Regional Service Groups

• Regional Service Groups
• Energy
• Health
• Higher Education
• Local Government
• Police and Justice
• Water and Environment
• Transport

Local Government

Local Government is the largest of UNISON’s North West’s service group and includes members working in Further and Higher Education, Sixth Form Colleges, Fire support services and Community and Voluntary Sector and Housing Associations.

Who to Contact Pat McDonagh  (Chair) Email: p.mcdonagh@manchester.gov.uk Telephone: 0161 254 7500
John Lewis (Lead Role) Telephone:  0161 661 6702 Email: john.lewis@unison.co.uk
Diane Daniels (Administrative Support) Telephone: 0161 661 6713 Email: d.daniels@unison.co.uk
The North West Regional Local Government Committee aims to identify and address issues that arise which affect our members. To assist in the process the group now has specific forums in:

• Schools
  
  This forum brings branch activists and members working in schools together four times a year to work on dedicated campaigns to ensure education workers are recognised and rewarded. Representatives include school meals workers, caretakers, teaching assistants and training officers as well as branch officers and full time schools convenors.
  Pam Howard from Warrington Branch and Roger Moore from Manchester Branch represent the forum on UNISON’s national school sector committee, set up to develop the best national pay and conditions agreement possible as part of the Government’s new School Support Staff Negotiating Council being introduced from September 2008.
  
  Keeping members informed about the emerging national pay and grading structure and ensuring they have a say will be a key piece of work for the regional schools forum in the months ahead.
  The forum is chaired by Brian Stangoe. 
   
• UNISON North West Campaign Against Academies

Who to Contact

Brian Stangoe (Chair) Tel:  0161 254 7500 Email: B.Stangoe@manchester.gov.uk
Keith Bradley  (Lead Officer) Tel:  0161 661 6707. Email:  k.bradley@unison.co.uk
Judith Holt (Administrative Support) Tel:  0161 661 6712 Email:  j.holt@unison.co.uk

• Connexions
  UNISON represents around 15,000 members working either in or with the ConneXions Service and existing careers service companies in England.
  
  Our members include careers advisers, secretaries, administrators and other support staff, youth and community workers and education welfare officers, social workers, personal advisers, careers advisers, careers assistants and employment advisers.
  
  For further information please visit our national website.
   
• Further Education
  UNISON is the main union for support staff working in further education colleges.
  
  Our 25,000 members include learning support staff, librarians, IT specialists, technicians, professional staff, administrative and business support staff, cleaners, canteen staff and estate management staff. For further information please contact either Victoria Walton on 0161 661 6762 or Paula Williams on 0161 661 6718
  
  For further information please visit our national website.
   
• Adult and Social Care
  UNISON supports more than 300,000 members working in social care services - for employers in the statutory, private and voluntary sectors.

  We campaign for the best possible deal for employees and for the highest standards of care for service users. We support key parts of the government reform agenda but we believe that services are grossly underfunded and that the views of those who deliver the services are too often ignored.
  
  For further information please visit our national website.
   

• Housing
  UNISON is opposed to the wholesale selling off of large chunks of the country's council housing stock.

  These large scale voluntary transfers are damaging to tenants, local authorities, services and trade union organisation. UNISON fully supports options that enable investment to take place without homes being sold.

  For Further information please visit our national website.
   

• Fire
  UNISON is the biggest union in the UK for fire and rescue service staff (non-firefighters). We have members in every brigade in England, Scotland and Wales.

  Fire and rescue service staff perform a huge variety of roles, from cooks and cleaners to control room staff and emergency planners; from driving instructors and community safety staff to accountants and trainers.

  The fire and rescue service is undergoing radical change as a result of government modernisation plans. These plans will see the regionalisation of much of the fire and rescue service; the promotion of a statutory duty to ensure community fire safety and the roll-out of an integrated personnel development system. In Scotland, the plans may lead to a common fire services agency.

  The Regional Fire Forum meets six times a year and allows representatives employed by Fire & Rescue Services to share information and discuss issues of mutual interest.

  Who to Contact

  Janice Pugh, Chair
  Telephone: 01942 650 503
  Email: pughj@manchesterfire.gov.uk

  Iris Davies
  Telephone: 0161 661 6751
  Email: i.davies@unison.co.uk

Click here for more information about Local Government issues.