Weymouth and Portland – Action on Wages (WeyPAW)

WeyPAW is a community action group who want to give the people of Weymouth and Portland a pay rise. We take action on the streets, in the media and online to help people understand the various problems they have in getting paid properly, as well as the various legally required payments they are entitled to as employees of businesses in and around Weymouth and Portland. These include Statutory Sick Pay and Holiday Pay, but at the very simple, to ascertain whether they are receiving the UK legally mandated Minimum Wage.

Policy Proposals – Discussion

We need:

• an integrated strategy to tackle poverty wages and failing services in W&P, using public resources in key areas;
• a commitment by local councils to pay the real Living Wage, as set by the Living Wage Foundation;
• a commitment by local councils to equal pay for women, full in-work benefits, and rights at work – and an undertaking to allocate contracts on this basis;
• a commitment by local councils to end to zero-hours contracts;
• a commitment by local councils to publish and pursue active strategies to tackle food, fuel and funeral poverty;
• a commitment by local councils to ban payday loan companies from council advertising spaces;
• an audit of jobs in W&P, with the participation of local councils, to identify delinquent (“rogue”) employers who evade full payment of wages and in-work benefits, and/or who impose unnecessary charges on employees;
• trade union organisation to protect rights at work, especially in low-paid sectors including catering, retail and leisure (holiday camps, hotels, tourism);
• a new agenda for housing that focuses on unoccupied units, a programme of refurbishment and co-operative ownership and/or rental;
• an urgent review of health provision with direct involvement of the public;
• an active, high-profile public campaign for improved public transport by road and rail;
• a collaborative strategy for public “anchor” institutions that provide full-time jobs, rights at work and a continuing contribution to local communities;
• a working group to advance plans for a University of Dorset based on campuses at Weymouth and Dorchester.
• Revised policy proposals will be put to MPs, councillors, and all candidates for office in the Unitary Authority and in the next general election. WeyPAW will ask all candidates for their views and intentions.

See WeyPAW policies at www.weypaw.org and on Facebook. Contact WeyPAW at weypaw@gmail.com

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Cynical Commissioning Group: tell ’em to back out!

The public consultation on Dorset’s Clinical Services Review is underway. The proposed cuts will devastate our healthcare. In short, 25% fewer hospital beds, 50% fewer G.P. surgeries, parts of the county left without accessible emergency trauma, paediatric or maternity services

Here’s their survey: the questions are deliberately leading, and vague.

If they get a positive response they will take it as carte blanche to do whatever they like. We therefore ask you to “strongly disagree” with everything, and where you choose “Another option”, demand that services are retained as they are and properly funded. We already have the lowest per capita spending on health services in the industrialised world

You’ll need to include your Dorset Postcode to prove you live in Dorset. Ooh Arr!