All the union news that's fit to blog...
A day of speakers, music and more takes place in Derby next weekend as the Silk Mill Rally returns to the town. The rally commemorates the struggle of Derby Silk Mill workers who, in 1833-34, were locked out of their work for refusing pay cuts and for forming a trade union. The rally is organised […]
The post 5 Hills Out at Silk Mill Rally 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.
In the week ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day, UniteLive has explored this year’s theme – workers’ health and the climate crisis. Earlier this week, we looked at the impact of rising temperatures on two very different groups of workers – farmworkers and commercial kitchen staff. Today, we look back at a story that was […]
The post Fighting the flood appeared first on Unite Live.
April 25, 1974 – and the world witnessed a 48-year authoritarian reign of terror that had stunted industrial development being swept aside in Portugal by a coup led by middle ranking army officers. Known as the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) they had become radicalised by the Iberian nations determination to retain its sprawling colonial empire, […]
The post The flowers of freedom appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite’s London and Eastern region has organised a history walk to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28) this year. Last year, the region ran a highly successful series of working-class history walks that helped members discover past struggles and the lessons trade unions today can learn from them. The walks were led by a […]
The post Walking for Workers’ Memorial Day appeared first on Unite Live.
Library staff from Greenwich and Bromley gathered outside Woolwich Central Library last week to highlight their demands for improved pay and conditions. But they also came to hail an important victory in the dispute after a shocking 20 per cent pay cut for sick workers was scrapped following campaigning by Unite. As the early morning […]
The post ‘Only just the start’ appeared first on Unite Live.
All of us can remember the fear and uncertainty that collectively gripped the UK when the pandemic first hit. But for Unite rep and Barts hospital domestic assistant Mirela, that fear will never leave her. Mirela and her colleagues were among the first frontline health workers to come face to face with the virus. Barts […]
The post ‘We’ve got to stand up for ourselves’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Being a migrant worker is tough at times, and the construction sector can pose particular challenges, as one Unite member found after being held back and underpaid at work due to discrimination from his employer and managers. But thanks to support from Unite and his branch, Joseval Arcanjo Dos Santos has received nearly £28k in […]
The post Joseval vents anger at racist bosses appeared first on Unite Live.
“We can fight. And yes, we can win!” These were the rousing words of Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham yesterday, February 17, as she addressed the hundreds-strong Port Talbot steel community who’d come to listen, as she spoke out on the closure of the blast furnaces.
The post ‘Hand of history is on our shoulders’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Before sunrise on February 24, 1834, farmworker George Loveless left for work – it would be three years before he would be back with his wife and children again. George, and five fellow workers – James Brine, James Hammett, James Loveless, John Standfield and Thomas Standfield – were arrested, charged with making an illegal oath […]
The post Tolpuddle Martyrs anniversary marked appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite ramped up its steel campaign on Thursday (February 1) when it hosted a national day of action in British steel towns, including Port Talbot, Scunthorpe and Sheffield, among others. ‘UK Steel Jobs Not for Sale’ signs were erected in front gardens in streets throughout the towns to demonstrate the united stand steel communities have […]
The post ‘Our future depends on steel’ appeared first on Unite Live.
A community gathered together in solidarity to say no to job cuts at Tata Steel in Port Talbot today (February 1) placing hundreds of signs of support saying “UK Steel Jobs Not For Sale” in gardens and outside houses across the town. The estate agent-style boards spread across the Westlands Estate, Windsor Village and Village […]
The post Our community is not for sale! appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite staged a demonstration outside Parliament’s Portcullis House to coincide with Tata Steel bosses giving evidence to a select committee hearing on the steel industry on Wednesday (January 31). The packed protest brought together Unite steel reps, activists and supporters who sent a loud and clear message that they will not stand for needless job […]
The post ‘We must keep up the fight’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Thousands of Unite members joined an historic strike in Northern Ireland on Thursday (January 18) that brought all public services to an unprecedented standstill. The strike, which has been called the biggest in Northern Ireland in half a century, brought together an astonishing 150,000 public sector workers to demand better pay and conditions and adequate […]
The post ‘Angry but determined’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Tata Steel on Friday (January 19) confirmed plans to close the Port Talbot steelworks’ two blast furnaces, with the proposed loss of more than 2,500 direct jobs. The announcement comes despite the government providing £500m in funding to the company to make the transition to green steel by building electric arc furnaces, which make steel […]
The post ‘Dark day for steel’ appeared first on Unite Live.
A shock new survey of Unite women members has revealed an overwhelming majority are failing to get menopause support at work. The survey, which polled 11,000 members, found that more than 80 per cent who are experiencing menopause symptoms have had no access to support in their workplaces. A number of the women polled reported […]
The post ‘Serious industrial matter’ 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.
Flooding unleashed by Storm Ciarán in October devastated villages and towns up and down Northern Ireland. Newry and Downpatrick were among the worst hit, with hundreds of homes and businesses severely damaged.
The post Fighting the flood appeared first on Unite Live.
Set up in 1941, the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief as it was originally known is now a global anti-poverty movement. Over 81 years later it has shops and offices throughout the UK, with a dedicated staff committed to relieving poverty. Unfortunately many of these workers are also low paid themselves.
The post Oxfam staff strike appeared first on Unite Live.