Articles
First-time lobbyist Fabia Pollard is eager to get out and tell MPs why she’s demanding better
Refuse workers in East Suffolk have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in their ongoing fight for a real living wage, UNISON says today. More than 96% of East Suffolk Norse staff voted to strike on an 88% turnout, the union said. UNISON said the ballot result should be a wake-up call for Norse and the […]
Next month hundreds of trade unionists will descend on Westminster to demand better from politicians, lobbying MPs as part of the TUC’s campaign for a real living wage, trade union rights and an economy that works for all of us. Care worker Joe Nemeth will be making the journey from Essex to Parliament because he’s […]
Around 1,500 people have been killed and more than 30 million displaced in Pakistan after heavy rainfall and flooding submerged around a third of the country. But this is not a far-off tragedy in another corner of the planet, it’s one made in Britain and the rest of the developed world over the last two […]
Suffolk County Council has become the latest employer to sign UNISON’s Anti-Racism Charter. The charter commits the council and its senior management to a range of pledges designed to prevent racial bias, including championing a racially diverse workforce, having a clear programme of anti-racist initiatives and providing training for employees. The council is already undertaking […]
Suffolk County Council must use it’s multimillion-pound adult social care underspend to support the sector’s struggling staff, UNISON says today. The council’s latest budget forecast shows it’s spent £6.7 million less than budgeted on social care in the first quarter of the 2022-23 financial year, while homecare waiting lists have risen from an average of […]
Norwich City Council has become the latest employer to sign up to UNISON’s Anti-Racism Charter. The charter commits employers to a raft of policies designed to challenge racism in the workplace, improving life for staff and therefore the services they provide to the public. It includes championing a racially diverse workforce, having a clear programme […]
Many newly qualified paramedics in the East of England are beginning to see an increase in their pay this month after fighting together in UNISON for better banding. UNISON supported staff to put a collective grievance in against the trust over the NQP role. When the role was introduced in 2016, it was agreed that […]
Thousands of Essex health staff face an effective pay cut as hospitals bosses plan to reintroduce parking charges, UNISON warns today. Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT), which runs Broomfield, Basildon and Southend hospitals, has told UNISON officials it wants to reintroduce staff parking charges from 1 August. Charges were scrapped during the […]
There For You helps UNISON members experiencing financial difficulty. In past years, people would come to the charity when they experienced a sudden upheaval – illness, redundancy and the like – but increasingly they’re having to get in touch just to make ends meet. It’s not hard to see why: we’re enduring the highest period […]
Huntingdonshire District Council staff are celebrating today as managing director Jo Lancaster signs a union recognition agreement with UNISON. The voluntary agreement solidifies the relationship between the council and UNISON, laying out how both will work together to negotiate on behalf of staff. With this agreement in place, union officials will be provided with the […]
UNISON Eastern region isn’t short of amazing activists, so when it comes to picking the Activist of the Year, our judges have their work cut out. But it would be hard to argue with their decision to give the award to Sam Hemraj at our 2022 branch awards. “I was so surprised,” said Sam, North […]
Every day, public service workers go above and beyond to support and protect our communities. But when accidents happen and workers face employment issues, there needs to be legal protection for those who protect. That’s why UNISON members and their families have access to free legal advice and representation from the UK’s leading lawyers for […]
The One UNISON Weekend isn’t just corking courses or wondrous workshops, it’s also our annual celebration of the activists who make UNISON Eastern region great. Every year we dish out awards recognising those branches and activists who have gone the extra mile for public service workers. All nominations were fiercely debated by the region’s finance, […]
UNISON Eastern’s retired members’ committee is pleased to launch a brand new pocket book to guide public service workers through retirement — and explain why they should stay in UNISON. The booklet was drawn up by a small working party at the suggestion of UNISON Essex retired members’ secretary John Abrehart and laid out by […]