All the union news that's fit to blog...
Unite has visited a sustainable cement plant in north Wales to see how the construction materials of the future will be produced. Unite reps at the Padeswood cement plant in Mold, Wales this week organised a visit for Unite Construction Officers and the TUC to the site of a new carbon capture and storage (CCS) […]
The post Capturing Carbon appeared first on Unite Live.
Over 400 workers employed by Brake Brothers based in Newhouse, Motherwell, have secured a major pay increase after standing firm and rejecting an earlier offer from the employer. Brake Brothers provides wholesale food distribution services from the Newhouse facility to the hospitality and retail sectors, with a significant proportion of the company’s work comes from […]
The post Delivering better pay appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite the Union has today (Wednesday) announced the final results of its members’ vote for the two candidates which are as follows: (Papers found to be invalid – 265) The total number of votes cast was 100,089. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It’s an honour to be re-elected by Unite members to serve as […]
The post “Delivering for workers” appeared first on Unite Live.
An already precarious agriculture and food sector could be tipped over the edge by the impact of the war in the Middle East, Unite has warned. Farmers and food producers could see already squeezed profit margins wiped out by rapidly rising costs and risk a crisis within the sector. Paul Travers, Unite national officer for […]
The post Dire strait appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite members working as refuse collectors, street cleaners, grave diggers and landscapers have gone on strike in Great Yarmouth after their demand for a reasonable pay rise was rejected. The workers are employed by Great Yarmouth Services (GYS), an arms-length company run by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, to deliver the Norfolk seaside authority’s waste and […]
The post Great Yarmouth bin workers strike appeared first on Unite Live.
As the UK prepares for yet another heatwave, Unite is encouraging members to get involved with its “Beat the Heat” campaign and join the call for a legal maximum working temperature. Workers in all sectors are feeling the heat as climate breakdown supercharges extreme weather and fuels record breaking temperatures. Bus drivers have been campaigning […]
The post Beat the Heat appeared first on Unite Live.
Engineers at Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge are celebrating this week, after accepting an improved pay offer, and calling off potential strike action. The highly skilled engineers maintain C-130 Hercules aircraft and manufacture auxiliary fuel tanks for the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, making a vital contribution to allied defence capability. In July around 250 […]
The post “Fantastic Result” appeared first on Unite Live.
With another heatwave forecast for next week passengers across North London and Essex are facing huge disruption to bus services from later this month, as Unite drivers prepare to walk out in an ongoing dispute about unbearable working conditions. Over 1,500 drivers at eight garages at Arriva North London are taking several days of action, […]
The post Unbearable conditions appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite’s Fight Fatigue Now campaign bus visited striking estates workers at the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust on Friday (31 July) in a show of workers solidarity with both groups joining each other on the top deck to discuss the issues and highlight their concerns to the public. Unite had been touring the […]
The post South London Solidarity appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite finds itself in a fresh battle to retain the panel which helps set the pay and conditions of agricultural workers in Wales following Labour’s disastrous results in the May elections earlier this year. Plaid Cymru is now the largest party in Wales after winning 43 of the 96 seats in the Senedd – six […]
The post Still fighting for the future appeared first on Unite Live.
Christopher Feenan is taking over from Jim Leneghan as the Unite rep at the Northern Ireland Fishing Harbour Authority (NIFHA) and hopes to maintain recent progress in pay and conditions, reports Mark Metcalf. NIFHA, a public sector arms-length body funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), manages the ports of Ardglass, […]
The post Fish workers net better deal appeared first on Unite Live.
With only two months to go organisers are finalising plans to commemorate one of the biggest moments in working class history – The Battle of Cable Street. Unite is fully involved and taking part in the packed programme of events to mark the 90th anniversary of the pivotal moment in the fight against fascism – […]
The post No Pasaran! appeared first on Unite Live.
Estates workers at the South London & Maudsley (SLAM) NHS Foundation Trust sites started strike action today (29 July) over equal pay. The hospital’s joiners, electricians, plumbers and painters and decorators are angry at the creation of a two-tier workforce where the workers are on different pay grades – ranging from band three to band […]
The post “Undervalued and underappreciated” appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite construction activists have been out and about this month spreading the benefits of trade union membership, and encouraging fellow workers to join the union – with the help of the latest Building Worker magazine. The latest edition is packed full of stories, campaigns and features that cover issues close to the heart of workers […]
The post Building the union appeared first on Unite Live.
A Unite rep working in meat processing is raising concerns about growing numbers suffering from hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) across the sector and calling for more to be done to protect workers. Iuilan Firea, Unite convenor, works at 2 Sisters in West Bromwich and says that the work and equipment in the sector is causing […]
The post ‘Things must change’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite is hitting the road today (27 July) as part of the unions campaign to highlight how bus driver fatigue in London is putting passengers, pedestrians and workers at risk – and it is encouraging everyone to find out more. Unite’s campaign bus will be traveling around the capital all week and will be handing […]
The post Fight Fatigue Now! appeared first on Unite Live.
Following Unite calls for improved PPE that is suitable for the job and fits all workers properly, female forest workers are now getting purpose-built safety workwear. Unite safety reps in many sectors, particularly forestry and construction, have long campaigned for PPE that is designed for female workers, and last autumn Forestry England announced that it […]
The post Women foresters’ safety wear win appeared first on Unite Live.
Banners, bands and crowds. Locally known as The Big Meeting, the Durham Miners’ Gala has been marching along on the second Saturday in July since 1871 and despite there being no mines today it seems certain to continue for the foreseeable future as the largest annual labour movement gathering. Among the 100,000 participating in the […]
The post Durham Miners’ Gala – ‘Show of Union Power’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite is taking its campaign to improve pay and conditions for local government craftworkers to the Local Government Association national conference today (Wednesday 8 July) as the dispute escalates. The conference brings together local government leaders and policy makers from across England and Wales, and a protest will take place outside the Bournemouth International Centre […]
The post “Craftworkers deserve better” appeared first on Unite Live.
Norfolk’s Burston Strike School Rally is back in September, with a packed line up of speakers and music commemorating the longest strike in history. The Rally, this year held on 6 September, remembers the role of trade unions in building a “Strike School” for the children of rural workers in Norfolk following the persecution of […]
The post Strike School gathering appeared first on Unite Live.