Mynach, CF82 7FN
Telephone: 01443 863279
ARCHIVE 2024 STORIES
December 2024
WINTER GRANT OPENS
Great news for UNISON members! UNISON’s Winter Essentials Grant offers £200 vouchers for food shopping. Open on 11 December. Check eligibility now #ThereForYou #WinterEssentials
Full article click here
December 2024
SAVE OUR SERVICES
9th Annual Bob Crow Memorial Meeting. SAVE Blackwood Miners Institude and Local Libraries.
STOP ALL THE CUTS! Special TUC guest speaker on: How we stop AI taking our jobs. Public Meeting: Wednesday 11th December at 7:30pm. Caerphilly Pensioners' Hall - CF83 1AA.
#TUC #TradersCaerphillyCouncil #CaerphillyUNISON
December 2024
BLACKWOOD MINER'S INSTITUTE UPDATE
As many of you may already be aware, we received an update on the future of our venue which we are pleased to share with you all. We have been successful in obtaining funding of £210,738 from the Arts Council of Wales Jobs Protection and Resilience Fund. This news now means that, with continued support from Caerphilly County Borough Council, we are now able to operate until March 31, 2026.
December 2024
CHAMPIONS DAY
Champions Day is back on Thursday 5 December. In workplaces across the country, we’ll be celebrating the incredible contributions that local government workers make to our communities. Contact your branch today to find out about #ChampionsDay where you work.
Full article click here
December 2024
THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone who got involved with the #starsinourschools and #earlyyearsstars celebrations. We appreciate everything that you do!
Don’t forget we still have two fantastic competitions running:
Nominate a star Full article click here
Croyde Bay competition: Full article click here
December 2024
FREE ABSENCE GUIDANCE
NEW - revised sickness absence guidance gives step-by-step advice to improve terms at work. Advice on understanding norms, making a case for a review, policies to pre-empt absence, rate and duration of sick pay, procedures and model survey and agreement.
Free PDF click here
November 2024
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
UNISON Cymru Wales School Support Staff Seminar 2024 on 21st November 2024 - Radisson Blu Hotel, Cardiff.
Did you know that the training offered at this FREE seminar can count towards your continued professional development?
You are entitled to receive training within your working hours in school where possible in the same way other education professionals access training and development opportunities.
By being registered as a professional with the EWC there is an expectation that you have access to ongoing training to support your professional journey.
The day will comprise of a conference address from Lynne Neagle, Cabinet Secretary for Education in Wales. Along with speakers including Andrew Jenkins from the Traitors on his journey discussing mental health and wellbeing and Wales Restorative Approaches Partnership discussing managing challenging behaviour in schools.
There will also be CPD workshops to include, mindfulness, wellbeing and core numeracy skills.
UNISON is running this Seminar during the time that our members are employed to be at work in the same way Teachers and Head Teachers have opportunities for training and development during the term.
We feel that our members have the right to access training and engage with colleagues across Wales in the same way other educational professionals do.
We are sure that your Head Teacher will recognise the importance and benefits of you attending this FREE seminar. Please make the request to attend. Your branch will be able to support you if you have any difficulty in getting released to attend.
All delegates will receive attendance certificates for each workshop attended. We look forward to seeing you there!
The UNISON Cymru Wales Schools Team
Full article click here
November 2024
to 
UNISON COLLEGE FINANCIAL WELLBEING FORTNIGHT
It is designed to help increase confidence with money management, understand debt and improve financial literacy. UNISON College’s Financial Wellbeing Fortnight 2024 runs from Monday 11 November – Friday 22 November. It is a two-week series of sessions designed to help increase confidence with money management, understand debt and improve financial literacy. These are free online events for UNISON members. The sessions will help develop your financial management skills and knowledge, which can be applied to your personal and professional life.
You can sign up for as many sessions as you like by completing the online registration form. All sessions will be delivered online via MS Teams or Zoom #Finance #FinancialWellbeing #Money #UNISONCollege
November 2024
WINTER ESSENTIALS GRANT
Winter is tough enough. UNISON's Winter Essentials Grant is here to help members with £200 food shopping vouchers. Open 24 hours on 11 December.
