Outsourced Luton & Dunstable Hospital cleaners claim NHS pay victory

Luton and Dunstable Hospital’s outsourced cleaners have won the same pay as their NHS colleagues after a months-long fight for justice, unions UNISON can reveal today. When a new cleaning, catering and housekeeping contract begins in November, the workers, many paid the minimum wage, will enjoy full NHS pay of at least £9.21 an hour, […]

Social care is broken but we have a plan to fix it

In his latest regional secretary’s blog, Tim Roberts sifts through the wreckage of our social care system and finds there’s still hope for something better

UNISON takes the heat off

As the mercuries rise again many of us will be struggling to work through the heat. But, wherever health and safety is a concern, workers can sort them out through their unions. Staff at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital are reaping the rewards of this, thanks to new hot weather measures agreed with UNISON and […]

Public want NHS staff to get early and significant pay rise, polls shows

A majority of the public (69%) think all NHS staff should get an early pay rise before the end of this year, according to a UNISON/Savanta ComRes poll published today. The findings also highlight how two-thirds (66%) believe a wage increase for employees — including healthcare assistants, nurses, hospital porters, midwives, paramedics and cleaners — should be significant in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. […]

How is coronavirus affecting your housing?

Chance to win £100 of shopping vouchers for taking part in our 2020 housing survey

Ask your councillor to save Suffolk’s children’s centres

Suffolk’s children’s centres are vital for hundreds of families, providing valuable services for children and parents. Suffolk County Council had to hastily withdraw its paper cutting children’s centres after spotting an ‘error’ in its documents, so we’ve got another month to halt these closures. Thanks to everyone lobbying their MPs, we saved one children’s centre, […]

More cleaners needed to make East of England’s schools safe for return of pupils and staff

Some cleaners in schools in eastern England are still having to work without protective kit and not given the ‘deep-clean’ training needed to keep people safe, says a survey published today by UNISON. The union is calling on the government to provide schools with money to hire extra cleaners. Figures released by UNISON show that more than a quarter (26%) of […]

Solidarity in action: UNISON heroes help feed the hungry

We talk to UNISON Environment Agency East Anglia chair Charan Sekhon about his work with SEVA Trust

Do your bit in the crucial battle for safe workplaces

Tim Roberts turns to the vital role of health and safety reps in his latest regional secretary’s blog

Children centre staff ‘gagged’ ahead of Cabinet vote, says UNISON

Suffolk children’s centre staff are being ‘gagged’ ahead of a crucial vote on the future of the service, UNISON reveals today. Staff were told in meetings last week not to speak to the public or press about the planned cuts to the service. Suffolk County Council’s cabinet will vote tomorrow on closing 10 centres and […]

Don’t tell the public Ipswich is closed for business

Closing Ipswich’s Tourist Information Centre would send the message that the town is “closed for business,” UNISON warns today. Ipswich Borough Council’s executive will consider a report tomorrow, giving the chief operating officer permission to close the centre, and lay off six workers, after a consultation. The Council is facing a £10m deficit because of […]

‘Support for keyworkers needs to translate into real support for the public sector’

We talk to trainee nursing associate Lizz Roberts about working though the pandemic

We’re as Proud as ever in the online world

UNISON activist Stuart Charlesworth talks Pride in the pandemic

Minor changes to Suffolk’s children centre plans won’t stop the damage to families

Minor changes to Suffolk County Council’s shake-up of children’s services won’t stop the huge damage they will cause to families, UNISON warns today. Previous redesign documents outlined cuts at 22 of Suffolk’s remaining 38 children’s centres, with 11 down to close completely. But in Cabinet papers published today, the Council says it will make cuts at 21 […]

Now’s our chance for a society that works for all

Acting regional secretary Tim Roberts urges public sector workers to grab this chance to shape the new normal