The growing importance of the EA
Discussion highlighted the key role of the EA in meeting the UK’s climate obligations and emphasised that a well-resourced agency should be something all parties can agree on in order to ensure the country maintains an environment that is fit for the future, as well as being prepared in the event of flooding and other environmental disasters.
Within this discussion, the need for higher pay was recognised as key for the EA to be able to operate.
Pay in the EA
However, while the agency is now a fourth emergency service, staff have been underpaid and undervalued by the government for over a decade.
The attendees heard that ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - February 1, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Simon Jackson Tags: Article Environment environment agency Environment agency strike Source Type: news
Unions join forces for Environment Agency strike next week Â
Thousands of Environment Agency employees belonging to UNISON and Prospect are to take strike action next week in the growing dispute about pay, say the unions today (Tuesday).
Staff working in river inspection, flood forecasting, coastal risk management and pollution control will stage a 12-hour strike on Wednesday (8 February) starting at 7am.
In addition, for 12 hours either side of the walkout, Environment Agency employees will escalate their ongoing work to rule by withdrawing from incident response rotas, say the unions.
This action short of a strike starts at 7pm on Tuesday, and kicks in again immediately at the e...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 31, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Anthony Barnes Tags: News Press release environment agency Source Type: news
Solving workforce emergency now is key to the future of the NHS
Commenting on the government’s proposals to boost NHS emergency care published today (Monday), UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:
“The government has at last acknowledged that there are deep problems in emergency care.
“But if the Prime Minister wants to take credit for fixing emergency care next winter, he must first resolve the workforce crisis happening now.
“There’s nothing to deliver the urgent retention plan needed to stop staff leaving jobs in the NHS. Nor is there anything about boosting pay to prevent the current industrial unrest from spreading.
“Without halting further strikes o...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 30, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Anthony Barnes Tags: News Press release nhs pay Source Type: news
Proud to be in a union – striking in the North West
On a chilly day in the North West of England, UNISON members in the NHS continued their industrial action over pay and the crisis facing the health service. Steve Forrest captured a flavour of the third day of pickets.
We start our look back at yesterday’s strike in the region at the Eccles Ambulance Station in Greater Manchester.
And on to Huyton Ambulance Station in Merseyside, where members were joined by UNISON president Andrea Egan.
And then to the Liverpool Royal Hospital, where UNISON members drummed up a real Mersey beat.
The article Proud to be in a union – striking in the North West...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 24, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Amanda Kendal Tags: Article News Industrial action nhs strikes Put NHS pay right Source Type: news
New money  for NHS pay from Treasury could end dispute, says UNISON Â
The chancellor can halt escalating strike action and begin solving the staffing emergency currently causing the NHS such harm if he comes up with new money to pay health workers fairly, says UNISON today (Monday). Â
But if Jeremy Hunt continues to resist appeals to release extra cash and kickstart talks with unions to end the strikes, the NHS dispute could run for many months, says the union.  Â
This warning comes as up to 15,000 UNISON ambulance workers walk out later today for the third time in five weeks over pay and staffing, says UNISON. They’ll be joined by as many as 5,000 of their NHS colleagues at two...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 23, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Sophie Goodchild Tags: News Press release nhs pay Source Type: news
Blog: Why won ’ t the chancellor resolve the NHS strike?
UNISON’s industrial action in the NHS intensifies this week. Today is our third day of strikes this winter in England, and NHS staff in Northern Ireland will be out on Thursday.
Ambulance and hospital staff are walking out again over the government’s failure to deliver fair pay. Today’s morning news bulletins are already featuring our picket lines, and our head of health, Sara Gorton, was on breakfast news helping to get our #PutNHSPayRight message out to the public.
We’re also in the middle of re-balloting ambulance branches that fell just short of the government’s draconian ballot thresholds in our ballot last ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 23, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Christina McAnea Tags: General secretary's blog News NHS nhs strikes Put NHS pay right strikes industrial action Source Type: news
From the frontline to the breadline – NHS strike rolling report
10:05am And members are out again in Yorkshire and Humberside too.
It's strike day again, with thousands of @unisonyh @unisontheunion paramedics and ambulance workers taking industrial action. It’s not just about pay, it’s about recruiting and retaining skilled staff, and maintaining patient safety. #solidarity pic.twitter.com/EOxfZ2Zsi9
— Unison Hull & East Riding Health (@unisonHERHealth) January 23, 2023
9:55am A big UNISON ‘hello!’ to our members out on the picket lines in the South West – they really do need a brazier today!
First pickets of the day. Ambulance workers in Bristol an...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 23, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Amanda Kendal Tags: Article News Industrial action NHS nhs strikes PutNHSPayRight Source Type: news
Carol Sewell wins 2023 UNISON Nelson Mandela Award
Carol Sewell has been presented with the 2023 UNISON Nelson Mandela Award for over two decades of service to the union movement.Â
UNISON president Andrea Egan presented the award to Ms Sewell at this year’s national Black members’ conference.
