The West Sussex branch committee cordially invites all branch members – including Retired Members – to the branch’s Annual General Meeting 2025.

The branch AGM will take place over 3 separate meetings.

• Monday 24 March, 1.00-2.00pm: MS Teams
• Tuesday 25 March, 1.00-2.00pm: MS Teams
• Wednesday 26 March, 6.00-7.00pm: MS Teams

All members are invited (including retired members). Meetings will be held virtually via the Microsoft Teams online meeting platform. You can attend by: PC/Laptop; Tablet; Smartphone; Landline telephone. If you have not got MS Teams installed on your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone, visit the Microsoft Team website where you can download it for free.

Meeting links

Monday 24 March, 1.00-2.00pm
Click here to join the meeting
Or phone in (audio only): call 020 3794 0272 and use phone conference ID: 216 072 815#

Tuesday 25 March, 1.00-2.00pm
Click here to join the meeting
Or phone in (audio only): call 020 3794 0272 and use phone conference ID: 824 504 582#

Wednesday 26 March, 6.00-7.00pm
Click here to join the meeting
Or phone in (audio only): call 020 3794 0272 and use phone conference ID: 283 878 318#

If you would like a Microsoft Outlook calendar invite to be sent to you with the meeting link for the session you are attending, please get in touch: office.unison@westsussex.gov.uk

We will be holding a raffle at each of the three AGM meetings with the same great prizes at each event:

• 3 x prizes of £50 Amazon or One4All shopping vouchers, at each event

To win a raffle prize you will need to be present at the AGM. Names of AGM attendees will be downloaded from MS Teams during the meeting and put into the draw. Only one prize can be won per member. The draw for three prizes will take place at the end of each meeting. You must be present when the draw is made to claim your prize.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Meeting papers

Download (PDF, 1.29MB)

The English Devolution White Paper the UK Government published on 16 December is the Government’s statement of its plans for wide-ranging reform of local government. This includes proposals on devolution but also wider plans for local government reorganisation (LGR).

West Sussex County Council has signalled its intention to be a fast track, early adopter of the Government’s plans, working alongside East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove unitary authority.

As well as likely changes to the boundaries of West Sussex and a new elected political leadership to cover all three areas, the Government wants the two-tier authorities involved (like West Sussex) to undergo a process to become unitary authorities, which would mean the end of borough and district local government as we know it. To usher in these changes, early adopters would cancel the 2025 local elections to make space for the work and reorganisation required.

Needless to say, the implications of all this for West Sussex branch members are huge.

On 6th January the WSCC Chief Executive met with Dan Sartin, Branch Secretary, to discuss these urgent, short notice developments. Whilst much remains uncertain, and much of this is outside the control of WSCC, Dan made the following points:

• Concern that Devolution & LGR will be a huge distraction at a time that public services are in crisis due to long-term underfunding
• That the real issue preventing the efficient delivery of public services is chronic lack of funding, and that Government should be addressing this first and treating it as an emergency
• That the cancelling of elections would be the wrong thing to do. There have been no elections in West Sussex County Council since 2021, and residents need their democratic say.
• That we needed commitments to ‘No Compulsory Redundancies’
• That we needed commitments that whatever new entity takes the place of WSCC as we know it, that there would be no return to outsourcing of services
• That the branch would take these points up with UNISON nationally to flag the urgent need to seek assurances from national Government that concerns about redundancies and outsourcing would be addressed in legislation.

The branch has a number of regular meeting opportunities with both the Chief Executive and Director of HR and Organisational Development, and the branch is using these to stay abreast of developments. The branch will naturally engage with the Council as soon as more detail is known, and certainly ahead of any employment processes that might be necessary and would impact on staff e.g. TUPE, consultation.

The council is committed to transparent dialogue with UNISON. The branch leadership met with the Chief Executive again on 20th January where Devolution and LGR was discussed, amongst other matters.

The branch is committed to ensuring that members’ interests and those of public services are front and centre of these developments, and is working hard to do so.

