All the union news that's fit to blog...
Every year on April 28, trade unions and their members unite to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD). Events are held across the world to remember those who have lost their lives at work, or from work-related injury and diseases. IWMD has turned its attention to ‘climate change and workers’ health’ this year. In today’s […]
The post Turning up the heat on farmworkers appeared first on Unite Live.
It’s only Monday (February 19) and it’s already been a busy week for Unite. Below is a selection of today’s top news stories: Balfour Beatty workers angry over profitable firm’s below inflation pay offer Around 150 M25 maintenance workers employed by Balfour Beatty are being balloted for strike action over pay, Unite said today. The […]
The post Today’s top news stories: M25 workers in strike vote 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.
The following article is a follow-up story to a Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) feature we re-published yesterday, which you can view here. The head of the independent watchdog for immigration has criticised the Home Office for failing to publish a promised review of the UK’s seasonal worker scheme. David Neal, the government-appointed independent chief […]
The post ‘Bizarre and deeply disappointing’ appeared first on Unite Live.
On a farm in Herefordshire, thousands of miles from her home in Bolivia, Julia Quecaño Casimiro went on strike for the first time in her life. Julia had worked on farms in Chile for several years but said she had never experienced bullying, discrimination or wage deductions until working in the UK. “As soon as […]
The post ‘All that’s missing is a whip’ appeared first on Unite Live.
In his office, ‘man make-up’ immaculate as ever Romanian-born Unite rep Dave Imre lays out scores of filled out membership forms, casually cooling himself with a flamenco fan.
The post ‘You can change everything in this factory…’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Sacre bleu! A Unite rep who managers dread dealing with because of her attention to detail and determination to help union members navigate their way through the cost of living crisis.
The post Unite for rural workers appeared first on Unite Live.
In April 1914, Kitty and Tom Higdon, loved and respected teachers at Burston Village School in Norfolk, were sacked because of their socialist and trade union views.
The post Burston bound appeared first on Unite Live.
The Royal Welsh Show, held in July every year, draws more people over the course of its four days — 240,000 according to a recent estimate — than Glastonbury. A celebration of Welsh agriculture and rural life, the Royal Welsh Show may not be quite as rock n’ roll as the UK’s biggest music festival, […]
The post ‘That’s how we turn the tables’ appeared first on Unite Live.
For the third year in a row, Unite has hosted a stall at the Royal Welsh Show, one of the biggest events in Wales. It’s a celebration of Welsh agriculture and rural life, and Unite has now become an integral part of the Show talking to the public about trade unions and all Unite has […]
The post Unite at the Royal Welsh Show appeared first on Unite Live.
“Barns and cottages will get converted into properties that landowners sell off with a few acres of land and horse paddocks, and millionaires from London will buy them since they can get a really quick train into London”
The post The good life? appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite, together with trade unions across the world, achieved unprecedented new policy guidelines for promoting the UN’s Decent Work Agenda for the agri-food sector, after intense negotiations in May. The International Labour Organization (ILO) convened the meeting in early May, which brought together representatives from unions under the International Union of Food Workers (IUF) umbrella, […]
The post ‘Historical achievement’ 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.
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.
Dramatic headlines in the newspapers and reports on the radio tell stories about forthcoming egg shortages and price rises, and the impact on farmers and consumers. But they fail to mention how the workers looking after poultry will be affected. Unite the Union is naturally concerned about the way in which our members are being […]
The post Workers overlooked in egg industry crisis appeared first on Unite Live.
At TUC Congress in Brighton on Wednesday (October 19), Unite called for a just transition for UK food industry workers impacted by efforts in the sector to reduce carbon emissions. Supporting composite three in favour of declaring a food emergency, Unite noted that last year Congress welcomed the government’s National Food Strategy. However Unite said […]
The post Just transition for food workers call appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham writes for the forthcoming Unite Landworker magazine*. She says: As I write this column, we are in the midst of a cycle of crisis. And once again the rich and…Read more…
Production at Basildon’s biggest employer, the CNH Industrial tractor factory, will come to a standstill as workers take action for better pay, Unite said today (June 22). More than 500 workers,…Read more…