Campaigns
Positively Public Briefings
Monthly briefings providing the latest campaigning, privatisation and good practice news. Link to another page on this siteAvailable here
National news

Private markets expose public services

(09/07/08) Union calls for independent review of influence of marketisation on services

Look at PFI's impact on pay, says UNISON

(08/07/08) Union welcomes response to call to examine PFI pay impact

'We'll fight tooth and nail for services'

(15/06/08) Local government: Union will 'keep campaigning against privatisation'

Minding the health gap

(12/06/08) Cutting poverty is key to tackling health inequalities, says UNISON
News list >

Voices for Real Reform

In January 2007 UNISON and the democratic left think tank Compass convened a special summit aimed at showing a new way forward for public service reform.

The need for modern public services that can respond to changing social and economic needs, and make the best possible use of public resources, is something we can all agree on. Unfortunately in recent years the discussion around public service reform has been distorted by a distracting emphasis upon market mechanisms and private sector involvement. The truth is that markets will at best only ever be marginal, and at worst could be a serious obstruction, to the real challenges of public service improvement - challenges of public involvement, workforce development, organisational performance, partnership working, and strategic capacity building.

Documents & Links
Voices for Real Reform
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF
Dave Prentis writes on the future of public service reform
Link to an external websiteArticle on Compassonline.org.uk

We hope that the conversations initiated here will continue and begin to reveal a new agenda for public service reform beyond the false solutions that have dominated the policy agenda for far too long. The discussion document proposes principles that might frame a more constructive debate about service improvement, provides an overview of the issues in key service areas such as health, education, children's services, social care, housing, libraries and probation services, and assesses the prospects for moving a more positive agenda forward in the coming period.

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
Fair Wages: How to end the two tier workforce in public services and achieve fair wages
UNISON's fair wages campaign calls for a fair wages regulation in public contracting to safeguard the employment conditions and pensions of staff, regardless of who employs them. This briefing explains the campaign, why we need it, what successes have been achieved and what remains to be done.
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF version
Public risk for private gain?
The public audit implications of risk transfer and private finance
A new UNISON report shows that the government has failed to evaluate its own claim that extra costs of PFI are justified, because risks are transferred to the private sector. There are now more than 500 PFI deals worth £36bn, but the the true cost of these deals to the taxpayer is still unknown and private companies are reaping the benefits of this oversight, at the expense of the public purse. (NB: This is a 1.2MB download)
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF version
Our values, our NHS
Results of UNISON's NHS survey, which we will use as evidence to show the government what members value most in the NHS, and argue for a constitution that ensures these principles are protected and built on in future
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF version
PFI – Retention of employment model
Branch guide
The Retention of Employment (ROE) model is a new policy implemented by the Department of Health, covering staff employed in NHS Trusts in England, which are involved in Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes. This negotiating guide seeks to explain UNISON policy on ROE; who is affected by ROE; how ROE works; how branches can negotiate before ROE is implemented; how branches can safeguard the interests of staff after ROE.
Link to a PDF document on this siteAcrobat PDF version
Shaping the future
UNISON's vision for public services
The document reaffirms UNISON’s commitment to high quality public services as the basis of a fair, prosperous and democratic society. It argues that because UNISON members work in public services, UNISON has a “dual role” as an advocate for its members and for “the best possible public services, available to all who need them".
Link to a PDF document on this site Shaping the future - UNISON's vision for public services (986165 bytes)
All Positively Public reports >