If members have any concerns or questions at this stage, they can contact the branch office in the usual ways.

As members will recall, the branch consulted with you in December to establish if there was support for the proposed pay claim of:

• an increase of £3,000 on all pay points, plus a clear ‘roadmap’ to reach a minimum pay rate of £15 an hour.

414 members took part and 82.8% were in favour of the claim. This was reported to the national office alongside the consultation reports of other local government branches where members are on NJC pay.

UNISON has since met with the other NJC trade unions (Unite and GMB) and the following now stands as the claim for 2025-26:

A headline claim of an increase of £3,000 on all pay points, along with claims for:

• A plan to reach a minimum pay rate of £15 an hour
• An increase of one day of annual leave, with no loss of pay
• The right of school staff able to take at least one day of annual leave within term time
• A reduction in the working week of two hours for all staff – while recognising the complexities this would involve for some groups of staff, we want to discuss them with the employers as part of meaningful negotiations.

This amended claim has since received final assent from the relevant committees of all three unions, and was sent to the NJC employers on January 31st.

The Employers’ Side is hosting briefings from mid February until mid March, to get the view of local authorities on what offer should be made to staff. We are urging the Employers to make an offer as soon as possible after that, and to engage in meaningful negotiations. The National Employers meet on 22 April and we hope to receive a pay offer after this.

For members on HAY, Agenda for Change and SMG4 grades

As you will know, your annual cost-of-living pay award each year is arrived at after a local process which follows NJC awards and is informed by the NJC award.

Since 2021, WSCC has agreed to a formal UNISON request that it should mirror NJC awards for staff on HAY, Agenda for Change and SMG4 scales. WSCC has also previously agreed that the pay year for HAY staff would align with NJC staff, being applicable from 1st April each year.

In December 2024, following a meeting with the Chief Executive, the branch secretary wrote formally asking that the mirroring arrangement be replicated again.

WSCC has in January confirmed its intention that the award for staff on HAY, Agenda for Change and SMG4 grades will mirror the NJC award for the pay year 2025-26 when settled.

In the TUC’s ‘❤UNIONS’ week, have you ever wondered what UNISON does in your workplace?

Come along to ‘Introduction to UNISON’ sessions for staff at West Sussex County Council, scheduled for 30 minutes in the lunch break. Dan Sartin, Branch Secretary of UNISON West Sussex, will explain the union’s role in the workplace and answer questions.

All 3 meetings are on MS Teams, but 1 is hybrid and will have the option to attend in-person in Chichester.

• Tuesday 11^th February, 12.30-1.00pm, MS Teams only
• Thursday 13^th February, 12.30-1.00pm, Hybrid: MS Teams and Committee Room 1, County Hall
• Friday 14^th February, 12.30-1.00pm, MS Teams only

Click the links above to attend by MS Teams on any given day, or drop by in person on Thursday in Chichester.

If you’d find a calendar invite helpful, please let us know and we will send you one.

Information on joining UNISON is on our Join page.

Workplace Day of Action: Make the ceasefire work, recognise Palestine now

Thursday 13 February, 12.00-12.30pm, County Hall, Chichester

Trade union branches across the UK will be taking part in a workplace day of action for Palestine to demand renewed international pressure to make the ceasefire work and the immediate recognition for the State of Palestine. UNISON, the UK’s largest trade union, and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) are supporting the event.

UNISON West Sussex branch members are invited to join the branch secretary, Dan Sartin, and branch international relations officer, Anna Palmer, on the steps of County Hall, Chichester at 12pm on Thursday as part of the nationwide workplace day of action.

The 15 months of conflict, since the heinous attack by Hamas in October 2023, have had a devastating impact on the people of Palestine and Israel. In Gaza over 47,300 people have been killed, 111,500 injured and almost the entire population displaced, many multiple times. The crisis has had a devastating impact on workers.

