All the union news that's fit to blog...
The Unite Brass Band will be providing a live soundtrack to the classic Aardman animation film – The Wrong Trousers. The screening is being held as part of the inaugural Sheffield Film Festival on Saturday 24th August and is a celebration of Sheffield Hallam alumni Nick Park. The special live performance gives people a chance […]
The post Cracking Brass, Gromit! appeared first on Unite Live.
Terrifying riots that took place in cities across the UK earlier this month have left many shocked and traumatised, including workers whose workplaces were targets. These have included hotels housing asylum seekers, many of them staffed by Unite members. Among the most terrifying of these was in Rotherham on Sunday, August 4, when rioters smashed […]
The post Unite Hospitality speaks out against riots appeared first on Unite Live.
Workers employed by the private veterinary practice Valley Vets in South Wales, have announced further strikes from August 23 to August 31 after the company refused to enter meaningful negotiations with Unite. Valley Vets workers, including nurses, support staff and vets, have already taken industrial action, which began with an initial walkout from July 16 […]
The post Valley Vets strikes continue appeared first on Unite Live.
Young Unite members from the UK construction sector joined with thousands of colleagues from across the world as part of a campaign day from the BWI to tie in with International Youth Day 2024. On Monday (12 Aug) the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) called on its affiliates, partners, and young workers to take […]
The post Young workers raise a fist appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite member Katie and her colleagues working at the Ruskin Lodge care home in St. Helens wear many hats. They’re not only care workers; they’re cleaners, kitchen staff, security, activities coordinators, laundry attendants, admin staff – the list goes on. They are involved in virtually every aspect of the running of the care home, which […]
The post Care home workers in fair pay fight appeared first on Unite Live.
The Unite Tolpuddle Branch set up its stall at the Dorset One World Festival on Saturday (10th) in Dorchester’s Borough Gardens. With far right unrest across the country it was an ideal time to remember the benefits of the country’s multicultural history. Members from the Dorset branch joined the annual free event which celebrates the […]
The post Celebrating multiculturalism in Dorset appeared first on Unite Live.
With city streets full of far right demonstrators and counter protests businesses have been closing up early. They are understandably worried about damage to property and concerned over staff safety, but it has never been more important that employers ensure that workers get home safely. For some years now Unite has been running its “Get […]
The post Hospitality workers face dangerous journeys appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite has called for working-class unity and long-term workplace and community organisation to tackle the root causes of far-right riots over the last week. The violent riots, which were sparked last week by misinformation propagated by far-right extremists online in the wake of fatal stabbings of children in Southport, have terrorised communities across the UK. […]
The post ‘We need change now’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Dockyards football teams from across Britain, and further afield, gathered in West Thurrock on Saturday (3 Aug) for the UK’s first International Dockers Charity Football event. The tournament featured five-a-side teams from Bristol to London and Southampton to Liverpool. They even welcomed one team from Chile. Unite reps organised the event raising money for Havens […]
The post Dockers gather for football fundraiser appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite has vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in the fight to save Scotland’s only oil refinery from closure. The union led a 500-strong march and rally in Grangemouth, where refinery owners PetroIneos plans to convert the site into an oil terminal for imports. Only around 100 people would be employed at the terminal. At […]
The post ‘NO STONE UNTURNED’ appeared first on Unite Live.
As UniteLive highlighted earlier this week, Unite is mobilising a huge march and rally on Saturday (August 3) in support of Petroineos workers at the Grangemouth refinery. The demonstration is in response to plans by the company to cease refinery operations by next year. This could cost up to 500 jobs, with thousands more at […]
The post Join us in Grangemouth appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite is gearing up for a huge worker-led march and rally this Saturday (August 3) in support of Petroineos oil refinery workers in Grangemouth as the union fights for their future. As part of Unite’s Keep Grangemouth Working campaign, the march will begin at Grangemouth Stadium from 11am and will end in a rally from […]
The post Grangemouth ‘March for Jobs’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Last weekend (July 19-21) Unite members revelled in yet another successful Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival this year, which came back in full force after it was cancelled last year due to inclement weather. In the short film below, UniteLive hears from Tolpuddle attendees on why they go to Tolpuddle: You can view a photo gallery of […]
The post ‘Spending time with good people’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham rallied the crowds at this year’s Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, getting huge cheers as she welcomed people to the event saying, “This is the first time in 14 years that Tolpuddle has met without the cloud of the Tories hanging over us.” Sharon said: “Friends, as we gather here today in […]
The post Sharon Graham rallies the Tolpuddle faithful appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham joined thousands of trade union members at the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival in Dorset this weekend (July 19-21). On the final day of the festival (July 21), Sharon gave a barnstorming speech paying tribute to the Martyrs, their successors — Unite’s agricultural workers — as well as the Martyrs’ descendants, linking […]
The post Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival – in photos appeared first on Unite Live.
HSE report shows rise in workplace fatalities The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its latest set of statistics for workplace deaths, and 2023/24 makes grim reading with numbers once again rising, and construction and agricultural workers being most at risk. The report, Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain, 2024, says that: “The construction and […]
The post Construction and Agriculture deaths top grim table appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite welcomed the scope of the government’s ambition following the publication of today’s (July 17) King’s Speech. The union said it was clear that Britain needs a Labour government. But it added that Labour must also be ready to meet the economic challenges and to deliver the change workers and communities need. Unite’s comments come […]
The post Unite welcomes King’s speech appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite highlighted this week why the UK must have a strong future in shipbuilding and must protect the legacy of shipbuilding in Belfast, which dates back over a century. The union’s comments come as Harland & Wolff is ‘reworking’ an application for government support for its shipyard in Belfast. The company is seeking a government […]
The post Harland & Wolff key to national defence appeared first on Unite Live.
Last month, UniteLive highlighted a new film, Strike: An Uncivil War directed by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Daniel Gordon, which tells the story of Orgreave, when forty years ago police forces brutally assaulted striking pickets near Sheffield. It was a pivotal moment in the 1984-85 miners’ strike, after which dozens of pickets were arrested on trumped up charges […]
The post Orgreave film latest appeared first on Unite Live.
Members from the Somerset & North Devon Unite Community Branch attended a packed community festival in Yeovil over the weekend – and were bowled over by the level of interest in trade unions from people. The Yeovil Together Festival happened on Sunday 14 July in the town’s Westlands Entertainment Venue, and was organised by Love […]
The post Unite joins Yeovil Together Festival appeared first on Unite Live.