| Issue 20 General secretary election Make sure your details are up to date Our general secretary, Len McCluskey, has announced he is stepping down from office after 11 years in the post. The election for his successor is now underway. Don’t lose your vote. Please make sure your personal details are up to date on our membership system by logging in to your My Unite account on our website here. Please note that you will have to have been a member as of 14 April in order to vote. The election period runs until the end of August, when the successful candidate will be announced. To find out more about the election and the timetable click here |
Introducing Eastside
Our new conference, education and hotel complex
Unite invests in our members, in your training and support. Our new conference, education and hotel complex in Birmingham is a fantastic resource that stands in tribute to this union’s values, and it will be ready for you and your family to enjoy soon.
Find out more about the story behind the Eastside Rooms and the facilities on offer to you. Watch a short video about it here
Unite fights for jobs
Ending fire and rehire
Millions of working people are facing the sack if they don’t accept less pay and worse conditions. After months of pandemic hardship, this is no way for employers to treat people.
Unite has launched a major campaign to put an end to this “bully boy” practice, known as “fire and rehire”, once and for all. Government ministers have joined us in condemning it and now we’re calling on the prime minister to bring forward a simple amendment to existing employment legislation to outlaw it.
Our launch on 26 April saw a day of actions up and down the country. We now need Unite members to get involved and put pressure on their MPs to support us. Please email your MP via our End Fire and Rehire webpage
| Jobs, rights, climate – rebuilding stronger and fairer We’re continuing our debate about how trade unions can deliver a green jobs revolution with our “Magnificent Seven” shovel ready projects. If the government is really serious about speeding up the UK’s target to cut carbon emissions then it should green-light these projects now. Join the conversation this Thursday evening on how we step up to meet the climate change challenge and deliver decent jobs for our communities. https://www.facebook.com/events/5379379618801385 |
| Victory for striking Leicester SPS workers Members at aerospace parts firm SPS Technologies defeated their employer’s fire and rehire tactics, which would have seen staff losing up to £3,000 a year, after taking 10 days of strike action. Their action forced management to the negotiating table with a new terms and conditions offer that protects their incomes. Read more … and rights |
 | Action on Amazon We’ve launched a newspaper and digital advertising campaign to alert Amazon workers about a confidential whistle-blowing hotline which has opened in the UK and Ireland. The hotline coincides with the launch of the campaign alliance Action on Amazon that is demanding a new deal for Amazon workers, including a “neutrality declaration” which guarantees that Amazon workers in the UK and Ireland have the freedom to talk with and form a union without fear. Read more |
 | Remember those we have lost and organise in their memory International Workers’ Memorial Day, held on 28 April every year, brings together workers and their representatives from all over the world to remember the dead and fight for the living. This year the theme is ‘health and safety is a fundamental workers’ right’. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey will be joining Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK and Unite family members who have lost loved ones to the disease at the national Covid wall memorial on London’s South Bank on Thursday. A minute’s silence to remember all those lost in the pandemic will be held at noon. Families for Justice are campaigning for the wall to become a permanent fixture in honour of those who died, and for a public inquiry into the government’s handling of the crisis. Read more |
| Workers suffering mental health ‘epidemic’ linked to pandemic stress Workers are suffering a mental health ‘epidemic’, a survey of Unite workplace representatives has revealed. The health and safety-focused survey of 1,400 reps, from across all sectors of the economy, found that 83 per cent are dealing with an increase in members reporting mental health-related problems. April is stress awareness month and Unite is calling on employers to work with unions to implement mental health friendly policies to help prevent the psychological toll of the pandemic being carried forward longer than it needs to be. Read the survey here …and wins wages Babcock RAF Leeming strikes off after ‘topflight pay deal’ secured Workers providing operational and engineering services for aircraft at RAF Leeming, including the Hawk trainer aircraft, secured an “excellent result” after taking more than 20 days of strike action in a dispute over pay. Their employer, Babcock, offered the workers a £1,500 a year shift premium and a 2.5 per cent pay increase, both backdated to April 2020 following talks with Unite. Read more |