Aberdeen Universities UNISON

Branch Christmas Competition 2020

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 our ever popular Christmas hampers and some £20 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 £20 Gift Voucher for Branch Members!

As you know the branch receives money each year to use on a variety of things, including social events.  We'll be running our Christmas competition as usual, but we have also run coach trips and other events in the past.  This year, as you'll appreciate, we haven't been able to do that.

We know however how difficult this year has been for all of us, and the branch committee would like to say thank you to all our members for all the fantastic work you've been doing under very difficult circumstances.  For that reason we are offering all our branch members a £20 gift voucher of their choice!

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 15th November 2020 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: Members | Benefits

There for You - Financial Support for Members

With the current COVID-19 crisis many members are finding themselves struggling to cope.  We'd like to remind members of UNISON's welfare charity, There for You, which provides a vital service to members experiencing financial and emotional difficulties.

All members can contact There for You directly, which provides a confidential advice and support service for members and their dependants.  Members who are experiencing financial difficulties can also apply for a Financial Assistance grant, and also receive help and advice with regard to applying for benefits you may be eligible to claim.  For a full list of services provided go to the website here:

https://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/there-for-you/

At this time, branches have also been asked to support the charity with donations, and the Aberdeen Universities branch committee have agreed a donation of £1,000 to UNISON Welfare from branch funds to help support those members most in need.

If you are dealing with an emergency situation – either linked to COVID-19 or other financial pressures – and you have no money at all, call 020 7121 5620 and leave a message. During these unprecedented times, members can apply to There for You directly for an emergency payment.

For other support and application forms for financial assistance see the There for You website linked above.  Forms can be submitted electronically.

Categories: Members | Benefits

Branch Christmas Competition 2019 - Results

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

The prizes this year were:

• an amazing Apple iPad Pro (10.5" WiFi 256Gb) Space Grey.
• our ever popular Dinner and a Show for Two (x2)
• and our Luxury Christmas hampers (x2)

Our prize winners were drawn by our independent adjudicator on Monday and were:

• First Prize:  Janice Forsyth
• Second Prizes:  Margaret Price & Gavin Murison
• Third Prizes:  Jayne Marooth & Liz Law

Our competition this year was a maze members were asked to help Rudolph find his way through to get his Christmas present.  The options were A: Teddy Bear, B: Wheely Duck or C: Helicopter.

There were a lot of maze runners out there who got the right answer - the correct answer was A: Teddy Bear.

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

Categories: Benefits | Branch | Members

Livingston Designer Outlet Coach Trip

UNISON Aberdeen Universities branch has organised a FREE day trip on Saturday 27th April to Livingston Designer Outlet for branch members. Members may also bring along a guest as well!

With over 70 boutiques, restaurants and cafés, Livingston Designer Outlet isn’t merely Scotland’s largest Designer Outlet. They have a wide range of stores, offering something to suit every taste. Highlights range from iconic fashion brands, including Fred Perry Kurt Geiger, Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger, athletic labels like Nike and Adidas, and high-street favourites like M&S and Next.

We'll have two pickups on the morning of Saturday 27th April departing from:

• Kings College, University of Aberdeen departing at 8am, and
• SIWB, Robert Gordon University Garthdee departing at 8.30am
• Returning at 5pm for arrival back to Aberdeen at about 8pm.

For more information about the venue, see the Livingston Designer Outlet website.  To book your place (please note only UNISON branch members may book), please use our Ticketsource booking form:

Have you booked already, but lost your e-Ticket? 
Please go to the Ticketsource website where you can request they are resent to you.

Categories: Benefits | Branch | Events | Members

Heart Unions Week - STUC Webinar

As part of heart unions week, we're hoping to show the live webinar about the STUC's better than zero campaign.  Better Than Zero are a group of workers, who, since 2015, have been organising against precarious work in the hospitality and service sectors in Scotland.  They campaign against zero hours, zero rights, and zero respect in the workplace. 

Come along, have a chat, get some heart union goodies (including our reusable hand warmers and heart union jelly beans!), watch the webinar, and let us know what issues you're facing right now:

• Wednesday 13th February 2019
  
  1pm-1.45pm - UNISON Stall - SIWB Entrance Area (RGU)
  
  2pm-3pm - LIVE WEBINAR - Room 412 - Aberdeen Business School (RGU)

We hope to see you there!  For further information you can also see the national website www.heartunions.org.

Categories: Benefits | Branch | Events

Winter Fuel Grants

Winter fuel grants 2018-19

What are UNISON There for You Winter Fuel Grants?

In addition to our normal range of services and in response to the growing difficulty many members on low income are experiencing paying their fuel bills, a programme has been put in place that will assist our most vulnerable members.

How much are the Grants?

They are one-off grants of up to £60 per household.

Am I eligible?

• You must be a UNISON member and have paid 4 weeks subscriptions before the launch date of this programme (3/12/18)
• Have a total net annual household income of £18,000 or less. (Note: By ‘net income’ we mean all salary including your partner's after tax, national insurance, superannuation and trade union subscriptions only. Your calculation should include any Tax Credits, Universal Credit or child maintenance received. Do not include Child Benefit, the childcare element of Working Tax Credit, Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment.
• You are responsible for meeting the household fuel bills and are struggling financially

Is there anything else that may affect my entitlement to apply?

• You and your partner (if applicable) must not have combined savings, or rolling bank balance, of more than £800.
• You must not have received financial assistance from UNISON There for You during the previous six months (excluding School Uniform Grant)
• Applications are limited to one per household and priority is given to those who have not previously applied for the Winter fuel grant

How do I apply?

To apply for a Winter Fuel Grant simply:

• Print out and complete the short 1-page application form from our website www.unison.org.uk/thereforyou ; or
• Contact UNISON Direct on 0800 0857 857 between 6am-midnight Monday-Friday and 9am-4pm Saturday for a form to be posted to you

For more information:

See our website at https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2018/12/winter-fuel-grants/

Categories: Benefits | Members