‘Rebuild our public services’ call

Unite delegate Bridie McCreesh gave a rousing opening speech in support of funding for public services at the 155th TUC Congress on Sunday (September 10). She told Congress that for well over a decade now, delegates’ speeches from the rostrum “have charted the ruination of our public services”. “First, we warned of the lethal impact […]

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UniteLive stories of the year – Gatwick’s back

Every day over the Christmas period, UniteLive is running a different story from our top stories of 2023. Today, we look back at how Unite has made a comeback at Gatwick Airport, with a number of wins for members at the airport this year thanks to a bold new strategy of coordinated action. — The COVID […]

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Today’s top stories…sandwich shortage to hit shelves

Workers at convenience foods producer, Greencore, are to begin strike action over poverty-levels of pay from their employer, Unite announced today (September 1). Over 500 workers, many earning as little as £10.53 an hour, are demanding increased pay. Following the failure of Greencore to make an improved offer, workers have been left with no choice […]

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Today’s top stories…London NHS workers to strike

NHS workers at four London NHS Trusts will take strike action next month in a dispute over safe staffing and pay. The workers, who are members of Unite are employed at Barts Health NHS Trust, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust, East London Foundation Trust and Guys and St Thomas’. Over 2,800 workers will be involved […]

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Today’s top stories…Selby bin strikes off after pay win

Selby bin strikes by refuse workers employed by Urbaser on behalf of the North Yorkshire unitary authority have ended after an improved pay deal was secured. The workers voted to accept the deal, which will see pay increase by eight per cent backdated to April for all workers. Drivers will also see their bonus for […]

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Public ownership would mean lower energy bills and lower inflation

On the eve of the new price cap, Unite has highlighted how energy companies are making record profits while the government and industry regulator, Ofgem, stand by and do nothing to support workers and communities. Ofgem is preparing to unveil the new price cap level, which will be implemented from 1 October. While it is […]

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Today’s top stories…Gatwick Bank Holiday weekend strikes off

The threat of strike action at Gatwick Airport this weekend has ended after workers accepted dramatically improved pay offers.  Unite had called strike action this weekend on behalf of members employed by ground handlers Red Handling and Wilson James who undertake the passenger mobility contract at the airport. However, following improved pay offers both strikes […]

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Today’s top stories…Barts NHS Trust workers vote to strike

NHS workers at Barts Health NHS Trust have overwhelmingly voted for a campaign of industrial action today by a margin of 95 per cent in a dispute over low pay and safe staffing. The workers and their representatives will meet over the coming days to agree strike dates. Last year Unite activists and union reps […]

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‘We must all stand up and be counted’

Today (August 23), Unite marks what has been designated by UNESCO as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. Unite Equalities urges everyone to commemorate the day and fight the racist legacy of the transatlantic slave trade in their statement below: In 1555, John Lok became the first recorded […]

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Today’s top stories…shock rise in construction bogus self-employment

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request by Unite has revealed that 1,206 million construction workers were paid via the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) during 2022/23. This was a 15 per cent increase on the figure for 2021/21 when 1,047 workers were paid via the scheme, a 7.5 per cent increase on the previous year. CIS […]

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CEOs ‘rewarded for overseeing greedflation’

Unite slammed big business leaders for being rewarded for profiteering, after new data shows Britain’s biggest bosses’ pay has skyrocketed by 16 per cent in a single year. New research from the High Pay Centre (HPC), which tracks the pay of CEOs of the UK’s largest companies, found the median pay for a FTSE 100 […]

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Today’s top stories…Fawley refinery bonus win

Unite has secured an agreement that ensures that all construction workers operating at the Fawley oil refinery in Hampshire will receive bonus payments. From September 1 just over 300 Unite members, covered by the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) will receive a £1.63 hourly bonus payment. This was awarded after Unite members, […]

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‘The fight for fair pay continues’

Unite members employed by Leeds University went out on strike this week from Monday (August 14) to Friday (August 18). In the joint strike action with Unison, the striking staff are demanding that their employer come back to the negotiating table for the 2023-24 pay round. They’re asking employers to look not only at pay, […]

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‘Only the beginning for us’

Last week, iconic independent cinema Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) signed an historic voluntary recognition agreement with Unite. Earlier this week, we highlighted this key victory in the hospitality sector. Today, we hear from Unite rep and GFT worker Katie Mack who explains how she and her colleagues changed their workplace for the better – and […]

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Today’s top stories…refinery workers down tools over H&S concerns

Unite confirmed today (August 17) that around 200 members have withdrawn their labour over health and safety concerns at ExxonMobil’s petrochemical plant in Mossmorran. Unite can reveal that workers downed tools on Tuesday (August 15) over health and safety warning signals and procedures not being in full working operation across the plant and the workforce […]

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‘Hold firm and stick with your gut feeling’

When senior management decided it wanted to save costs, workers at Magenta were forced into an impossible decision: start working with asbestos or, for short-term contract and apprentices, risk losing your job. For other workers, it meant moving sections. Magenta Living employs over 100 workers to look after repairs and maintenance for over 13,000 properties […]

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