Blog: Dig out that red envelope and vote ‘yes’ for strike action
If you’re a member in England or Wales and you work for a council or in a school, you have just two weeks left to vote for strike action.
It’s a critical ballot in our dispute with your employers over pay, and the decision to take strike action is in your hands. Every single vote matters.
You only need to turn on the news for a few minutes, or glance at a newspaper, to be reminded of the scandal of soaring living costs that are damaging people’s lives. Mortgage interest rates have risen to an average of 6.1% and food inflation is stubbornly high at around 16.5%.
This doesn’t just happen for no reason. Political cho...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 20, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Christina McAnea Tags: General Secretary's blog Christina McAnea NJC ballot Source Type: news
Conference continues debate on the cost of living
National delegate conference turned its attention to the cost of living on Friday morning.
Conference debated a trio of motions on the issue: the first calling on the NEC to continue to prioritise campaigns on the issue; the second highlighting the compound effect of the crisis on private renters and the third on the disproportionate effect of the crisis on Black workers due to the ethnicity pay gap.
Moving the first motion, Yvonne Green told conference, “Public sector workers are worried about how they’ll pay their bills.”
Tina Roach warned that “the threat of poverty is as real today as it has ever been. The leve...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 19, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Simon Jackson Tags: Article News Black workers cost of living ethnicity housing Source Type: news
NEC elects new presidential team
UNISON’s newly elected national executive council (NEC) convened for the first time on Friday afternoon, at the end of national delegate conference in Liverpool, to elect a new presidential team.
The council elected Libby Nolan of Swansea Bay Healthcare Branch in Cymru/Wales as president, with Steve North of Salford Local Government Branch in the North West and Julia Mwaluke, also from Salford City Local Government Branch as vice presidents.
The article NEC elects new presidential team first appeared on the UNISON National site. (Source: UNISON meat hygiene)
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 19, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Amanda Kendal Tags: News NEC presidential team Source Type: news
NDC celebrates – and resolves to do more for – Black workers
National delegates today underlined the union’s ongoing fight for the rights of its Black members, by passing three motions in the closing sessions of conference.
The first focussed on the ethnicity pay gap (EPG), which the union believes is a major cause of in-work poverty experienced by Black workers, and the cause of severe intergenerational inequality in Black communities.
The EPG is as high as 23.8% in London, with regional variations across the UK.
Although the government committed to asking large employers to publish information on their ethnicity pay gaps in its 2017 election manifesto, to date few companies hav...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 16, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Demetrios Matheou Tags: Article 2023 National Delegate Conference 2023 year of Black Workers Source Type: news
UNISON presents Dr Neville Lawrence with honorary membership
Today UNISON presented Dr Neville Lawrence, father of Stephen Lawrence (pictured), with honorary union membership for life.
Presenting the membership at UNISON’s 2023 national delegate conference in Liverpool, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea described how the union has had ‘a long history’ of working with Stephen Lawrence’s parents, Dr Neville Lawrence and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, who have both received honorary union memberships.
Mr Lawrence recounted to delegates how the trade union movement was fundamental to his family’s battle for justice over the murder of their son, Stephen Lawrence.
“...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 16, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Janey Starling Tags: Article News 2023 National Delegate Conference anti-racism black members Source Type: news
Rosena Allin-Khan shares Labour ’ s vision for mental health
The final day of UNISON’s 2023 national delegate conference opened with a speech from shadow minister for mental health, Rosena Allin-Khan MP (pictured).
Both a politician and a doctor, she opened her speech saying: “I am an NHS worker like so many of you in here today.”
“I want to thank you for all that you do. All the hours that you put in, even though you’ve been going through your own, personal, daily struggles. You are an incredible, powerful force for good.
“As a proud NHS doctor, when I’m able to, I put on my scrubs, I turn up and do my shifts at A&E.”
Drawing on her experiences in the COVID-19 p...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 16, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Janey Starling Tags: Article News 2023 National Delegate Conference mental health Rosena Allin-Khan MP Source Type: news
Care dominates debate at national delegate conference
UNISON’s national delegate conference turned its focus to care on Wednesday morning with a set of motions on the issue.
Moving the first, on the social care crisis, Rosie MacGregor (above) of the retired members forum told delegates: “It isn’t the first time we’ve considered the need for reform of adult social care – but despite our active campaigning and the meaningless promises from the government, nothing, nothing has changed.”
She went on to highlight the dual failings of the system, both for the service users and the workers who provide care. Asking delegates: “Is it any wonder that many leave the profes...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 14, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Simon Jackson Tags: Article 2023 National Delegate Conference care national care service National Care Service for Wales Source Type: news
Public services can help create a kinder, fairer society, says UNISON
Addressing the union’s annual conference in Liverpool today (Wednesday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“This year thousands of public sector workers in UNISON have voted for strike action. Environment Agency, CQC and university staff are still in dispute.
