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Michael Meacher MP rolls up his sleeves at Oldham Sports Centre
MICHAEL Meacher MP for Oldham
West & Royton responded to UNISON’s challenge for MP’s to roll up
their sleeves to work alongside low paid UNISON members.
Mr Meacher agreed to swap his desk in Westminster to work as a
Recreation Assistant at the Oldham Sports Centre, on Friday 25 July. Mr Meacher performed cleaning duties as well as setting up sports
equipment for members of the public who made bookings.
UNISON hopes this has enabled Mr Meacher gain a better picture of
the difficult and often dirty jobs our members perform in Local
Authorities, some of which pay barely above the minimum wage.
UNISON members recently took strike action in response to an offer
of just 2.45%, well below the rate of inflation.
Frank Hont, UNISON NW Regional Secretary said:- “Politicians
and employers have had a lot to say about why they think local
government workers shouldn’t be given more than a 2.45% rise, yet
only 5 out of 76 North West MP’s have responded to our challenge to
swap jobs with one of our members.
We are pleased Mr Meacher agreed
to work in Oldham Sports Centre and hope he now appreciates how hard
our members work and why they recently took strike action in
response to a pay offer of just 2.45%.” |
Almost 100,000 children benefit from record child maintenance
figures
MORE children than ever before are benefiting from child
maintenance as the Child Support Agency collected or arranged over
£1.05 billion nationally in a 12 month period. The total
amount collected or arranged for children in the North West was more
than £125m in the same period (July 2007 - June 2008).
99,100 North West children are now benefiting from maintenance
payments - an extra 5,200 compared to the previous year and an
increase of 22,600 since June 2005, before the Agency's Operational
Improvement Plan was launched.
Of the £1.05 billion benefiting children nationally - an increase of
£243m since June 05 - a total of £137.6m collected was arrears. Both
figures represent the highest level of money ever collected or
arranged in a 12 month period.
The latest performance figures also confirm the Child Support Agency
is collecting more arrears owed by non-resident parents, helping
more than 768,000 children nationally, clearing applications quicker
and improving customer service.
Child Maintenance Minister James Plaskitt praised the latest figures
as further evidence of the Agency's progress, and said:-
"These results show the CSA is continuing to get more money to more
children and make a real difference to their lives.
With an increase
in the child maintenance disregard later this year and proposals for
a full disregard recently announced, these together with existing
reforms to the child maintenance system will lift up to 100,000
children out of poverty. The Agency's performance continues to
improve as we move towards the new Commission and our aim will be to
continue this progress so we can help more children and families."
CSA Chief Executive and Commissioner of the new Child Maintenance
and Enforcement Commission, Stephen Geraghty, added:- "I am
delighted that a record number of children across the North West are
benefiting from over £125m of maintenance collected or arranged by
the Agency in the region. They show our historic achievements
earlier this year are evidence of a sustained and consistent
improvement that is increasingly delivering results.
Our work
continues to create stable foundations for the future of child
maintenance as the Commission is established later this year." |
