All the union news that's fit to blog...
Hundreds of Unite activists joined fellow trade unionists, community activists, charities and anti-poverty campaigners at the Scotland Demands Better demonstration on Saturday (25 October) in Edinburgh. The demonstration is part of a growing nationwide campaign by workers and the people of Scotland to demand better jobs, better investment in ‘life’s essentials’ such as housing, transport, […]
The post Scotland Demands Better appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite’s annual Black History Month awards was held on Friday (23rd October) at a gala evening in Birmingham. The awards recognise and celebrate the contributions of Black and Asian Ethnic Minority (BAEM) activists and representatives within Unite and the trade union movement. The awards ceremony celebrates the hard work and achievements of BAEM members and […]
The post “Truly inspiring” appeared first on Unite Live.
A construction firm working on a large building project in East London has become one of the latest firms to sign a recognition agreement with Unite at the Wood Wharf development near Canary Wharf. Platt Reilly specialises in fitting facades, drylining and suspended ceilings and has worked on large projects across the UK and Ireland. […]
The post Building agreement appeared first on Unite Live.
On a mild October evening a theatre above a London pub in Highgate is packed for Francis Beckett’s timely new play set just after the Briton’s First Party wins its first general election led by a charming, but incredibly slimy, leader. Though now mainly known as an author for his plays and books Francis is […]
The post Wake up call appeared first on Unite Live.
Hundreds of workers, their families and members of the local community gathered outside Lindsey Oil refinery in Immingham on Wednesday (October 15) to demand that the government keep its promise to preserve jobs and production at the site. They were joined by Unite general secretary Sharon Graham who came to speak with the workers whose […]
The post Lindsey Oil Refinery rally – in photos appeared first on Unite Live.
Each day throughout the holiday season, UniteLive will feature one of our twelve stories of the year. On the first day of Christmas, UniteLive looks back on how one branch in the East Midlands used a unique strategy to recruit young people. Unite is always exploring new ways to organise workers, and in particular reach […]
The post UniteLive’s 12 days of Xmas – Supporting students appeared first on Unite Live.
An escalating row over recognition at Milk & More is threatening the morning pinta for thousands of people across the UK. Unite has launched a new recognition campaign at the food and drink company after a sudden deterioration of industrial relations with new owners, linked to Nijjar Group. Milk & More is one of the […]
The post Milking workers appeared first on Unite Live.
A seemingly constant stream of bad news can be hard to avoid, and can have a negative impact on mental health, which is why the theme for today’s (October 10) World Mental Health Day 2025 is “Access to services”. The Mental Health Foundation says “This year’s theme is ‘access to services – mental health in […]
The post Troubling times appeared first on Unite Live.
Staff at Imperial College have taken their campaign over poor pay to the streets as they started a series of ten strike days this week. On Tuesday picket lines appeared at university campuses to tie in with the first week of teaching, whilst today (8 October) staff gathered outside the main campus entrance and the […]
The post Imperial’s insulting offer appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite in the South East region are running a workshop this Friday (10 Oct) for reps to improve their understanding of mental health issues. The South East Education Team are inviting Unite reps to join them on World Mental Health Day for an interactive Zoom workshop running from 10am – 12pm. Information on the workshop […]
The post Mental health is union business appeared first on Unite Live.
Each day throughout the holiday season, UniteLive will feature one of our twelve stories of the year. On the second day of Christmas, UniteLive pays tribute to a Unite rep who won a prestigious TUC award for his organising efforts back in October. A meeting of a small group of like minded workers around a […]
The post UniteLive’s 12 days of Xmas: Organising solidarity in Lincoln appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite bus drivers across the UK have been fighting for, and winning, decent pay rises as workers struggle to keep up with bills during the continuing cost of living crisis. The government has said that buses are vital for the country, with Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander saying they aim to “improve and maintain bus services” […]
The post Routes of solidarity appeared first on Unite Live.
Lindsey oil refinery workers rallied outside of parliament this morning (Sept 3) to call for urgent government action to keep the site operational and prevent it from being split off into parts. The site supports 450 directly employed workers plus a further 500 contract jobs and potentially thousands in the supply chain. As well as […]
The post Refinery workers rally appeared first on Unite Live.
Each day throughout the holiday season, UniteLive will feature one of our twelve stories of the year. On the third day of Christmas, UniteLive looks back on a key win in the hospitality sector in August, when members, many of them young, took a brave stand against their employer, Village Hotels. Three weeks of strike […]
The post UniteLive’s 12 days of Xmas: Village workers win appeared first on Unite Live.
Lindsey oil refinery workers, along with families and supporters, marched through the seaside town of Cleethorpes on Sunday (24 August) as part of the growing campaign to save the North Lincolnshire refinery. The refinery provides 10% of the UK’s fuel supply, is crucial to the regional economy and Unite is determined that its future must […]
The post Cleethorpes marches for Linsdey appeared first on Unite Live.
Workers threatened by the closure of the Lindsey oil refinery in North Lincolnshire will be taking their campaign to parliament on 3rd Sept – and are calling on Unite colleagues to join them. The “Save Lindsey Oil Refinery” rally takes place at 11am on Wednesday 3rd September outside the Houses of Parliament, with Unite protesters […]
The post Refinery workers head to Parliament appeared first on Unite Live.
Six months after the Prime Minister promised to make funding available to invest in Grangemouth, workers are still waiting, and beginning to fear that the promised investment is nothing more than a mirage. The Grangemouth workers have launched an open letter aimed at Sir Keir Starmer for failing to deliver on his promises to provide […]
The post Show us the Money! appeared first on Unite Live.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have published a new joint report and guidance highlighting the growing global health challenges posed by extreme heat on workers. The report comes at a time when the UK has experienced four heatwaves in one summer and unions, including Unite, have been renewing calls […]
The post Time to change the law! appeared first on Unite Live.
Workers rallied outside the Lindsey oil refinery yesterday (Thursday 21 August), as demands on the government to take immediate action to secure its long-term future intensified. The rally was just the latest in Unite’s campaign to protect jobs at the site, and follows a demonstration outside Grimsby Town Hall in July, along with a planned […]
The post Refinery future “must be secured” appeared first on Unite Live.
In my book Drax of Drax Hall: How One British Family Got Rich (and Stayed Rich) from Sugar and Slavery, I make the point that the Plunkett Ernel-Erle-Drax family are unique in still having an unbroken history of owning sugar plantations in the Caribbean from their inception in the early 17th century until the present day. […]
The post Drax Hall and Dorset appeared first on Unite Live.