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INSIDE QUIZ RESULTS * CSCS BECOME AN ADVOCATE FRACKING HALTED AGAIN

SPENDING REVIEW Meet Vikki Bamborough

CLIMATE CHANGE

A Green Piece Special by Alistair Mitchell

Jacqui's Summer Special Quiz ? the results

Jacqui's back with the results of my Summer Special quiz.

Here are the answers.

Answer 1 Morecambe and Wise are the comedy duo most associated with the song "Bring Me Sunshine". Answer 2 The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere was on Friday 21st June 2019 Answer 3 The United Kingdom first adopted Daylight Saving Time in 1916. Answer 4 Mungo Jerry had a hit in 1970 with "In the Summertime". Answer 5 Cliff Richard starred in the 1963 film Summer Holiday. Answer 6 Seaside Special was the BBC's summertime TV show that ran from 1975 to 1979, which was from different resorts.

The winner who received a mystery prize of chocs was Lesley Tague from Warbreck. Well done!

New Brexit chief wants to scrap commitment on workers' rights

Boris Johnson's new Brexit chief wants to scrap Theresa May's commitment to protect British workers' rights, and has suggested Brexit is an opportunity to escape the EU's "heavy labour market regulation."

Just two months ago David Frost said he was opposed to the approach advocated "by the leaders of both major political parties" and argued that EU rights should not automatically be written into law after Brexit.

The former chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry was appointed last week by the prime minister to replace Olly Robbins as Downing Street's EU chief, a role that will see him leading any future talks with Brussels. "Business organisations have often in the past criticised the EU's drift towards heavy labour market regulation," Frost said in a 16 May 2019 opinion piece reproduced on the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry website. "So I will take some persuading it will be a good outcome if the EU is able to set new UK labour market rules without any UK say ? as currently seems to be envisaged by the leaders of both major political parties."

Responding, TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady told The Independent newspaper: "Boris Johnson claims that he intends to enhance rights at work after Brexit. He and his advisers should be focused on delivering that promise. But instead they're threatening a catastrophic no deal, which would strip away existing legal protections and leave essential rights open to attack]. Working people must not be dragged off this cliff edge without getting a Final Say." In the Commons last week, Boris Johnson told MPs that workers' rights would "not only" be protected after Brexit but that with "the freedoms that we will obtain" the UK would "where necessary be able to enhance" protections. EU rules set a minimum standard, however, and the UK has always been free to improve on them

CIVIL SERVICE

COMPENSATION SCHEME

2010 TERMS REMAIN IN PLACE UNTIL AT LEAST 31 DECEMBER 2019 AS TALKS CONTINUE

The Cabinet Office have confirmed that the 2010 CSCS terms will remain in place until at least 31 December 2019. Our campaign has defended the CSCS terms since 2016 with ?100s millions available for workers covered by the scheme.

BACKGROUND

Branches have received regular updates on developments in negotiations. We submitted our counter proposal to the employer in October 2018 after they imposed a deadline. The principles underpinning our counter proposal were to:

* Secure maximum protection for the lowest paid

* Secure maximum protection for the greatest possible number of PCS members

* Secure maximum protection for those who want to remain in a job, thereby prioritising Compulsory Redundancy terms over Voluntary Exit and Voluntary Redundancy terms

* Eradicate the age discriminatory aspects of the current scheme

CABINET OFFICE RESPONSE

The Cabinet Office wrote to us on 9 April 2019 stating that the Minister had considered our counter proposal, had determined his preferred position and, in accordance with the provisions of the High Court Judgment, now wished to enter a period of consultation on his preferred position.

We met with the Cabinet Office on 10 April. We said that we wanted a full, written explanation from the Minister of his position on our proposals and why he was minded to make the changes he was proposing. We also asked for details of the costings of his preferred proposals. The Cabinet Office wrote to us on 17 June outlining their rationale.

FURTHER TALKS

We met the employer again on 30 July. We pointed out that, since the response on 9 April, the political situation in the UK had significantly altered. We said that there had effectively been a change of Government and that we now wanted to meet Oliver Dowden, former Minister of Implementation at the Cabinet Office, who had been promoted to Minister for the Cabinet Office, in his new capacity. We also pointed to the raft of announcements from the new Prime Minister containing spending commitments. We said that this indicated that the Government's previous position that the savings from the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) were hard wired into future financial projections no longer stood up to scrutiny in light of this new found largesse.

As well as seeking a meeting with the Minister, we asked that the 2010 terms remained in place until at least the end of the year to allow time for that process of engagement.

The Cabinet Office agreed to take our request back to the Minister. They have since confirmed that the 2010 CSCS terms will indeed remain in place until at least 31 December 2019. In February 2020, it will be 4 years since the Government first attempted to change the CSCS terms. Our campaign has defended the CSCS terms for four years with ?100s millions available for workers covered by the scheme.

POLITICAL LOBBYING

We have met with John Trickett, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, and appraised him of the position. John has pledged Labour's support to do whatever it can to block the proposed changes. We are also in the process of setting up a meeting with the DUP to appraise them of the position. They have previously opposed any changes to the CSCS.

We will keep Branches informed of developments.

Mark Serwotka General Secretary

Fran Heathcote President

Work-related suicide should have legal recognition

PWreleDqoauurskiner-cerseadenlantoGtderpydiforfosuituvrheisacnia-dsdesweusetiahrcsioildstueoilndDwtbuahensec"GnaroenAtcLGor)ergtilofnafiitatsehredrsdi,vReinonoloemglaiAstel2ar0tti8hoRann"W,1aw4ritbhthrMetcahkrec(hoerm2e0p-1ml9oayiel r to their job ratheTr htheawn ipnuntteinrgwtihllerebcuerdiveen aofmystery prize. pPrloeaosfeorenmtehmebveirctthimat 'BsrarnecphreEsxeecnuttaivteivCeosm, mthitetee members cannot enter/ win the quizzes union CWU has said.