Check eligibility here
October / November 2024
NJC PAY AWARD LATEST NEWS
Dear Member,
As you will be aware, the NJC Pay Award for 2024/25 has now been agreed. The Local Authority has confirmed that they will be paying the backpay as follows:
End of month 002 payroll - Nov 2024
Mid-month 001 payroll - Dec 2024
The Foundation Living Wage rate has also now been agreed and will be processed as above.
October / November 2024
STARS IN OUR SCHOOLS
As part of #StarsInOurSchools and #EarlyYearsStars – we’ve just opened nominate a star. This prize draw is all about recognising the wonderful contribution of support staff in schools and early years settings.
Find out more click here
October 2024
CALLING ALL TRADE UNIONISTS
Join the trade union network to mobilise for a big turn out from UNISON for 26 October demonstration against Tommy Robinson and the far right!
Sign up click here
#TradeUnionNetwork #TradeUnion
October 2024
URGENT UPDATE - YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE
Dear member,
You will have seen the announcement made on Tuesday morning that Christina Harrhy has now left the Authority. You may also have seen the subsequent Press that this has generated. As your Trade Union we have issued the following statement outlining our position on this:
Caerphilly council payout is deeply disappointing as job losses and cuts on the way, says UNISON.
Reacting to Caerphilly County Borough Council’s decision to pay off its chief executive, UNISON Caerphilly branch secretary Lianne Dallimore said today (Wednesday): “The council says finances are extremely tight. People are losing their jobs with more redundancies on the way, and community services are being slashed. That makes it all the more painful for staff and residents affected to hear the authority is making such a payout when times are so tough. Council workers and members of the public will be deeply disappointed.”
As always, we are keen to hear your thoughts should you wish to share them with us.
Kind Regards,
Caerphilly UNISON
October 2024
UP TO 600 COUNCIL JOBS COULD GO IN CAERPHILLY
Up to 600 jobs could be lost at a council whose leader described the current financial climate as "austerity on steroids".
Caerphilly council leader Sean Morgan said the authority must save a "huge sum" of money and told colleagues the budget outlook made for "sombre viewing".
He anticipates £45m will need to be saved over the next two years – including £33m this year – to balance the budget.
Full BBC article click here
October 2024
COUNCIL CUTS - CAERPHILLY
Caerphilly (Caerffili) - Wales
£33,725,000 funding gap.
That’s funding needed for refuse collection, local parks, recreation and public health facilities, care for the elderly, and so much more. Without funding, services you and your community rely on could soon disappear.
Full listing click here
October 2024
ANGRY SCENES
Following the devastating news at yesterday's Cabinet meeting on the future of Llancaiach Fawr Manor there will be a Public Meeting held at the Manor on Saturday 5th October at 11:30am to discuss next steps. Caerphilly Unison will be there. Please share and publicise far and wide to get as many attendees there as possible. The fight continues.
#UnisonCymruWales #FriendsofLlancaiachFawr #TheIslwynVoice
Full article Caerphilly Observer click here
September 2024
PROTEST RALLY REMINDER
Caerphilly Council Joint Scrutiny is due to meet on the 24th September in The Chamber of Penallta House at 5:00pm to discuss the proposed cuts to Blackwood Miners' Institute , Llancaiach Fawr Manor, Meals Direct Service and the Hive Restaurant.
Please come and show your opposition to the proposed cuts at our protest rally planned tomorrow outside Penallta House.
#UnisonCymruWales #UnisonCardiffBranch #BlackwoodMinersInstitute #BlackwoodTownCouncil #SaveBlackwoodMinersInstitute
September 2024
VOTING BALLOT REMINDER
Members,
Look out for a purple envelope containing your ballot paper and send it back in the freepost envelope provided ASAP! UNISON recommends you vote yes for Industrial Action to get the pay award YOU deserve!
Ballot closes on October 16th
#UnisonCymru #UnisonWales
Full article click here
August 2024
SAVE OUR SERVICES
Dear Member,
You will be aware that Caerphilly County Borough Council has recently launched a public consultation in relation to Blackwood Miners Institute, Llancaiach Fawr and the Meals Direct/Hive Restaurant.
