All the union news that's fit to blog...
Trade unions are once again under Tory attack from this government. One in five workers is losing their right to strike. Repressive minimum service levels (MSLs) are being imposed to force unions to ‘police’ their own strikes and even cross picket lines.
The post Protect the right to strike appeared first on Unite Live.
A Grinch delivered a signed Christmas card to Victoria Atkins MP, Secretary of State for Health, earlier this week (December 18) to highlight the issues NHS staff are facing. Unite members from the Barts Health NHS Trust in East London, members working for Together Support Solutions (2SS) a wholly owned subsidiary of East Kent Hospitals […]
The post Health workers in Grinch protest appeared first on Unite Live.
A shock new survey of Unite women members has revealed an overwhelming majority are failing to get menopause support at work. The survey, which polled 11,000 members, found that more than 80 per cent who are experiencing menopause symptoms have had no access to support in their workplaces. A number of the women polled reported […]
The post ‘Serious industrial matter’ appeared first on Unite Live.
When people think of frostbite they picture arctic explorers – but for many workers in the frozen food industry this is a very real hazard that can cause permanent damage.
The post Take your thermal break appeared first on Unite Live.
The government is showing a “worrying degree of complacency” when it comes to the issue of rural mental health according to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee in a statement this November.
The post End rural mental health appeared first on Unite Live.
Flooding unleashed by Storm Ciarán in October devastated villages and towns up and down Northern Ireland. Newry and Downpatrick were among the worst hit, with hundreds of homes and businesses severely damaged.
The post Fighting the flood appeared first on Unite Live.
News just in – strike action being taken by Unite Oxfam members has been suspended after talks resulted in an improved pay offer being made.
The post Oxfam strike suspended appeared first on Unite Live.
Set up in 1941, the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief as it was originally known is now a global anti-poverty movement. Over 81 years later it has shops and offices throughout the UK, with a dedicated staff committed to relieving poverty. Unfortunately many of these workers are also low paid themselves.
The post Oxfam staff strike appeared first on Unite Live.
As the TUC meets to plan its response tomorrow (December 8) my message is clear: don’t back down, strikes are a vital part of how we improve pay and conditions.
The post ‘Don’t back down’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Although news just in may be whispering of a wafer-thin helping of food inflation slowdown – for most of us in the real world your tasty turkey dinner is still going to be a bit of a Scrooge-like stretch.
Yesterday (December 5), news agency Reuters reported that food inflation was down slightly, slowing to 9.1 per cent in November according to Kantar; that the cost of the Christmas dinner up was up 1.3 per cent year-on-year; and that Sainsbury’s has the largest market share gain in over a decade.
The post Food down a snip, but profits still up appeared first on Unite Live.
After a long dispute involving lengthy industrial action it was cheers all round for Unite Go North East bus members when the union secured a significant pay award on December 1.
Unite secured an 11.2 per cent pay increase for drivers, engineers and administrators at Go North East. Members were balloted on the deal and accepted the offer.
The post Unite secures major pay win appeared first on Unite Live.
A quiet November Saturday afternoon in Sheffield. The steel-grey sky hangs heavy over the Sheffield United FC club house on Bramall Lane, home to the famed local team, the ‘Blades’.
A line forms outside the building. Men, women, children, jostle for position. The crowd is excited, the mood is good. Nothing unusual here you may think. But the Blades aren’t playing at home today. The crowd has not come for football. So why are they here?
The post Connecting communities through steel appeared first on Unite Live.
Calling it an ‘abject failure for workers’, a ‘missed golden opportunity to tackle the issues threatening jobs and livelihoods,’ and ‘leaving consumers at the sharp end of the economy’, you could tell that Unite was left far from impressed by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement, delivered this afternoon (November 22).
The post ‘Failure for workers’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite members in Deeside, North Wales, employed by DE&S DECA, formerly known as the Defence Electronics and Components Agency, are currently out on strike in a dispute over pay.
Following over a decade of extremely low pay increases, workers voted overwhelmingly to support strike action and began a series of 24 hour strikes in October 2023.
The post ‘It shouldn’t be like this’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite steel reps met in Port Talbot on Friday (November 17) and unanimously agreed a Workers’ Plan for Steel for all steel plants including Port Talbot. Commenting on the meeting, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said that Unite’s plan “is about growth in steel jobs that will transform the UK into the global green steel […]
The post Plan to save UK steel appeared first on Unite Live.
The United Nations World Toilet Day has been observed annually since 2013 and is held on November 19th. The day celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 3.6 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation.
The post ‘A basic human right’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Port Talbot sports teams and steel workers rallied at the beachfront on Saturday (November 11) to demand political action to save the industry. The rally comes as a petition calling on politicians to sign up to Unite’s Workers’ Plan for Steel reached over 21,000 signatures. Local sports teams in attendance will included Afan Lido FC, […]
The post ‘Bringing people together’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham on Friday (November 10) stood shoulder to shoulder with striking Go North East members who are fighting for fair pay. They are now in their second week of all-out continuous strike action. You can watch Sharon Graham’s speech on the picket line in the video below – and you can […]
The post ‘We will win’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite members working for Go North East are poised to enter their second week of all-out continuous strike action. On Friday (November 10) Unite staged a rally, attended by Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, which drew bus workers, community groups and members of the public who are united in support for the striking workers. The […]
The post Go North East strike continues appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite’s Workers’ Plan for Steel campaign has lit a fire in people from all walks of life — and all ages. Last week, the campaign held a day of action in the UK’s major steel towns including Port Talbot, Scunthorpe and Sheffield. The campaign has only just begun but it’s already making major waves. And […]
The post ‘Future-proofing for the next generation’ appeared first on Unite Live.