The union call came a written response to a UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) consultation on Suicide Prevention Quality Standards.

The proposed standard, which is due to be published in September this year, will cover ways to reduce suicide, with an emphasis on local organisations combining their expertise and resources to implement a range of suicide prevention measures.

CWU's national executive (NEC) and Mental Health Strategy Project Working Group said the union's response was informed by a decision at the union's conference this year calling on it to campaign to "ensure that workplace suicide is recognised in legislation" and that it "place the burden of proof on the

employer to demonstrate that the suicide was not work-related." The CWU's detailed submission notes: "Although the overall UK suicide rate has fallen since the 1980s and 1990s, evidence suggests that there has been a rise in work related suicides in the face of growing pressures at work". It adds: "Not only are employers well placed to assist in the prevention of suicide, but they should be under an obligation to do so because of the enormous influence of work on mental wellbeing and suicide."

The union submission concludes "the CWU supports the NICE suicide prevention quality standard but we believe employers should be involved in this initiative. Work has a huge impact on mental health, and evidence suggests that work-related suicides have increased due to the growth of job insecurity and work intensification. Employers have a responsibility to contribute to suicide prevention and it is in their interests to do so. We believe it is reasonable to expect that many employers would be open to being part of a multi-agency suicide prevention partnership. The involvement of trade unions is equally important as the representatives of millions of workers across the UK."

CWU national health and safety officer Dave Joyce commented: "We hope that NICE will take on board the comments from the CWU in drafting the quality standards, particularly as the CWU's submission highlights the absence of employers and trade unions in the draft suicide prevention quality standard, and argues that employers and unions should be involved in supporting multi-agency suicide prevention partnerships."

10 Benefits of PCS Membership

1 A voice

Winning better terms and conditions at work is best done collectively, and being in PCS gives you a voice. Research shows unionised workplaces enjoy better pay and conditions.

2 Advice and support

Our union is there for you at work when you need it ? reps can refer to our full-time officers and legal team for advice, if necessary.

3 Legal and financial advice

Access to our free, confidential legal helpline covers many personal matters for your family. Free financial consultation and free debt advice are also available.

4 Free will-making service

One free will for you and your partner saves money in legal fees. Members can also nominate someone to receive a death benefit payment of ?1,663.

5 Insurance deals

A wide range of free or discounted insurance deals are available, including home, vehicle, travel, pet, health and accident cover.

6 Chance to learn

Training, learning and professional development opportunities are available, including life-long learning ? such as GCSE English and Maths ? or trade union education.

7 Networking opportunities

Being in a union gives you the chance to meet colleagues from your workplace and others. It's an opportunity to get involved in a movement that truly impacts on people's daily lives.

8 Political influence

The PCS Political Fund allows us to campaign politically on decisions being made that affect our members. PCS also has a parliamentary group of MPs to help us lobby on vital issues.

9 Financial support

We set aside money every year to help members facing severe financial hardship, which can be applied for through our benevolent fund.

10 Discounts

Members get exclusive deals on a whole host of things, including shopping, and leisure activities like hotel stays, holidays and days out.

Not a member? Register to join online today.

Alistair's GREEN PIECE

CLIMATE CHANGE

We should all just give up now. We have broken the planet and we lack the will and political aspiration to take the actions necessary to change it. 1.5oC is the target set for the maximum temperature rise which will prevent massive changes to the planet we all live on. Well, maybe 2oC at a push but definitely no more than that. We are all aware that we need to work together to achieve this but what are the actions of our governments doing to support the required changes? In one of the largest policing operations in the history of the German state, police forces are currently evicting hundreds of forest protectors from the Hambacher Forest occupation in the German Rhineland. With water cannons, tanks, thousands of police officers and brute force, the government is clearing the ancient forest, determined to facilitate the continuation of logging operations ? scheduled to start mid-October ? for the mining of lignite coal. In the UK the government has released a policy statement approving a third runway at Heathrow and expansions at several other major airports.

Bank holdings in "extreme" fossil fuels skyrocketed globally to $115bn during Donald Trump's first year as US president, with holdings in tar sands oil more than doubling, a report commissioned by the Rainforest Action Network has found.

World oil production will soar to new records over the next five years, as a dramatic expansion in demand from airlines offsets the arrival of electric cars, according to a report from OPEC, a cartel of the oil producing countries.

Reuters in London stated that despite overwhelming evidence of carbon-fuelled climate change and billions in subsidies for alternative technologies such as wind and solar power, oil is so entrenched in the modern world that demand is still rising by up to 1.5 percent a year.

We are on a downward spiral and unless we can reverse this trend the planet as we know it is doomed. Despite the rhetoric coming from politicians all the onus is on us to make the changes. The charge for plastic bags allows companies to continue with business as usual completely ignoring the effect they are having whilst requiring the consumer to pay more for slightly thicker, but still plastic, bags. Any further initiative from the government will similarly protect the interests of business first whilst requiring the consumer to pick up the tab.

We need a radical rethink of policies, not just in the UK but worldwide, if we are going to avoid turning Climate Change into a Climate Catastrophe. The movement by students is a start but it is only a protest movement. Change is required and we can protest as much as we want but unless politicians start to take action protests will not stop climate change.

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