All the union news that's fit to blog...
More than 1,000 Manchester Stagecoach drivers have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action, with strikes beginning in August, Unite announced on Friday (July 28). The drivers have responsibility for manoeuvring large vehicles all day through heavy traffic and care for the safety of thousands of passengers. They have rejected an offer of just four per cent […]
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HGV refuse lorry drivers employed by Coventry council have voted for strike action over proposed attacks on their terms and conditions, Unite said on Friday (July 28). More than 40 drivers are angry at the Labour council’s plans to end ‘task and finish’ and to possibly privatise the city’s refuse service. The plans are an […]
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For thirteen years they weakened us.Cut doctors and nurses who treated us.Devalued social workers who cared for us. Bosses mocked and taunted us.Self-employment became bogus.Secure jobs – precarious. Cyclists were turned into modern day pack horses.Eight hours to zero they texted us.In warehouses they tagged us. For ten years we’ve had austeritypushing us into poverty.China […]
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Strike action by over 150 Birmingham airport security officers and terminal technicians has been cancelled after they accepted an improved pay deal. The one year pay deal will see the workers’ pay increase by 13.25 per cent, made up of a 10.5 per cent consolidated rise and 2.75 per cent non-consolidated. The deal will also […]
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Strikes scheduled for this weekend at Gatwick by ASC workers have been called off, Unite said this week. ASC workers voted in favour of a double digit pay rise, while workers at Menzies voted in favour of a 13 per cent increase for ground handling staff and a 17 per cent increase for the lowest […]
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Nearly 400 East London NHS Foundation Trust workers have voted to strike over pay and safe staffing levels, Unite said today (July 26). The workers, from a wide number of professions and roles and based across numerous East London NHS Foundation Trust sites, will join 800 of their colleagues at Guys and St Thomas’ in […]
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Unite today (26 July) announced strike dates set to hit the world-renowned A.G. Barr’s production and distribution centre in Cumbernauld. Unite confirmed that its trucker and shunter drivers who are essential to the supply of the company’s products including Irn-Bru, one of the nation’s most popular soft drinks, will now strike in a series of […]
The post Irn-Bru supplies to ‘dry up’ as strike dates confirmed appeared first on Unite Live.
The coroner who oversaw the inquest into the death of a British Airways engineer and Unite member at Heathrow Airport has written to the airport operators, Heathrow Airports Limited (HAL), in his official capacity, seeking answers to his concerns over worker safety at Heathrow. The prevention of further deaths report from coroner Mr Richard Furniss […]
The post ‘Safety is non-negotiable’ appeared first on Unite Live.
One of the UK’s largest veterinary care providers is risking pet safety with redundancies to non-clinical staff, Unite said on Friday (July 21). IVC Evidensia, which runs over a thousand veterinary practices across the country, is refusing to disclose how many non-clinical staff, including veterinary care assistants and receptionists, it plans to fire. However, the […]
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Unite has secured a lump sum payment for workers employed at Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) Trust who were initially denied the one-off lump sum payment awarded to all other NHS workers, as they were employed on a bank-only contract. Unite has also issued collective grievances at other NHS Trusts where workers have come forward to […]
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Unite has warned that St Mungo’s can no longer rely on agency labour to run a skeleton service while paying dedicated homelessness workers a pittance. Workers at the charity have been on indefinite strike action since June 27. A recent High Court ruling now threatens to plunge the charity into crisis without swift action. From […]
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Members of Unite employed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) have secured significant improvements to their jobs, pay and conditions after a series of strikes. The employer had imposed a 2.5 per cent pay increase last year but the offer has been doubled to 5 per cent alongside bonuses of between […]
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Council-owned Allerdale Waste Services will not be able to bring in agency staff to cover striking bin workers after August 10. The impact from all-out strikes by workers employed by Allerdale Waste Services, which is 100 per cent owned by Cumberland council, is set to worsen after a High Court ruling banning agency staff. Following […]
The post Workington bin chaos to worsen appeared first on Unite Live.
Even as production costs fall, staggeringly high inflation continues unabated, in large part driven by skyrocketing prices of the one thing everyone needs – food. Research by consumer group Which? found that in April, own-brand budget items at the UK’s largest supermarkets jumped by as much as 25 per cent in only a month, hitting […]
The post Going hungry in the food factory appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite policy conference held a spirited debate on Wednesday (July 12) about mental health support for Unite reps and activists, which conference agreed was an absolute necessity. Unite delegate Tom Queen (pictured above) moved the composite, highlighting a key part of the motions’ demand – counselling for reps as and when needed, paid for by […]
The post ‘Solidarity isn’t just at the gate’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegate Stéf Kasprowski gave a stirring speech as she moved a motion on sexual harassment in the workplace at Unite policy conference on Thursday (July 13). She began by highlighting the numbers of people who say they have experienced sexual harassment at work have increased dramatically to three in five women, and 7 out […]
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Following Labour leader Keir Starmer’s address to Unite’s policy conference on Thursday (July 13), Unite delegates asked Starmer pointed questions about what a future Labour government would do in power. Unite delegate Steve Surtees (pictured above), a steelworker at Port Talbot, challenged Starmer to outline in detail what he would do as a future prime […]
The post ‘Together we can do this’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Labour leader Keir Starmer addressed Unite delegates on Wednesday afternoon saying, “It’s a real privilege to address you at such a pivotal moment in our country.” He thanked the Unite executive and Sharon Graham, “the first female general secretary of Britain’s biggest private sector union.” He said that he knew from their regular meetings that, […]
The post ‘A Britain with its future back’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Every day over the Christmas period, UniteLive is running a different story from our top stories of 2023. Today, we look back at Unite general secretary Sharon Graham’s barnstorming speech at Unite’s Policy Conference in July. — Wednesday morning’s conference highlight was always going to be Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary’s keynote speech. The hall […]
The post UniteLive stories of the year – ‘This is what a winning union looks like’ appeared first on Unite Live.
News that the High Court has quashed the Government’s decision to allow agencies to supply agency workers to employers to undermine legal strike action was today (July 13) hailed by Unite as a “total vindication”. Following the Government’s decision to reverse the ban on employers hiring agency workers during strike action in July 2022, a […]
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