UNISON presents the award every year to someone who has ‘gone above and beyond to represent Black members’.
Ms Sewell has championed race equality and racial representation within the union, sat on the TUC race relations committee and anti-racism task force, was elected BAME labour representative on the national Labour forum, and was the union’s vice president in 20...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 21, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Janey Starling Tags: Article News 2023 National Black Members Conference nelson mandela award Source Type: news
Ministers must invest in Environment Agency staff or communities will be at long-term risk
Thousands of Environment Agency staff who play a vital role in protecting communities across England will walk out today (Wednesday) as they strike over pay for the first time*, says UNISON.
River inspectors, flood forecasting officers, coastal risk management officers, sewage plant attendants and staff at the Thames Barrier are among those escalating their industrial action after refusing to do voluntary overtime in the run up to and during the festive period**.
Under-pressure staff say they’ve voted to strike over pay because over the years the government’s failure to fund the Environment Agency properly ha...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 18, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Anthony Barnes Tags: News Press release environment agency Source Type: news
Three things you need to know about the anti-strike bill
The UK is seeing record levels of strike action as ambulance workers, nurses, transport workers and teachers take a stand against the crisis in our public services.
Yet, rather than engaging with the people who keep our country running, or finding solutions to staffing shortages and waiting lists, the government is intent on punishing frontline workers when they speak out.
UNISON believes that the new anti-strike bill, named the Minimum Service Levels Bill, is a full-frontal attack on working people and the trade unions they organise within. It seeks to drastically curtail labour rights in the UK and encourages employers t...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 16, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Janey Starling Tags: Article anti-strike bill minimum service levels bill Source Type: news
The streets of London – pictures from the picket lines
Wednesday’s day of strike action in the ambulance service, across England, saw pickets throughout London.
Touring the capital was UNISON head of health Sara Gorton – above, with pickets at Waterloo – moving from there, where she addressed massed ranks of news media, to sites including Deptford and Greenwich.
She was accompanied by photographer Marcus Rose, who recorded events.
Christina McAnea tours pickets in Yorkshire and the North East
Through sun and rain, on the picket lines in Bristol
#PutNHSpayright – our rolling covering from the day itself
The article The streets of London â...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 13, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Amanda Kendal Tags: Article News Ambulance Strike Industrial action NHS NHS Strike Put NHS pay right Source Type: news
Welsh government ’s NHS pay move increases pressure on Westminster, says UNISONÂ
Commenting on Mark Drakeford’s offer today (Thursday) of additional money for health workers across Wales, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:
“This significantly ups the pressure on Westminster. Rishi Sunak must now explain why the first ministers in Scotland and Wales can dig deep for NHS staff, but his government can’t.
“The latest NHS England figures show ambulance delays and waiting times in A&E are the worst ever, leaving the prime minister and the chancellor with nowhere to hide.
“Unless ministers move quickly to boost pay for health workers in England, it’ll be pla...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 12, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Fatima Ayad Tags: News Press release nhs pay Sara Gorton Source Type: news
Patients would be better served if ministers solved NHS disputes instead of picking fights
Speaking on the eve of a second strike at five English ambulance services and reacting to new government legislation aimed at curbing strikes, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today (Tuesday):  “Ministers can’t make these disputes disappear simply by making up new laws.“Health workers are stretched beyond breaking point. They don’t need lecturing on providing safe patient care by a government that’s spent the past decade starving the health service of funding and underpaying staff.“Ministers have finally got around the table to talk about the one issue that will solve this dispute – a wage ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 10, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Sophie Goodchild Tags: News Press release strike bill Source Type: news
I ’ m a paramedic – here ’ s why I ’ m striking
This article first appeared in The New Statesman on 2 December.
The article I’m a paramedic – here’s why I’m striking first appeared on the UNISON National site. (Source: UNISON meat hygiene)
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 10, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Demetrios Matheou Tags: Article Blogs News NHS nhs strikes Put NHS pay right Source Type: news
Blog: Ambulance workers will walk out on Wednesday – and I ’ ll be out on the picket with them
Our next strike days in the NHS will go ahead on Wednesday 11thJanuary and Monday 23rd January, despite last minute talks between UNISON, other health unions and the secretary of state for health and social care.
Our head of health, Sara Gorton, was at the meeting and was interviewed by the press immediately afterwards. Sara explained how the government has moved from the position they’ve held for months, but there was a lack of clarity or concrete proposals and so our strike on Wednesday is still on.
Of course, our industrial action could have been avoided entirely if the government had opened up pay negotiations with u...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - January 9, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Christina McAnea Tags: General secretary's blog News Ambulance Strike ambulance workers NHS Strike Source Type: news
