All the union news that's fit to blog...
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.
For years disabled people have faced cuts to support and cuts to the income we need to live in dignity. The savagery of austerity hollowed out public services and resulted in hundreds, if not thousands of untimely deaths, and for many disabled people the decision to pass the assisted suicide bill has only added to […]
The post Fighting disability cuts appeared first on Unite Live.
Brothers, sisters, comrades It’s an honour to stand here at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Rally amongst trade union activists and working class people who know that history doesn’t just live in the past, it lives in our struggles today. We are here to remember those six brave men who stood against injustice in 1834, and to […]
The post “Whose side are you on?” appeared first on Unite Live.
Today we gather to honour not just Aneurin Bevan, but all those whose beliefs reshaped our nation – but it is Bevan’s vision that continues to guide our struggle for fairness and dignity. Bevan was born in 1897 in Tredegar, right here in the South Wales Valleys, into a mining family that knew hardship, poverty, […]
The post “Bevan’s fight is now our fight” appeared first on Unite Live.
In September 2018, during Storm Ali, Unite member and engineer Matthew Campbell was killed by a falling tree after being sent to work in Slieve Gullion Forest Park. In January of this year, two-thirds of Unite members who had to work outdoors during Storm Éowyn did not feel that their employer had taken all reasonable […]
The post “Climate leave” needed appeared first on Unite Live.
This year’s Disabled Workers Conference was well attended with over 200 delegates representing 30 different trade unions. Unsurprisingly, the Unite delegation was the largest at the conference and our delegates spoke in many of the debates. The Conference opened with a speech from the Chair of the TUC Disabled Workers Committee, Martyn Gwyther of Unite. […]
The post Nothing About Us Without Us appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite is urging members to show their solidarity and make Pride 2025 the most powerful yet, declaring that celebrating and defending LGBT+ rights is core trade union business, especially following a concerning Supreme Court judgment. As Pride Month dawns, Unite banners will fly high, not just in celebration, but in a clear statement of intent. […]
The post Love Unites! appeared first on Unite Live.
Labour ministers are targeting low-paid bin workers while cosseting billionaires. Supporters could not be more disillusioned Six months ago, it was a stirring, a mood felt in many workers’ meetings, on picket lines and doorsteps. What started as disappointment in Labour is now giving way to anger for many British workers and their communities. “Aren’t […]
The post “I have never seen such a shambles” appeared first on Unite Live.
Did you miss Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement on Wednesday (March 26)? In the analysis below, Joy Johnson of Unite’s political department presents all the highlights, including Unite general secretary Sharon Graham’s reaction. This week is all about the Chancellor’s Spring Statement. There is of course a lot of other news about President Trump, for […]
The post Spring Statement highlights appeared first on Unite Live.
I was walking out of Stockwell tubeDown the road and past that famous streetThe one that spawned a battle in the 30sThe street corner where the real eastenders stood for justice – Cable street I was with my mate AntonHis family were Eastern European JewsAs we passed by cable street he told me of his […]
The post The real Eastenders – They stood appeared first on Unite Live.
Amber Al Amin Mosque’s blue domeglistening in the morning light challengingthe Maronite Cathedral for the city skyline.Heads covered, feet bare under chandelierswhispered words echo over the years. We climb spiral stairs to pay homage at the feetof the Mother of Christ the Lady of LebanonHer hands out stretched to the capitalThe sun sets to […]
The post A tourist in Beirut appeared first on Unite Live.
Our economy is broken. Our public services are in crisis, from the NHS to the dozens of local councils facing bankruptcy. Our industries are in crisis, as infrastructure collapses from transport, to water, to the electricity grid. From Port Talbot to Aberdeen, tens of thousands of workers face job cuts from an unjust “transition to […]
The post ‘We must make different choices now’ appeared first on Unite Live.
The last vote countedpuffed up special advisers(spads in the parlance) happy to bebag carriers to triumphant MPsflock to Members Lobby forintrigue and gossip. Eager for an office in hallowed groundbehind the speaker’s chairclose to the Chamber under Big Ben. Or go with the buzz in Portcullis Houseprize offices with large windowslooking out at the famous […]
The post We won appeared first on Unite Live.
My parents were still in nappies when the 1984 Miners’ Strike that the play ‘We’re Not Going Back’ is based upon took place. As a 15-year-old, I was not aware of the history of the strike. I enjoyed going to see ‘We’re Not Going Back’ at Goole Junction Theatre. The play is an excellent and […]
The post ‘We’re Not Going Back’ Miners’ Strike play more relevant than ever appeared first on Unite Live.
Forty years ago, 14 civil servants working in the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) lost their jobs for being members of a trade union. In 1984 Margaret Thatcher enforced a ban on union membership at GCHQ. She claimed that it wasn’t possible for someone to be both a trade unionist and faithful to the security of […]
The post ‘The power to make change’ appeared first on Unite Live.
There was something in the air that day
It had been coming for weeks
As Jack went out that morning
Like every morning
Looking for work, looking for hope
The atmosphere felt heavy
The post A sister’s story appeared first on Unite Live.
This year will be another defined by the political choices we make. With the severity of our predicament becoming ever clearer, the only difference will be the importance of the decisions being taken. If Britain were a hospital patient most doctors would mark us down as being in a “bad way”, our recovery touch and […]
The post ‘This year will be defined by political choices’ appeared first on Unite Live.
As the TUC meets to plan its response tomorrow (December 8) my message is clear: don’t back down, strikes are a vital part of how we improve pay and conditions.
The post ‘Don’t back down’ appeared first on Unite Live.
More than 1,300 Go North East bus workers have taken two weeks of strike action ending today (October 20) over fair pay and conditions. But their fight is only beginning – as management continues to dig its heels in, the bus workers will now embark on all-out continuous strike action from next Friday (October 28). […]
The post ‘Go North East – just pay us what we’re worth’ appeared first on Unite Live.
In the early 1970s the American liberal philosopher John Rawls wrote “A just society is a society that if you knew everything about it, you’d be willing to enter it in a random place”. The quote sums up the aspirations of the age. Ever-rising living standards allowed ordinary workers to believe that their kids would […]
The post Labour ‘must be bold’ appeared first on Unite Live.