These proposals if implemented will see the closure of two iconic buildings, the removal of a vital service from our elderly and most vulnerable residents and the potential loss of 87 staff jobs.
UNISON is not prepared to stand idly by while this happens. We strongly oppose the cuts planned and will be taking action to fight against them.
With over £184m sitting in Council reserves, approx. £2m being spent on external consultants and an additional £8m being added to the General Fund this year alone due to service underspends we do not believe these services have to close. We believe there are alternatives which could and should be explored. Closure is not the only option!
We encourage you all to respond to the public consultation and think carefully about the impact that the closure of these services would have on the residents of our borough, the people who will lose their jobs as a result and the wider community.
To quote that famous Blackwood band “if you tolerate this..” then who’s next?
Links to the public consultation can be found below. The deadline to reply is 10th September 2024.
Meals Direct Consultation on the Future of the Meals Direct Service | The Caerphilly Conversation
Hive Cafe: Article link here
Blackwood Miners Institute & Llancaiach Fawr: Consultation on the proposal to withdraw the subsidy and mothball Blackwood Miners’ Institute and to Mothball Llancaiach Fawr Manor from end of December 2024 | The Caerphilly Conversation
Further to this there are also public petitions on Change.org that you can also show you support to our campaign – the link to these are below:
Petitions here:·
Save Llancaiach Fawr Manor from closure - United Kingdom · Change.org
Save meals direct - United Kingdom · Change.org
Save Blackwood Miners Institute - Blackwood, United Kingdom · Change.org
UNISON POD CAST 2024
The UNISON Local Government podcast is out now. All-member email was sent to local government members advising them of the podcast. After evaluating series 1, we’ve changed the podcast's name to ‘Behind the Service: a UNISON insight into Local Government’.
In this podcast, Ruth Levin and Paul Bell chat with Tony Wright and Abi Coombs from UNISON’s charity, There For You.
This episode of the UNISON Podcast covers:
- What ‘There For You’ is, and how it works
- The sheer range of support available
- Quantifying the charity’s massive impact across the year
- How UNISON members can access support and get involved with the charity
Listen now on your favourite podcast platform via the links below! Please promote the podcast within your branch and regional networks.
Listen Online click here
Listen on Spotify click here
Listen on Apple click here
Listen on Amazon click here
August 2024
UNITY IS OUR STRENGTH
Opinion: UNISON will stand up to the politics of hate.
Christina McAnea says: “We will work with other unions across the country to call for an end to violence, intimidation and discrimination. Unity is our strength”
July 2024
OXFORD TRIP
Wonderful Caerphilly Unison summer trip to Oxford! Keep following us for details of more events including an autumn quiz and our Christmas shopping trip.
July 2024
PDF link here:
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Colleagues,
Here's a Branch Special Newsletter on Health & Safety written by our Chair & Branch Health & Safety Officer Juan-Antonio Garcia.
For more information and advice on Health & Safety please contact the Branch and Juan will be happy to assist you.
July 2024
BEVAN DAY
Health workers in Wales and across the UK will be honoured at the birthplace of NHS founder Nye Bevan this weekend. The annual Bevan Day event in Tredegar will take place on Sunday July 7 and mark 76 years of the national health service.
- 10:30 assemble at Charles Street, Tredegar
- 11:00 march to Bedwellty Park, Tredegar
- 12:00 speeches at Bedwellty Park
The event featured speakers including UNISON Cymru/Wales regional secretary Jess Turner, Wales TUC general secretary Shavanah Taj, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak, Unite lead health officer in Wales Richard Munn and Alun Davies MS.
June 2024
PDF link here:
LGPS - BY BOB CAMPBELL
LGPS is a public service pension scheme and its rules are made with the approval of Parliament. The Scheme is administered locally by pension funds across the country who make decisions about your pension. To read more information please click on the PDF link, thank you.
