Refuse, cleansing and grounds workers win boost to sick pay and annual leave

Refuse, cleansing and grounds maintenance staff at Three Rivers District Council have won a massive increase to sick pay and annual leave. For years the council’s depot staff had been on second-class terms and conditions compared with office-based workers. Waste services staff were only getting statutory sick pay in their first year of service, rising […]

Claire looks at the camera.

Retaining to win

The more public service workers are in UNISON, the stronger UNISON is — meaning public service workers win better deals for themselves and their services. That doesn’t just mean recruiting new members, it means hanging on to the ones we’ve got. That’s why UNISON Eastern launched a regional retention strategy last year, laying out some […]

Bridget Phillipson addresses the meeting

Reclaiming a voice for school support staff

Eastern activists joined education support staff from across the country in Parliament last night for a celebration of 10 years of Stars in Our Schools. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards spoke about the inspiring work school support staff do and the imminent return of the Schools Support Staff Negotiation […]

Workers stand on the picket line

Essex and Suffolk health staff launch three-week strike to stay in the NHS

Cleaners, porters, housekeepers and other facilities staff start three weeks of strikes today to keep their jobs in the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), says UNISON. More than 350 workers, employed at Colchester Hospital, Aldeburgh Hospital and several other ESNEFT community sites, will walk out today until Friday 13 December – […]

Bess Sayers from Cambridgeshire County branch smiles at the camera.

Building more inclusive workspaces

Members in local government, health, schools and elsewhere across Cambridgeshire and beyond have been expanding their knowledge of all aspects of menopause through an online menopause café run by the Cambridgeshire County branch. Launched in January 2022, the café has covered a broad spectrum of menopause issues, including employment rights, exercise, diet, overcoming stereotyping, sex […]

UEA cuts ‘will damage student experience’

University of East Anglia’s plans to cut another 170 jobs ‘are sure to hit the student experience’, UNISON warns today. The union, which represents professional services staff such as cleaners, caterers and admin says staff are already struggling after more than 400 posts went last year. The entire learning and teaching department is affected with […]

Cambridge residents must stand up to £3.5m cuts to services

Cambridge residents are being urged to oppose “unnecessary” proposals to cut £3.5 million of services in the city council’s budget consultation, UNISON says today. Despite having millions in reserves, Cambridge City Council is consulting residents on changes to scale back frontline services, including reducing street cleaning, closing public toilets, giving up control of community centres, […]

Hertfordshire NHS workers to strike after being shortchanged for years

Healthcare support workers at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Foundation Trust will stage two three-day strikes from next week after years of being underpaid for their work, says UNISON today. More than 200 clinical support workers should be properly compensated for carrying out band 3 clinical tasks – such as blood monitoring, ECGs and patient […]

South Cambs councillors and Tim Roberts with the signed charter

South Cambs Council signs Anti-Racism Charter

South Cambridgeshire District Council has pledged a commitment to tackling racism — and promoting equality — by signing UNISON’s Anti-Racism Charter. The charter aims to tackle racism in the public sector on a national level. It commits organisations and their leaders to having a clear and visible race equality policy, as well as programme of […]

Fury as leaked video shows ESNEFT boss telling staff at outsourcing would go ahead regardless

Health workers striking to stay in the NHS are up in arms after a leaked of the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) chief executive surfaced suggesting the decision to privatise jobs had been made months ago, says UNISON today. The video – shot in May but only recently leaked to the Health […]

Senior Essex hospitals managers ‘give themselves a discount’ on parking

Senior managers at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) have given themselves a discount on the hospital parking charges paid by all other employees, UNISON says today. The trust came under fire earlier this year for reintroducing staff parking charges, with more than 5,000 health workers and patients signing a UNISON petition branding […]

Essex and Suffolk NHS strikers tell public they’ve ‘no choice’ but to strike

Hospital support staff from across Essex and Suffolk have written an open letter to the public today explaining that they have “no choice” but to strike to stop their jobs being sold out of the NHS, says their union UNISON. Cleaners, porters, caterers and other non-clinical support workers at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS […]

Funding shortfall of £218m leaves councils in east of England on a precipice

Councils across the east of England have a collective hole in their finances amounting to £218 million for the coming financial year, says UNISON research published today. New figures, based on information from local authorities across eastern England, show council funding is in a dire state with massive cuts likely to essential services and jobs, […]

Cambridgeshire schools support staff win pay dispute

School support staff in Cambridgeshire are celebrating after settling a dispute with the Astrea Academy Trust over new-starters being offered better pay than existing staff. The trust had different sets of pay and conditions in Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and Cambridgeshire, where it runs the St Ivo Academy in St Ives, Cottenham Village College and the […]

A large group of pickets at Colchester Hospital

Colchester Hospital bosses ‘risked patient safety’ during strike

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) bosses put patient safety at risk by bringing in untrained strikebreakers during last month’s industrial action, says UNISON today. In a letter to ESNEFT chief executive Nick Hulme, the union highlights “serious concerns” about the trust’s “reckless” decision which saw staff brought in from as far […]