All the union news that's fit to blog...
TODAY (Tuesday, April 16) by midnight is your last day to register to vote in time for May’s local elections, with the deadline to apply for a postal vote tomorrow (Wednesday, April 17) at 5pm. Unite has spearheaded a campaign to educate members and the wider public about new voter ID laws, as well as […]
The post ‘Your vote is your power’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite is urging its army of health and safety reps to carry out workplace building inspections as part of a Building Safety Week of Action. With multiple risks in workplaces across the country such as Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), asbestos, poor fire safety and ventilation issues, safety reps are being encouraged to take a […]
The post Building inspection safety call appeared first on Unite Live.
The last vote countedpuffed up special advisers(spads in the parlance) happy to bebag carriers to triumphant MPsflock to Members Lobby forintrigue and gossip. Eager for an office in hallowed groundbehind the speaker’s chairclose to the Chamber under Big Ben. Or go with the buzz in Portcullis Houseprize offices with large windowslooking out at the famous […]
The post We won appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite’s London and Eastern region has organised a history walk to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28) this year. Last year, the region ran a highly successful series of working-class history walks that helped members discover past struggles and the lessons trade unions today can learn from them. The walks were led by a […]
The post Walking for Workers’ Memorial Day appeared first on Unite Live.
Around 1,500 Tata steelworkers based in Port Talbot and Newport Llanwern have voted decisively for industrial action over the company’s plan to close its blast furnaces and shed 2,800 jobs. It is the first time in over 40 years that Port Talbot steelworkers have gone on strike. The ballot for strike action by members of […]
The post Tata steelworkers vote to strike appeared first on Unite Live.
The Unite London Building Workers branch was out in full force this week as they handed out hundreds of copies of the latest issue of the BuildingWorker magazine at a construction site in West London. The active branch regularly distributes the magazine as a recruitment and organising tool outside various sites throughout the capital, especially […]
The post BuildingWorker – spreading the word appeared first on Unite Live.
Library staff from Greenwich and Bromley gathered outside Woolwich Central Library last week to highlight their demands for improved pay and conditions. But they also came to hail an important victory in the dispute after a shocking 20 per cent pay cut for sick workers was scrapped following campaigning by Unite. As the early morning […]
The post ‘Only just the start’ appeared first on Unite Live.
All of us can remember the fear and uncertainty that collectively gripped the UK when the pandemic first hit. But for Unite rep and Barts hospital domestic assistant Mirela, that fear will never leave her. Mirela and her colleagues were among the first frontline health workers to come face to face with the virus. Barts […]
The post ‘We’ve got to stand up for ourselves’ appeared first on Unite Live.
The importance of the 2024 IWMD theme, Climate Crisis and Workers Health, was brought home on Tuesday (March 26) after a court fined a company and council £50k following the death of a Unite member in a storm. Matthew Campbell was an electrical engineer working for Lagan Construction Ltd with a colleague at a forest […]
The post ‘Matthew’s Law’ call appeared first on Unite Live.
Two years ago, P&O illegally sacked nearly 800 ferry workers on the spot over zoom. Last week, Unite Eurotunnel rep Patrice Godefroy travelled to Parliament to a demonstration condemning the government for its inaction. Shamefully, despite ministers expressing outrage when the workers were sacked, P&O has not been held to account for breaking the law, […]
The post P&O justice fight latest appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite is encouraging everyone to protect their right to vote in the build up to May’s local elections. Following changes to the electoral system everyone needs to bring ID to the polling booth, or risk being turned away. During last May’s local elections in England thousands of people lost their vote because they didn’t have […]
The post Don’t lose your voice! appeared first on Unite Live.
More workers are joining the strikes at Sanctuary Housing in London as members report having to use food banks. Around 50 repair workers, who are based in Hackney but carry out repairs across London, are striking over a four per cent pay rise imposed in 2023. This was a significant pay cut, as the real […]
The post London Sanctuary Housing strikes grow appeared first on Unite Live.
International Workers’ Memorial Day (IMWD), held on April 28 every year, brings together workers and their representatives from all over the world to ‘remember the dead and fight for the living’. Unite branches are organising events in towns and cities across the UK and making use of a host of resources to promote IWMD in […]
The post Get involved ahead of #IWMD24 appeared first on Unite Live.
My parents were still in nappies when the 1984 Miners’ Strike that the play ‘We’re Not Going Back’ is based upon took place. As a 15-year-old, I was not aware of the history of the strike. I enjoyed going to see ‘We’re Not Going Back’ at Goole Junction Theatre. The play is an excellent and […]
The post ‘We’re Not Going Back’ Miners’ Strike play more relevant than ever appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite has slated Tata’s shock announcement today that it will be closing the coking ovens at Port Talbot steel works with near immediate effect. Although the coking ovens were known to be in a state of disrepair, Tata had not indicated to trade unions during recent consultations that they were at risk of imminent closure. […]
The post Port Talbot coking ovens to close appeared first on Unite Live.
It’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week this week, and today UniteLive speaks to Unite rep Dan Smith, who is working with his branch and employer to raise awareness of the issues facing neurodiverse workers. He is now taking the message into local schools and events aimed at young people to show how Unite supports all workers. Dan […]
The post Building a better future for everyone appeared first on Unite Live.
The latest spring edition of BuildingWorker is now out, and members across Unite’s construction sector are eager to spread the word – as Unite reps Steve Geekie, Graeme Jenkins, and Colin Young have done at a construction site in Dundee in the photo below. If you’re eager to get your hands on the latest issue […]
The post BuildingWorker hot off the press! appeared first on Unite Live.
Being a migrant worker is tough at times, and the construction sector can pose particular challenges, as one Unite member found after being held back and underpaid at work due to discrimination from his employer and managers. But thanks to support from Unite and his branch, Joseval Arcanjo Dos Santos has received nearly £28k in […]
The post Joseval vents anger at racist bosses appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite Equalities hosted an inspiring International Women’s Day online event at the weekend (March 9), which showcased a number of Unite women reps making a big difference in their workplaces. Unite national women’s committee chair Jane Stewart, who chaired the event, opened the webinar by reading out a message from Unite general secretary Sharon Graham […]
The post Unite women fighting back appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham gave an inspiring speech to a packed crowd for the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike, which was held at the historic council chamber of the Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers in Barnsley on Saturday (March 9). You can watch her full speech in the video below:
The post ‘Rebirth of trade union movement has begun’ appeared first on Unite Live.