‘You will eat, sleep and breathe nursing’

Myles Cooper works as an assistant practitioner at Hellesdon Hospital in Norwich part of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. In February 2018, he started his journey on the Nursing Degree Apprenticeship. How long have you been working at the Trust? Coming up to nine years now.  I first joined on a temporary contract […]

Victory! Suffolk County Council sees sense on unpaid leave

UNISON welcomes Suffolk County Council’s decision to abandon its push to make staff take unpaid leave. It comes after 95% of UNISON members rejected the plans in a consultation. UNISON members will now vote on a revised offer implementing the second year of a two-year national pay deal for local government workers and allowing staff […]

Council workers prepare to go back to the classroom

Workers at Stevenage Borough Council are getting ready to go back to the classroom this month to brush up on their education thanks to a project backed by UNISON learning reps. More than 50 people from the Council’s Cavendish Road waste depot will start IT and literacy classes in courses provided on-site by the College […]

Suffolk County Council must ditch unpopular pay cut

Suffolk County Council must abandon its bid to cut staff pay through mandatory unpaid leave, UNISON says today after its members at the Council overwhelmingly voted against the plan. The Council says it will implement the second year of a nationally agreed two-year pay deal, but in return staff must take one day of mandatory unpaid […]

National ambulance specifications – make your voices heard

UNISON Eastern is urging ambulance staff to make their voices heard over a bid to introduce a uniform fleet design for double-crewed ambulances across England. Following last year’s Lord Carter review into operational productivity in England’s ambulance trusts, NHS Improvement has opened a consultation on a specific van-conversion ambulance style to do away with “unwarranted […]

Javid’s Brexit salary cap is a threat to our public services, says UNISON Eastern

Home Secretary Sajid Javid unveiled the Tories’ immigration white paper today, saying he would consult on plans to only allow ‘skilled’ migrants to enter the UK if they earn £30,000 a year. UNISON Eastern regional secretary Chris Jenkinson said: “Sajid Javid doesn’t need to consult on his wrong-headed £30,000 salary plan, he needs to abandon […]

Suffolk County Council ‘pushed onto the back foot’ over unpaid leave plan, says UNISON

Suffolk County Council has been “pushed onto the back foot,” UNISON says today after the Council toned down its plans to cut staff wages by making workers take unpaid leave. The Council – which proposed in November to make staff take two days of unpaid leave for each of the next two years, taking the […]

Essex libraries: these cuts are wrong

We joined Essex residents and campaigners outside County Hall in Chelmsford today to oppose the council’s plans to shut at least 1 in 3 libraries in Essex. UNISON Eastern’s Tim Roberts explains why libraries are so vital to communities in towns and villages across Essex. To keep up to date with the campaign visit the […]

Victory! West Norfolk care home saved after UNISON campaign

Care workers’ union UNISON welcomes the news that Norse Care has decided to transform closure-threatened west Norfolk care home Burman House into a specialist dementia unit. Nearly 800 people, including former and current staff and residents’ relatives, signed a UNISON petition against closing the care home, while dozens responded to the public consultation. Norse Care, […]

Last chance – get help staying warm this winter

***Time is running out – claim by 15 February for your Winter Fuel Grant*** With rising fuel costs and another cold winter many members are worried about how they’re going to pay this year’s winter fuel bills. But help is at hand. There for You, UNISON’s welfare arm, has set up a limited fund to […]

Chelmsford trade unionists gather food for the homeless this Christmas

Trade unionists in Chelmsford are collecting food and supplies for the city’s homeless this Christmas, UNISON announced today. Staff working for UNISON Eastern region are gathering together everything from tinned tomatoes to dish cloths to help local homelessness charity CHESS. CHESS provides temporary accommodation for 32 individuals for 365 days a year, offering an additional […]

Have your say: Health and Care Professions Council fees increase

More than 350,000 health workers across the UK face a massive 18% rise in membership fees to their professional register. The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has included proposals to increase annual registration fees – without which workers in 16 different health and care professions couldn’t practise – from £90 to £106 in a […]

Get organised! Black workers in UNISON

Black members in UNISON work to improve equality in the workplace and challenge racism and discrimination. Black members have many of the same concerns as other members regarding access to employment, pay, promotion and training. However, racist discrimination can deepen the impact of problems faced in the workplace. UNISON Eastern spoke to some of the […]

Kids thanks their lucky stars for support staff

Parents and pupils at schools across eastern England said a big thank you to all the teaching assistants, librarians, dinner ladies and other support staff who make their school a safe and happy place to learn. Staff at St Francis of Assisi RC Primary School in Norwich were presented with a special star-encrusted cake by Norfolk […]

Cuts to school support staff could leave vulnerable children at risk, says UNISON Eastern

School support staff regularly go home worried about pupils’ welfare, safety and emotional state after discussing issues such as grooming, gangs, domestic violence, bullying, loneliness, and sexual abuse with them, according to a survey released by UNISON today. The research suggests that across the east of England more than a quarter (28%) of school support […]