June 2024
PDF link here:
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY CONSULTATION 2024/25
Have you voted yet? Pay Consultation Ballot closes 28th June
We need to send a message to the Employers side that Local Government members CARE about their pay. If you haven't done so you can vote through the link below - it takes 20 seconds. All you need is your membership number or your National Insurance number. If you don't know these then you can get your membership number from the Branch by emailing caerphillyunison@caerphilly.gov.uk
#PayUp2024 #JoinUNISON #UnisonWales
June 2024
to
2024 NATIONAL DELEGATE CONFERENCE
18 – 21 June 2024
The Brighton Centre Kings Road Brighton East Sussex BN1 2GR
We have now opened the Online Conference System (OCS) to allow branches to register delegates and submit motions in line with the rule-book requirements. Please note the deadline to submit motions on OCS is 12.00 noon on Tuesday 27th February 2024.
More information link here
June 2024
added extra date 
UNISON MATTERS - PAY CAMPAIGN 2024/25
As you’ll be aware the 2024/25 Pay Offer is in from the Employer. Do you want to know more and how it affects you? Why not join our special ‘UNISON Matters Teams’ meeting on June 10th at midday to find out more? If you want to have the meeting go straight into your calendar then please email the Branch.
There will now be a Consultation to all UNISON Local Government members starting on 5th June as to whether to accept or reject the employers offer. The consultation will run until 28th June 2024. If you haven’t had an email or text message by June 17th then please contact the Branch.
Finally, if you’d like to get more involved then why not become a ‘Pay Campaign Contact’ to help disseminate the latest news on the Pay Campaign in your office. If you’re interested then please contact the Branch on 01443 863279 or email caerphillyunison@caerphilly.gov.uk
Added extra date, Wednesday 12th June at 4:30pm.
June 2024
UNISON CAERPHILLY
We will be in Tredomen House (Staff Entrance) from 9am-2pm on Wednesday 5th June.
If you take just one minute to update your contact details with us on the day you can grab some of our brand new freebies we have including 'stress dragons', 'phone-fans' and the ever-popular 'spork'!
We'll also have the latest on the 2024/25 Pay Campaign so put the date/time in your calendar straight away!
#JoinUNISON #UNISONWales #UNISONCmyru
May 2024
NATIONAL CARE SERVICES
Caerphilly Unison Branch Secretary Lianne Dallimore speaking at Unison Wales fringe event at the Cymru Wales TUC 2024 Congress around the need for building a National Care Service in Wales. #CymruTUC #WalesTUC
May 2024
SCHOOL UNIFORM GRANT
Applications will be made online and a link to apply will be added to the bottom of this webpage when the grant is live.
The grant will open on 29 May 2024 for 750 applications at 8.30am and again for another 750 applications at 5pm. You will not be able to apply before these times.
May 2024
BALLOT PAPERS - VOTE
The Service Group Executive Elections 2024 are just around the corner, have you received your ballot yet? If Not, please give our office a call on (01495 355252) so that we can ensure one is sent out to you.
To all those who have received a ballot, you can either return them via post or online.
Voting closes at 5PM on 17 May, 2024.
April / May 2024
SOLIDARITY WITH TATA STEEL WORKERS
Caerphilly Trades Council is with Swansea Trades Council.
May Day march and rally organised by Cardiff Trades Council. Assemble 12 noon, top of Churchill Way at Queen Street CF10 2GR. Bring your banners!
Speakers include Unite Port Talbot Tata; Shavanah Taj, Wales TUC, Solidarity with Gaza #TUC #TUCWales #MayDay #Gaza
April 2024
SUPREME COURT
Supreme Court judgment stops bad bosses from punishing striking workers. UNISON’s legal case makes clear employers must not discipline staff for striking
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme court win! UNISON won in the UK Supreme court today as judges told bosses they cannot punish employees for taking strike action.
In what Christina McAnea Unison called 'The most important industrial action case for decades', the Supreme Court judges were scathing of the government’s failure to provide the minimum protection UK workers should have been granted.
April 2024
COUNCIL AND SCHOOL PAY
We've submitted our local government pay claim for 2024. We've asked for:
- £3,000 or 10%, whichever is greater
- Review of equality pay gaps
- Reduction of the working week
- Additional annual leave
More information link click here
March 2024
WINNER AGM ATTENDEES
Congratulations to Matthew Frost, Mental Health Worker from Hafon Coed, Blackwood.
