SWAN in Yorkshire

SWAN has two groups in the Yorkshire area. See below for details.

West Yorkshire SWAN (Leeds area)

West Yorkshire SWAN is a loose grouping of social workers, users and carers. We are active in local anti-cuts and anti-fascist campaigns and have had recent meetings in solidarity with asylum seekers, gypsies and travellers and on the future of social work.

For further information on West Yorkshire SWAN: contact Sue or John by clicking here.

South Yorkshire SWAN (Sheffield area)

Practitioners, students and academics hold SWAN meetings in Sheffield, and our eventual aim is to link up with Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster. The meetings so far have discussed taking motions in support of SWAN, including financial backing, to local trade union branches. We have members in Unison (Local Government and NHS branches), GMB & Unite (which have a number of Local Government Social Care staff in them), NAPO (National Association of Probation Officers), NUS (National Union of Students), and UCU (University and Colleges Union). We believe the role of the unions is crucial given the attacks that are looming in the public sector where no area of social work is likely to go unscathed.

The group aims to make sure that discussion to counter attacks on social work is as broad as possible linking up people in all fields, including service users, probation, mental health, children’s, disability and adult services. We encourage people from local government, the NHS, probation and the voluntary sector to attend our meetings. Students are also vital to this as they are engaged in a huge discussion about ideas at the start of their careers.

The group organised a meeting in March 2011 on the book 'The spirit level: why equality is better for everyone' with speaker Professor Richard Wilkinson.

For further information on South Yorkshire SWAN: contact Bea by clicking here.

N30 strike report from Leeds

LEEDS
In Leeds, 95% of schools were closed and over 60% of council staff were on strike. Unions provided a small number of exemptions to staff in critical services protecting vulnerable people in life threatening situations.
Pickets were out all over the town centre and beyond (“I’ve had that leaflet thanks, you lot are everywhere”, said one smiling passer-by) , with 70 at Cross Green refuse depot and a determined line of mental health workers at Seacroft Hospital.

Forty to fifty people – mainly women workers with a roving band of UNISON retired members and a couple of Heads of Commissioning - picketed the various entrances to Merrion House and the Civic Hall, which house the head offices of Adults and Children’s Social Care and other central services. Scabs, largely from demoralised, re-organised and de-organised sections like HR and OD, scurried in with their heads down, apologising. We turned back the post ….. and a vital Xerox paper delivery!

Linguists on strike in Leeds
The Leeds TUC rally at Woodhouse Moor drew several thousand strikers from all the striking unions. As the march wound into town, thousands more students, lecturers, council workers, teachers, pupils and civil servants joined, with estimates of well over 7000 at the city centre rally in Victoria Gardens, making this the biggest Leeds demo in decades.

The feeling on the picket lines was clear: we were on strike today for every working class person’s future. We know class war when we see it and we’re not interested in negotiating reductions in jobs, pensions and services. This was a fantastic start and a springboard for re-building shop-floor union organisation. Leeds UCU has called a cross-union meeting for activists on Monday at 6.00pm in Broadcasting House to discuss how to escalate the action.

N30 Rally in Leeds
John from West Yorkshire SWAN added: "As a second year Social Work student who also works part-time in the NHS I see first hand the affect of cuts now on services and staff and what I will be working within when I qualify. To suggest it is fair to top slice public sector pensions to swell the Treasury coffers and make workers make up the looting by paying more, working longer and getting less is ludicrous. Given the pressure on social care and health care staff, working until 67/68 or whatever age it ends up being is a non-starter, service users and staff will both suffer. There was good student support at both Leeds Universities, hundreds of leaflets were handed out and many students came to the rally."

Sue Talbot & John McDermott (West Yorkshire SWAN)

SWAN, Social Work and Trade Unions

From Newsletter #1 Spring 2010

Bea Kay argues that it will be important for social workers in SWAN to strengthen trade union links with public sector cuts looming

Discussing the ideologies behind social work practice is something most practitioners get little opportunity to do at work. However, having been inspired by the opportunity to do so at national SWAN conferences, a small number of practitioners, students and academics have started to hold SWAN meetings in Sheffield. Our eventual aim is to link up with Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster to form a South Yorkshire group.