In Gaza over 1,060 health workers, 519 education workers, 385 aid workers and many other public service workers have been killed.

Homes, critical infrastructure, public services and businesses have been decimated. The UN estimate it will take up to 20 years to remove the 50 million tonnes of debris in Gaza.

Since the announcement of the ceasefire the situation in the West Bank has escalated. Access restrictions have intensified and military operations in Jenin, Tulkarm and other communities have resulted in the displacement of thousands of Palestinians.

UNISON joins Palestinian trade unions in their continued demands for:

• Renewed international pressure to ensure the ceasefire is permanent.
• Full access to humanitarian assistance, accommodation and critical public services.
• Full recognition of the Palestinian State, contributing to a two state solution.
• The safe release of hostages.
• Revoke the ban on UNRWA.
• Full adherence to international law, including the rulings of the international court.
• The suspension of the arms trade and the UK Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement, until international law is respected.
• A ban on trade with the illegal settlements.
• The release of Palestinian political prisoners and civilian detainees, including public service workers held in arbitrary or administrative detention.

County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RQ

Could you support your UNISON branch? As part of the union’s democratic process, each year all the branch’s officer positions are up for election. Nomination forms for any of the positions below are available from the branch office.

The branch committee has nominated the following members to serve as branch officers in 2025-26:

• Chair: Ian Harvey
• Vice-Chair: Sarah Etherington
• Branch Secretary*: Dan Sartin
• Deputy Branch Secretary*: Keith Manville
• Black Members Officer: No nomination
• LGBT+ Members Officer: Hu Evans
• Women’s Officer: Vicky Millis
• Disabled Members Officer: Sarah Etherington
• Branch Treasurer: Jennie Barrett
• Education Co-ordinator No nomination
• Health & Safety Officer (1): Keith Manville
• Health & Safety Officer (2): Samantha Cordingley
• Membership Officer: No nomination
• Lifelong Learning Co-ordinator: No nomination
• Welfare Officer: Karen Fenn
• Young Members Officer: No nomination
• International Officer: Anna Palmer
• Communications Officer: No nomination
• Labour Link Officer: Dan Sartin
• Environmental Officer: Jackie Gatenby
• Pensions Officer: Tim Stretton
• Retired Members Secretary: Clive Coleman
• Children’s Services (CYPL) Convenor*: Sarah Etherington
• Adults’ Services Convenor: No nomination
• WSCC Schools Convenor*: Keith Manville
• Other departments (Place) Convenor: Ian Harvey

The nomination period for all branch officer positions ends at 5.00pm on Monday 10 February.

If you are interested in taking on any role, please contact the branch secretary to find out more or to request a nomination form on 01243 777636 or office.unison@westsussex.gov.uk.

Branch officer roles marked with an asterisk (*) currently have WSCC consolidated facility time associated with them.

Get involved

The West Sussex branch committee meets six times per year. If you would like to get more involved with the branch not as an officer but as a committee member or a workplace rep, now is the time. Please get in touch if you are interested to find out more.

Branch AGMs – dates for your diary

The branch committee has decided to hold virtual AGM meetings again this year. More details are on our AGM website page and the AGM papers will be circulated by Monday 10 March. All meetings will be held on the Microsoft Teams platform. Please note the dates for your diary

• • Monday 24 March 2025; 1.00-2.00pm; Online (MS Teams): Join the meeting now
  • Tuesday 25 March 2025; 1.00-2.00pm; Online (MS Teams): Join the meeting now
  • Wednesday 26 March 2025; 6.00-7.00pm; Online (MS Teams): Join the meeting now

As well as reporting back on the previous year, we will discuss our plans and confirm branch officers and reps for 2025-26. We will hold an online raffle at each meeting with prizes to be won.

UNISON is promoting a series of online learning opportunities for school members in the new year, and these webinars might be of interest to  school members in the West Sussex Branch.

There are two sessions covering bereavement and neurodiversity, both planned for January 2025. Further details on the sessions with dates and times are included below, with a separate link for each session.

