For January 2017, members in the West Midlands Unison region received £251,400 in compensation for personal injury payments, with members of this branch receiving £3335. It always pays to be a Unison member!!Read more…
HSE hits the right note
For many years the TUC has been arguing that successive governments have abandoned the health aspect of health and safety. Over 70% of work-related absence is a result of stress or musculoskeletal…Read more…
Pregnant womens’ safety – Government gets it half right
Yesterday the Government published their response to a report from the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee into pregnancy and maternity discrimination. Quite a bit of that original report…Read more…
Organising using health and safety just got easier
There is a brand new resource available from today for anyone who wants to consider how to make their workplace safer through building a strong union. Last year the TUC published a guide to…Read more…
Commission says no to stronger protection on health and safety
The European Commission have finally released details of what they are proposing to do on health and safety regulation in the coming years. Yesterday they released a communication which contained…Read more…
New kitchen fashion is killing hundreds.
“Stone” worktops in kitchens are becoming very fashionable in Britain, yet how many people know that they are killing the workers who make or install them? I only found out it because I ordered a new…Read more…
Inside the hidden world of environmental health
Dead bodies, detective work and the truth about food poisoning – the work of the environmental health officer has no shortage of surprises
The article Inside the hidden world of environmental health…Read more…
Small claims changes – another attack on workers’ rights
The Government are planning to change the rules for compensation claims that would make it much more difficult for workers to get the money they are entitled to when their employer’s negligence…Read more…
Beating the Big C – cancer, and the council
For many people, working outdoors in the sun is a blessing. But for refuse loader David Lewis, living in the shadow of skin cancer, it became a curse
The article Beating the Big C – cancer,…Read more…
How much of a risk do new cleaning agents pose to you?
UNISON survey aims to find out scale of problem in wake of concerns over rise in superbugs
The article How much of a risk do new cleaning agents pose to you? first appeared on the UNISON National…Read more…
Legal changes will deny injured workers access to justice, says UNISON
Government plans to increase the small claims limit for personal injury claims will deny many thousands of employees made ill or injured by their jobs every year the ability to take cases against…Read more…
‘Plane truth’ on toxic fumes plea
Unite has told British Airways to stop classifying the release of toxic fumes into plane cabins as ‘odour events’ and warned that downplaying such incidents risks masking an industry-wide problem….Read more…
The Price of Fashion
The collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh shocked the world. Since then, UNISON has helped the garment workers fight for their rights
The article The Price of Fashion first appeared on…Read more…
Violence at work: When someone with a grudge against a Housing worker takes a can of petrol…
Last week was European Health and Safety week. This is a time to think about work related safety matters.
Early this month I was rang by the radio programme “BBC 5 Live investigates”. They asked if I was available to be interviewed by the pr…Read more…
Night working is a boom industry
Personally, I struggle with mornings. To me, the arrival of daylight savings time and an extra hour in bed is the highlight of autumn, a season that contains my birthday. As you look forward to…Read more…
Hazards 2016 Conference – Report of Delegate
The branch has once again sent a delegate to the Hazards Safety Conference held at Keele University 29-31 July 2016. The theme of this year’s conference was “Building Resistance To Support Safety Reps” and included: Use Brexit to improve and … Continue reading →Read more…
Welcome U-turn on HSE board
Last month the Government appointed an employer to represent workers on the HSE board. This totally undermined the principle of an equal voice for employers and workers that is enshrined in the…Read more…
This week, lets focus on making work healthy and safe for everyone
UNISON has a proud record of supporting health and safety reps in the workplace, and building positive relationships on these issues with employers – that’s why we’re handing out “High 5’s” to…Read more…
If you can make directors liable for cold-calling, why not for killing workers?
Everyone hates cold callers, especially ones that try to get you to make claims for accidents or PPI you did not know you had. Every year the Information Commissioner gets hundreds of thousands of…Read more…
Award winning work on mental health in Redditch and Bromsgrove
General secretary Dave Prentis visits branch to see first hand the practical help and support provided to members
The article Award winning work on mental health in Redditch and Bromsgrove first…Read more…