Matthew won our AGM attendees prize draw for an Amazon Fire tablet.
Caerphilly Unison making another winner.
#AGM #CaerphillyAGM #CaerphillyUNISON #UNISON
March 2024
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY AT CAERPHILLY
Celebrating International Women's Day 2024 and standing strong with some of the wonderful women of Caerphilly County Borough Council.
#IWD2024 #StrongWomen #UnisonWales
March 2024
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
There's an exciting online event coming up for International Women's Day.
To register your interest for this excellent event, click the link below.
Read More #IWD24
March 2024
HAPPY ST DAVID'S DAY / DYDD GWYL DEWI HAPUS
Happy Saint David's Day
March 2024
WOMEN'S CONFERENCE
Caerphilly Unison members Vikki Giles and Lucy McDonald at UNISON Women's Conference, Brighton 2024. Brilliant effort.
The amazing women of Unison Wales were among those speaking at the 2024 UNISON Women's Conference.
Conferences and events such as this provide the power to come together with others from across the UK to share issues common to us all and support one another in the move towards gaining equality.
#WalesTUCCymru #TradesUnionCongress #TUC
March 2024
AGM 2024
Dear Member, You are warmly invited to attend one of Unison's aggregated Annual General Meetings (AGM) to be held on the dates shown below. This year 6 meetings have been arranged to give every member a choice of day and time. Some meetings will be held face-to-face and others will be virtual. We will be using Microsoft Teams for the virtual meetings.
Monday 11th March 2024 at 12.30pm – Virtual Meeting
Tuesday 12th March 2024 at 12.45pm – Tir y berth Depot, B3 Canteen & 5pm – Virtual Meeting
Wednesday 13th March 2024 at 1.30pm – Rhymney Room, Ty Penallta
Thursday 14th March 2024 at 1.00pm – Virtual Meeting
Friday 15th March 2024 at 8.30am – Virtual Meeting
Should you wish to attend please email us on caerphillyunison@caerphilly.gov.uk or call us on 01443 863279 and we can send you the joining details.
March 2024
MINERS STRIKE
On Sat 2 March 2024 at Bute Building, Cardiff University, we are hosting. The 40th anniversary of the coal miners’ strike will be marked with a conference organised by the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD).
February 2024
COME AND SEE US
Our February events:
Tredomen Main Entrance - February 6th 9:30am - 2pm
Tir-y-berth Depot B3 Canteen - February 12th 10am - 2pm
Ty Penallta Glass Restaurant - February 14th 10 am - 2pm
Foxes Lane - February 15th 10am - 2pm
Rhymney Integrated Health Centre - February 15th 10am - 2pm
Meet the team:
Branch Secretary - Lianne Dallimore
Branch Support Officer - Stephen Gardiner
Branch Chair - Juan Antorio Garcia
January 2024
MARCH FOR THE RIGHT TO STRIKE
UNISON Cymru/Wales is encouraging all members and branches to take part in a march to protect the right to strike.
The event takes place at Montpellier Gardens in Cheltenham starting at midday on Saturday January 27.
UNISON will run a coach picking up in Carmarthen, Swansea and Cardiff. To book your seat email cymruwales@unison.co.uk
January 2024
KEEP WARM THIS WINTER
Struggling with winter fuel bills? There For You offer limited one-off £200 grants to UNISON members on a low income.
Save the date: opens Wednesday 24 January.
CHECK YOUR BENEFITS
It can often be tricky to figure out which benefits you are eligible for and how to claim.
Check your support now with the UNISON Benefits Calculator.
BUDGET PLANNER
The first vital step in taking control of your finances is to create your own personal budget plan. Our user friendly budget planner is free to use and should only take minutes to complete if you have all your financial information to hand.
> Budget planner link here
WELLBEING MATTERS
Wellbeing breaks can provide welcome relief from stress and respite from difficult circumstances – this can include assisting with recovery from illness to help prepare for a return to work.
Contact Caerphilly Branch