Aberdeen Universities UNISON

Branch Christmas Competition 2023

Once more we are running our fantastic Christmas Competition, which is open to members only for all our current UNISON members at both the Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen.

This year, we have an amazing Apple iPad Air to win, and twenty lucky winners will receive a voucher code for £50, to use on any shopping vouchers they like from the love2shop redemption website.

Entry is online only this year:

• UNISON Branch Christmas Competition - Enter Here! 

Don’t leave it too late to send your entry before midday on 15th December - enter today!

Categories: Benefits | Branch | Members | RGU | UofA

Branch Christmas Competition 2022 - RESULTS

The branch held our prize draw for our fantastic Christmas Competition yesterday and we're pleased to announce we now have our three prize winners and fourteen runners up for this year.

This year we had Fifteen £50 Vouchers up for grabs!

Our prize winners draw was overseen by branch committee members, Jim Florence, Shirley Cooper and Abeer Eladany on Thursday and were:

• Peter Cross; Chris Paterson; Louise Hughes; Julie Houston; Marjory Reilly;
  China Maudlin; Maureen Cooper; Irene Baird; Jan Smith; Margaret McIntosh;
  Lewis McConochie; Annette Davidson; Enrique Olivares; Arlene Jopp; Colin Jamieson.

Our competition this year was a riddle: 

Categories: Benefits | Branch | Members

Branch Christmas Competition 2022

Once more we are running our fantastic Christmas Competition, which is open to members only for all our current UNISON members at both the Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen.

This year, fifteen luck winners will receive a voucher code for £50, to use on any shopping vouchers they like from the love2shop redemption website.

Entry is online only this year:

• UNISON Branch Christmas Competition - Enter Here! 

Don’t leave it too late to send your entry before 14th December - enter today!

Categories: Benefits | Branch | Members

RGU Agrees 35 Hour Week and Increased Holidays

Members at the Robert Gordon University will have seen the email from the Principal, Prof Steve Olivier with regard to harmonising working hours and leave entitlement.

UNISON are delighted that we have managed to achieve this agreement at RGU after many years.  To be clear for all staff, the 35 hour week and harmonisation of holidays with academic staff is directly due to the efforts of UNISON and other trade unions.  The principal of fairness in holidays and the 35 hour week was a key part of the framework agreement back in 2006, and was to be implemented across the Higher Education sector.

UNISON at RGU have continually raised this issue with the University, however until recently little progress had been made.  With the onset of the pandemic and the rise of hybrid working, we raised this issue once again with the University, particularly in the context of further benefits applying to some staff - i.e. those who have the option of working from home, whilst staff who do not have that option could not.  At the same time those staff still suffered the significant inequality where holidays were not only less than academic staff, but also less than professional and support staff on higher grades.

We were encouraged therefore when we had one of our first meetings with Prof Olivier, and raised the issue of working hours and harmonisation of holidays.  In that meeting Prof Olivier was clear that he also shared the concern over this inequality and was keen to do something about it.  This then culminated in a meeting earlier this month where UNISON was very happy to agree to the proposed changes through our collective bargaining agreement, on behalf of all staff.

Those changes met our expectations in full and mean that:

• All P&SS staff will reduce hours from 37 to 35 per week, with no loss of pay, and no detriment – part time staff will reduce hours pro-rata – hourly rate will increase.
• All P&SS staff will increase holidays to match academic staff (36 days + 10 fixed days).  That means our lowest paid staff will receive an addition 8 days holiday a year (from 28+10 previously).

I'm sure you will all agree that this is a great result for all staff, and will welcome the news in the same way that we did.

Categories: Benefits | Information | Members | RGU

Branch Christmas Competition 2021

Once more we are running our fantastic Christmas Competition, which is open to members only for all our current UNISON members at both the Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen.

Prizes this year are an amazing top of the range Gaming Laptop. We'll also have two Apple iPad minis up for grabs and £25 shopping vouchers for runners up.

Entry is online only this year:

• UNISON Branch Christmas Competition - Enter Here! 

Don’t leave it too late to send your entry - enter today!

Categories: Benefits | Branch | Members

Free £25 Gift Voucher for Branch Members! (2021)

Last year you may remember we ran a gift voucher scheme for members in lieu of our usual social activities during the year.  Once again this year these haven't been possible due to the pandemic.  The voucher scheme was very well received so we've decided to run it again this year, and this time we're offering vouchers of your choice from love2shoprewards to the value of £25!

Once again the branch committee would like to say a big thank you to all our members for all the fantastic work you've been doing under very difficult circumstances. 

To claim your gift voucher please register online - we'll then get them ordered and codes distributed to everyone which will allow you to claim your gift voucher from the many available at www.love2shoprewards.co.uk

All registrations should be received by Sunday 14th November 2021 to allow us time to process the order and get the codes out to you by early December - in time for a bit of Christmas shopping!

Categories: Benefits | Members

Branch Christmas Competition 2020 - Results

The branch held our prize draw for our fantastic Christmas Competition and we're pleased to announce we now have our 5 prize winners and eight runners up for this year.

The prizes this year were:

• an amazing Lenovo Legion 5 top-of-the-range Gaming Laptop.
• a lovely Prosecco and Chocolates Hamper (x2)
• a great Wine and Snacks box Hamper (x2)
• and Eight runners up received £20 Vouchers!

Our prize winners draw was overseen by our Branch Chairperson, Julie Yackiminie on Tuesday and were:

• First Prize:  Carol McKerron
• Second Prizes:  Roy Glennie & Ruth Steele
• Third Prizes:  Lauren Hossack & Iain Bell
• Runners-up: Janice Wright, Rhona Skene, Joanne Procee, Scott Murison, David Milne, Alison Mcleod, Wendy Arthur, and Shirley McQeen

Our competition this year was an odd one out and people were asked to select the odd one out from A: Christmas Pudding, B: Chocolate Yule Log, C: Christmas Tree and D: Brussel Sprouts.

We know there are a number of ways you could look at it, but we were only looking for one right answer and that was "C: Christmas Tree" as the other things are all things you would eat (although we do admit some people would debate whether Brussel Sprouts are edible!).  Well done to everyone who got the answer we were looking for!

Congratulations to all our winners, and to everyone out there, have a Happy Christmas and New Year!

Categories: Benefits | Branch