All the union news that's fit to blog...
In 2021 the Court of Appeal overturned the 1970’s criminal convictions of 24 trade unionists — half a century after those convictions were first handed down. Unite retired member Terry Renshaw tells UniteLive how the Shrewsbury 24 campaign won their 47-year fight for justice. On the 6th September 1972, pickets from North Wales travelled around […]
The post ‘It was a victory for the trade union movement’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite has blasted restaurant chain Fridays for scrapping free meals for low paid staff working 10-hour shifts, often late at night. Fridays claims the move is to “provide more equitable benefits to everyone in our teams”, however Unite accused the profitable company of trying to squeeze already hard-pressed staff for extra cash. UK-based Hostmore group […]
The post Thank God it’s Friday? 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 a comment piece from Claire Peden, Unite organiser and team leader of Unite for a Workers’ Economy about their Feed the Weans campaign wins. — In September last year, hundreds of trade unionists […]
The post UniteLive stories of the year – ‘From the ground up’ appeared first on Unite Live.
On the anniversary of Stephen’s death, the sad truth is this: not enough progress has happened to challenge racism in the last 30 years.
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Hundreds of workers employed by pharmaceutical giant GSK will stage a series of walkouts throughout May in a dispute over pay. The 750 workers who are members of Unite voted for strike action having rejected the company’s significantly below inflation rate pay offer of a six per cent pay increase and a one off lump […]
The post GSK workers to strike appeared first on Unite Live.
Inflation continues to stay at record highs, according to the latest figures, driven mainly by ongoing hikes in the price of food. The consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation fell marginally from 10.4 per cent in February to 10.1 per cent in March – a smaller drop than analysts expected, with some having predicted […]
The post ‘No end in sight’ to cost of living crisis appeared first on Unite Live.
The real value of workers’ pay keeps on nosediving, with the latest figures showing the fastest fall in real wages since 2009 as inflation continues to outpace wage rises. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published on Tuesday (April 18) showed that yearly growth in average pay stayed at 6.6 per […]
The post Real terms pay continues to plummet appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite’s consultative ballot in England on the government’s NHS offer ends on 28th April. So far the known results show that members in a large number of NHS trusts are voting to reject the offer. Union representatives in those trusts with a live strike mandate will now be issuing strike notices. This was agreed at […]
The post ‘New wave of NHS strike action’ appeared first on Unite Live.
“I could open a farm there,” Vadim Sardov, 24, joked about the inside of his caravan window, where it was so mouldy that plants started to sprout. Sardov came to the UK from Kazakhstan last September on a British government visa scheme for farm workers. He worked at a packhouse in Essex for UK Salads, […]
The post ‘It’s almost the same as living on the street’ appeared first on Unite Live.
The UK’s biggest supermarket Tesco continues its shameless profiteering spree, Unite said on Thursday (April 13) as the stock exchange published the retailer’s latest figures. Although Tesco’s profits were down from last year’s profits bonanza – which totalled a record-breaking £2bn in pre-tax profits – the supermarket still made an astonishing £3bn in profits over […]
The post ‘Astonishing corporate greed’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Workers employed by Lineside Logistics based at Ford’s engine plant in Dagenham are being balloted for industrial action in a dispute over pay. The ballot for industrial action began this week and closes on Tuesday 2 May. If the 120 plus workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, vote for industrial action […]
The post Dagenham Ford plant facing standstill appeared first on Unite Live.
Workers employed at Saica Paper UK Ltd in Manchester are to begin industrial action this month in a dispute over pay. The 40 members of Unite are employed in production roles at the Manchester Road factory. The company produces 100 per cent recycled paper for corrugated cardboard. The workers recorded a 97 per cent vote […]
The post Saica paper workers to strike appeared first on Unite Live.
Heathrow Airport Ltd (HAL) is set for a shock exodus of security officers, according to a confidential survey of Unite members at the airport. The survey of over 750 security officers revealed that one in three are planning to leave their jobs within the next six months, while almost half of respondents are unsure whether […]
The post Heathrow set for summer of strife appeared first on Unite Live.
Eight-seven-five. Angel still remembers her number, months after leaving the UK. The number assigned to her by the farm. The number used instead of her name when her supervisor ordered her to work faster or punished her. Angel, a single mother from South Africa, said that she felt like a prisoner, being shouted at and […]
The post ‘They treat you like an animal’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Migrant agricultural workers who travelled thousands of miles to plug labour gaps on UK farms have faced unlawful wage deductions, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and VICE World News can reveal. Research by TBIJ and VICE World News, along with case work data from the Work Rights Centre, found that more than 20 people working […]
The post Migrant workers ripped off by employers on farms appeared first on Unite Live.
The British Veterinary Union in Unite are disappointed but not surprised that 4 out of 10 companies in the recently published BBC survey on the top ten UK companies with the worst gender pay gap, are companies providing veterinary services in the United Kingdom. These four companies employ over half of the veterinary workforce in […]
The post Veterinary services among worst offenders for gender pay gap appeared first on Unite Live.
The government is introducing legislation that would amount to an asylum ban and send more people into the hands of the most exploitative employers.
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Pay strikes by over 300 staff responsible for Harlow council’s housing stock and the cleaning and maintenance of council grounds and buildings are to intensify, Unite said on Tuesday (March 28). The workers, who are employed by HTS, which is wholly owned by Harlow district council, began strike action in late February. New strike dates […]
The post Harlow council strikes intensify appeared first on Unite Live.
The state pension age is already too high – it’s due to rise to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2046. The government must rule out raising the state pension age further in the forthcoming Work and Pensions review. The state pension age is already too high and the government must clearly rule out plans […]
The post Unite to fight pension age rises appeared first on Unite Live.
Fears that the JLR plant at Halewood on Merseyside could grind to a halt this spring have been averted after Unite agreed a deal with the company’s contractor DHL, following the withdrawal of shift premiums. The dispute arose as a result of the DHL workforce – who are employed on the logistics and dispatch contract […]
The post DHL workers at JLR Halewood win appeared first on Unite Live.