All the union news that's fit to blog...
Yesterday (July 8) the Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), the global confederation of construction unions, opened a crucial International Trade Union Conference: Work and Sport in Mexico City. The conference runs from July 8-9, with over 70 trade union representatives from 14 countries across Latin America, Europe, and beyond coming together with a clear goal […]
The post Kickoff for Decent Work appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite members joined hundreds of people taking to the streets of Dublin on Wednesday (17 June) to protest about the appalling state of affordable housing across Ireland, and demand housing for all. With new government rules in Ireland likely to push rents even further upwards, housing completions falling well short of targets and official definitions […]
The post Raising the roof appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite has welcomed the government’s announcement of a multi-billion investment to build Sizewell C in Suffolk and the go ahead for small and modular reactors (SMRs). The union strongly supports the government’s decision to make Rolls Royce the preferred bidder to build the small modular reactors (SMRs). The deal is with the publicly-owned Great British […]
The post Nuclear jobs boost appeared first on Unite Live.
The following feature about NAECI training first appeared in the most recent edition of Building Worker – you can read the full issue online here. Following a request from Unite’s Construction sector Unite Education developed a Change at Work course for senior reps focusing on the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI). The […]
The post NAECI deal course appeared first on Unite Live.
On the tenth day of Christmas, UniteLive looks back on a huge win for low-paid women – canteen staff at Drax Power Station who took strike action for the first time. Although the women secured their win in 2024, it wasn’t until this year that their full story was told on UniteLive. It was also […]
The post UniteLive’s 12 days of Xmas – ‘All in it together’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Knowsley Livv Housing workers have intensified their strikes in their fight for fair pay. After workers endured years of below inflation pay rises, they’ve now rejected a pay increase of five per cent because it fails to reverse the real terms pay cuts they’ve suffered. Livv Housing, which manages and maintains over 13,000 properties primarily […]
The post Livv Housing workers in fair pay fight appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite the Union, in partnership with the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and supported by the C40 Cities VISIBLE project, concluded a learning tour focused on modern methods of construction and workforce integration within the green economy on 2nd and 3rd September, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. The event brought together various stakeholders, including city […]
The post Unite and BWI explore sustainable skills appeared first on Unite Live.
European unions bring message of solidarity Members of Unites sister unions in the construction sector visited a learning centre in Canary Wharf last week, before joining a NISC meeting to highlight shared issues. One of the first stops for the delegation from Belgium, France and Italy was the Canary Wharf Learning Centre (CWLC) in the […]
The post International visit to Unite Learning Centre appeared first on Unite Live.
The Unite London Building Workers branch were back on the streets to talk to workers and hand out copies of the latest BuildingWorker last week. This time, branch officers and activists were in the City of London highlighting issues around Erith Group and its refusal to allow union reps on their site. Declan Murphy was […]
The post ‘Don’t settle for it – join Unite!’ appeared first on Unite Live.
A delegation from Unite attended the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Global Youth Festival in Turkey earlier this month. The BWI’s second Global Youth Festival, it was a dynamic week of workshops, speakers and a chance to share experiences. Its ultimate aim was to build solidarity and youth activism that will push for a […]
The post BWI youth festival shapes the future appeared first on Unite Live.
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. It is a chance to recognise the impact work can have on people’s mental health, but also look at the way Unite is supporting members through training. It’s a sobering fact – but construction workers are four times more likely to take their own life than workers in […]
The post Building better mental health with Unite appeared first on Unite Live.
On International Workers Memorial Day, Unite members of the London Building Workers branch gathered with trade union comrades to remember a roofer killed at work. Ekarmanjeet Singh was originally from Gurdaspur in India and had been working as a roofer in the UK for three years before his death. The 25 year old died on […]
The post ‘These are not accidents’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Construction workers gathered at Unite’s annual International Workers’ Memorial Day commemoration at Tower Hill by the Building Worker statue in London this week. In a year that saw deaths in the construction industry climb, speakers recognised the role trade union health and safety reps play in making workplaces safer, and demanded better access to all […]
The post Safety reps save lives appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite has secured an access agreement for HS2 Old Oak Common after a ‘relentless’ campaign. Unite officers’ hard work in the construction sector has resulted in a new agreement being signed with BBVS. This leaves SCS as the only joint HS2 venture without a union access agreement. The agreement to allow trade union access to […]
The post Unite access win appeared first on Unite Live.
The Unite London Building Workers branch was out in full force this week as they handed out hundreds of copies of the latest issue of the BuildingWorker magazine at a construction site in West London. The active branch regularly distributes the magazine as a recruitment and organising tool outside various sites throughout the capital, especially […]
The post BuildingWorker – spreading the word appeared first on Unite Live.
The latest spring edition of BuildingWorker is now out, and members across Unite’s construction sector are eager to spread the word – as Unite reps Steve Geekie, Graeme Jenkins, and Colin Young have done at a construction site in Dundee in the photo below. If you’re eager to get your hands on the latest issue […]
The post BuildingWorker hot off the press! appeared first on Unite Live.
Every day this week on UniteLive, we’re featuring one of our many inspiring women members in the lead up to International Women’s Day on Friday (March 8). Today, we hear from Unite health and safety rep Maria Boyle and her fight for better PPE for women in her workplace. — A Unite health and safety […]
The post These boots ain’t made for working! 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 how Unite achieved a landmark national recognition agreement with housing and social care provider Mears. — Unite signed a landmark national recognition agreement on Tuesday (October 31) with housing and social care […]
The post UniteLive stories of the year – Landmark agreement appeared first on Unite Live.
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 […]
The post Today’s top stories…shock rise in construction bogus self-employment appeared first on Unite Live.
To celebrate the 2023 International Youth Day on August 12, Unite Construction Executive Council (EC) member Stuart Grice contacted UniteLive on behalf of the EC and the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) to highlight a campaign day hosted by the BWI. Tomorrow (August 12), the BWI is calling on its affiliates, partners, and young […]
The post Fists up! appeared first on Unite Live.