Introduction to bereavement in children

14 January 2025, 4pm-5pm
This one-hour seminar supports awareness of the impact of bereavement and grief on children, young people, and their families.

Sign up here

Neurodiversity for school support staff

14-15 January 2025, 4pm-5.30pm
This online course for members working in schools will focus on neurodivergent learners and discuss strategies that help to encourage neuroinclusive schools.

Sign up here

The links will take you to a UNISON webpage, where you can enter details and submit your registration for the learning event. Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis to members working in schools. Further information about the online courses can be found on the relevant linked page.

2025 NJC Pay Claim Branch Consultation

The UNISON NJC Committee met on 20 November 2024 to consider the contents of the NJC pay claim for 2025. This cost of living pay award is due from 1 April 2025.

The 2024 pay settlement

For NJC 2024, we submitted a claim for an increase £3,000 or 10%, whichever was the greater. The Employers offered an increase of £1,290, pro rata’d for part-time and term time only workers. As members know, that offer was ultimately accepted and implemented because we did not get over 50% strike thresholds in enough branches – but UNISON made clear that formal acceptance of the offer did not indicate that members were satisfied with it.

The NJC Committee is therefore proposing that our claim for 2025 should seek an increase that is above inflation, addresses the particular continuing challenges for those towards the bottom end of the pay spine, and enables members to begin to recover the loss of the real terms value of their pay that has occurred over the last decade.

The 2025 pay claim – proposed headlines

The NJC Committee proposes that the 2025 pay claim is for an increase of £3,000 on all pay points, along with a clear ‘roadmap’ to reach a minimum pay rate of £15 an hour.

UNISON members in councils and schools continue to experience a significant cost of living crisis, with food, heating and transport costs continuing to increase. While headline inflation figures have fallen, RPI inflation, the inflation measure which UNISON believes is the most accurate reflection of the spending realities our members face, is currently at 3.4% and is forecast to be at an average of 3.6% over 2025. Meanwhile, we know that on average, members have lost more than a quarter of the real terms value of their pay since 2010.

The NJC Committee is therefore proposing a claim for £3,000 on all pay points, which is above inflation, to ensure the real value of members’ pay does not fall further behind, and begins to catch up on the years of lost earnings.

The claim for a clear move towards a £15 an hour hourly rate is in line with policy agreed at UNISON’s Local Government Conference. Local government pay towards the bottom end is in clear need of a ‘reset’, so that staff are properly rewarded for their work and employers can recruit and retain staff.

The West Sussex branch would like the views of our members on this proposed way forward. Please take part in our quick branch survey! (Link below)

2025 NJC Pay Claim Branch Consultation

The UNISON West Sussex branch is affiliated to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), as is the union at a national level.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has organised a lobby day at Westminster Hall, London on Wednesday 27^th November 2-5pm.

This is an opportunity to discuss important issues with your MP around the UK’s involvement in the ongoing crisis in Palestine including:

• Ending arms sales to Israel
• The UK government calling for a ceasefire.
• Ensuring humanitarian aid reaches the Palestinian population.

Branch members who can get to London tomorrow are encouraged to use the link below to register to attend. This will then let your MP know that you would like to meet with them on the lobby day.

Lobby Day Registration: Wednesday 27th November 2024

If you are a West Sussex branch member intending to go to the Lobby Day than please let us know and we can put you in contact with members from Worthing and Adur Palestine Solidarity Campaign who will be travelling up to London by train on the day.

Branch donation

With increasing concern at the appalling humanitarian disaster underway and continuing to  unfold in Palestine and now the Lebanon, the UNISON West Sussex branch decided at its branch committee meeting in November to donate £1,500 to Medical Aid for Palestinians.

National demonstration

There is a national demonstration for Palestine in London this weekend on Saturday 30^th November, assembling at 12 noon.

For more details see: https://palestinecampaign.org/events/30-november-national-demonstration-for-palestine/