All the union news that's fit to blog...
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham closed conference saying, “Listening to you has been inspirational. Our conference, our ‘parliament’ has been in full song this week. She said that were some issues that had not been easy – like the accounts – but “I promised you transparency and I will get our money back.” Concluding she […]
The post ‘The flame flickers anew’ appeared first on Unite Live.
The 2025 Unite Policy Conference was an amazing week, packed full of powerful debates and motions submitted, fantastic fringe events and chance for comrades from Unite’s many sectors to catch up with each up other and discuss who the union had been supporting them at work. The conference showed the strength of solidarity amongst the […]
The post An amazing week appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegate and construction worker Jimmy O’Malley, moved a motion on behalf of the Unite construction sector on better wages for apprentices, noting that “construction is in crisis”. He noted the scale of the challenges faced by government, which must address both the housing crisis and meet the country’s needs on infrastructure, flood defences and […]
The post ‘Construction in crisis’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Solidarity with Unite’s Birmingham bin workers – and condemnation of Labour was discussed in emergency motion 5. The motion roundly condemned the actions of the Labour Party both locally and in government, while reaffirming Conference’s support for the refuse workers, pledging to fight on until full victory had been achieved. If the threat of dismissal […]
The post Condemned and suspended in Birmingham bins vote appeared first on Unite Live.
Each day throughout the holiday season, UniteLive will feature one of our twelve stories of the year. On the eighth day of Christmas, UniteLive looks at the power of reaching consensus. Back in July, Unite delegates set aside their differences and came together to decide a powerful policy on Palestine. Unite policy conference heard a […]
The post UniteLive’s 12 days of Xmas – Horror that cannot be expressed appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegates called for an end to the misuse of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) to silence workers on Tuesday (July 8). The motion on NDAs was particularly timely, after Unite published a shocking survey of thousands of its members, the significant proportion of whom have reported being sexually harassed at work. NDAs are often used to […]
The post “Muzzles for workers” appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegate Tracey Whittle of the South East region gave a stirring speech moving a motion on ensuring union literature is neurodiverse- and dyslexia-friendly. Tracey told of her personal experience of the very policy conference at which she was speaking – where printed materials in green paper that she could read were not readily available. […]
The post Dyslexia-friendly lit call appeared first on Unite Live.
Motion 58 called for the promotion of neurodiversity awareness and inclusion. It stated that, “Fostering an inclusive and equitable environment benefits both neurodivergent individuals and society.” It was moved by Kevin Hellier, from the South West. He said, “I’m a neurodivergent person and a first-time speaker. My life has had its challenges, but [my being […]
The post Promoting neurodiversity at work appeared first on Unite Live.
Motion 44 on improving female-specific workwear standards, recognised that “women across various industries face significant challenges,” because of “the lack of the properly designed workwear that accommodates their specific needs.” And by wearing this inappropriate, impractical workwear their comfort and moreover their safety is compromised. Serenity Baskett from the South West region moved the motion, […]
The post Better workwear for women call appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegates collectively resolved to do more to tackle far-right activism and racism in the workplace in a debate that drew numerous interventions. Unite delegate Mibinzo Vundamina gave a heartfelt speech as he moved a motion on Tuesday (July 8), highlighting the pervasiveness of racism in all our institutions. “[Racists] are some of our neighbours, […]
The post Stop the far right appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegates made passionate contributions in a debate on the rise of global misogyny at policy conference on Tuesday (July 8). Unite delegate Donna McClaskey of the North West region moved the motion on the topic, noting that misogyny takes so many different forms, “both overt and subtle”. She highlighted the many rights women successfully […]
The post Rise in misogyny a ‘wake-up call’ appeared first on Unite Live.
A shocking new report has found sexual harassment is endemic in passenger transport sector. The landmark Unite survey found four in 10 women across the sector, including bus drivers, have suffered work-related sexual assault. The survey was launched at a packed fringe meeting at this year’s Unite Policy Conference in Brighton, and highlighted how the […]
The post Law fails women workers appeared first on Unite Live.
A motion calling for clarification on the union’s policy of the creation of mental health first aiders by employers, was moved by North West’s region Martin Gleeson. However after much heartfelt debate, the motion was overturned by the conference. Martyn Gwyther, spoke on behalf of the Executive Council, “to regretfully ask you to oppose this […]
The post Mental health first aiders appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegates were queuing up to take part in a debate on extreme weather in the workplace, with contributors all having a personal story to share about their employer’s negligence in storms and heatwaves. Moving the composite on Monday (July 7) was Unite delegate Justin Clarke of the Republic of Ireland (ROI). He explained how […]
The post Extreme weather safety call appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegates spoke passionately in defence of a state pension tied to a real living wage on Monday (July 7) at Unite’s policy conference. Moving a composite on a “Living State Pension”, Unite delegate Mike McLoughlin explained how the UK state pension is grossly inadequate, citing statistics showing its value is at the bottom of […]
The post ‘Dignity in retirement’ appeared first on Unite Live.
The future of the NHS was at the top of the agenda in a debate on the first day of Unite’s policy conference on Monday (July 7). Delegates who spoke in the debate all denounced the widespread privatisation threatening the NHS very existence. They also emphasised the importance of pay restoration for NHS workers, and […]
The post Save our NHS appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite’s eighth policy conference opened on Monday (July 7) with a speech by Unite Executive Council (EC) chair Andy Green. Andy highlighted how Unite, under general secretary Sharon Graham, has refocused the union on jobs, pay and conditions. He noted how the union has established a reputation for supporting its members in dispute, and how […]
The post ‘Our wins speak for themselves’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite’s policy conference in Brighton began with a spirited debate on trade union and employment rights, with delegates expressing their anger at the Labour government’s failure to keep its promises. Unite delegate Nancy Taaffe of the London & Eastern region denounced that a Labour council is attacking bin workers in the Birmingham bin dispute. Likewise, […]
The post ‘Let’s bin anti-trade union laws’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite policy conference held a spirited debate on Wednesday (July 12) about mental health support for Unite reps and activists, which conference agreed was an absolute necessity. Unite delegate Tom Queen (pictured above) moved the composite, highlighting a key part of the motions’ demand – counselling for reps as and when needed, paid for by […]
The post ‘Solidarity isn’t just at the gate’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite delegate Stéf Kasprowski gave a stirring speech as she moved a motion on sexual harassment in the workplace at Unite policy conference on Thursday (July 13). She began by highlighting the numbers of people who say they have experienced sexual harassment at work have increased dramatically to three in five women, and 7 out […]
The post ‘Zero tolerance of sexual harassment – end of’ appeared first on Unite Live.