“Local government workers in England and Wales are currently voting for strike action, with others to follow in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“Council services are too often overlooked. It’s only when there’s no one to fill the potholes or empty the bins that anyone notices. When there are no urgent care packages available or no support for ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 14, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Anthony Barnes Tags: News Press release 2023 National Delegate Conference Christina McAnea Source Type: news
A message of solidarity from trade unionists in T ürkiye
On the second day of UNISON’s local government conference, long-term friend of the union and trade union leader Mehmet Bozgeyik (pictured above, right) addressed delegates with a powerful speech.
Mr Bozgeyik is co-president of the confederation of public employees’ trade unions (KESK), Türkiye.
Opening his speech, Mr Bozgeyik thanked UNISON members for their ongoing support for trade union members facing different forms of harassment in Türkiye, which he described as an ‘autocratic’ country.
Mr Bozgeyik continued: “As you know, Türkiye is not an isolated case in the world. There is a global trend of right win...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 13, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Janey Starling Tags: Article News 2023 local government conference gonul erden Mehmet Bozgeyik Turkey Türkiye Source Type: news
Conference calls for national pay bargaining in FE
Low pay in Further Education (FE) was high on the agenda at UNISON’s local government conference, with delegates hearing that pay in the sector had fallen by around 35% since 2010, thanks to a lack of centralised pay bargaining.
This has led to a recruitment crisis, with three quarters of England’s 228 colleges reporting difficulties in filling vacancies.
But delegates heard about the recent success of the Wirral branch of UNISON in securing a commitment from Wirral Metropolitan College to be a Real Living Wage Employer.
To applause from the audience, Cathy Wilde from the Wirral branch explained that as a result of UNI...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 12, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Martin Cullen Tags: Article 2023 National LG Conference FE pay Source Type: news
Water, energy and transport conference held in Liverpool
UNISON’s annual water, environment and transport (WET) conference met yesterday in Liverpool and opened with a speech from UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards (pictured above).
Environment agency pay
He opened by highlighting the situation that the country faced when conference last convened a year ago: “Inflation was ramping up and by the end of the year was at levels we haven’t seen for 40 years. Government borrowing soared and interest rates have climbed since.
“More people pushed into poverty, more hardworking people faced with the choice between eating, paying their mortgages, buying school uniform...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 12, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Simon Jackson Tags: Article News 2023 National WET Conference environment agency Environment agency strike Source Type: news
Labour promises to rebuild local government
The next Labour government will work together with workers and trade unions to rebuild the “hollowed out” local government that the Tories have left us with, Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan, told delegates at UNISON’s local government conference.
The shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities said: “We’re going to tilt the balance of power back to people like care workers, refuse workers and librarians. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s the only thing to do. We’ve written off the talent, potential and assets of most people in Britain for too long.”
As a judge in UNISON’s local ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 12, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Martin Cullen Tags: Article 2023 National LG Conference insourcing labour link Source Type: news
£300,000 in back pay for council and schools workers in Bolton
UNISON has secured a deal totalling almost £300,000 pounds in holiday pay for over 2,000 council workers and schools staff in Bolton.
The deal resolves a two-year disagreement between the union and Bolton council, after hundreds of workers’ holiday pay was miscalculated.
Some workers have already received back pay in their April or May salary with others expected to receive backdated payments in June.
UNISON acting Branch Secretary for Bolton Christine Collins said: “I am delighted Bolton UNISON secured back pay of nearly £300,000 in holiday pay for over 2,000 workers.
“We know that many of our members have r...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 2, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Janey Starling Tags: Article News back pay local government Source Type: news
Details of crumbling schools must be published, says UNISON
Commenting on the Labour Party’s move today (Tuesday) to force the government to reveal details of the location and condition of school buildings at risk of collapse, UNISON head of education Mike Short said:
“The potentially dangerous state of some school buildings is a matter of urgent public interest. Parents, carers and staff should be told if any school buildings are on the brink of collapse.
“This is a disaster waiting to happen. By concealing the truth, ministers are failing in their duty of care to protect thousands of pupils and staff by exposing them to such threats.
“It’s high time the...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - May 22, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Fatima Ayad Tags: News Press release Mike Short school buidings Source Type: news
Emergency protest against the anti-strike bill
The TUC is holding a protest against the government’s Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill on Monday 22 May, the same day the legislation returns to parliament.
The protest will be held in Westminster at 6pm.
Register your attendance here
UNISON believes that the new anti-strike bill, named the Strikes (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 Great Britain and allows employers to sack the very people on whose hard work and goodwill our public services depend.
Unions are demanding that MPs vote to ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - May 18, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Janey Starling Tags: Article Source Type: news
