Regional secretary’s blog

Clare Williams is UNISON Northern’s Regional Secretary.

Read Clare’s blog for views on issues that are important to members in the Northern Region and nationally.

Blog: Why do we still need Pride? – Guest post by Neil Bellamy

June is Pride Month and sees the start of the Pride Season every year.  Although things will be very different this year, with all Pride celebrations and parades cancelled or postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is still as important as ever to remember and recognise this time albeit virtually. So why do we […]

Blog: Higher education matters – Guest post by Professor Thom Brooks

We will need our universities to thrive more than ever. Their scientists are at the forefront of finding a vaccine against the coronavirus

Blog: The murder of George Floyd is another example of the racism that blights US society – Guest post by Mavreen Ncube

The murder of George Floyd is another example of the racism that blights US society. There are those who would claim that the situation in the UK is different, but that’s not true. That is why we all have to commit ourselves to be actively anti-racist in our attitudes and our behaviours. UNISON Northern has […]

Blog: International Nurses’ Day – Guest post by Linda Hobson a Nurse and UNISON Deputy Regional Convenor

This year, 2020 has also been designated the ‘International Year of the Nurse’ to mark the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale’s birth

Blog: Clapping for our carers and protectors? Clap for better pay and PPE too – Guest post by Jamie Dickinson

This pandemic has been incredibly tough on our communities and has exposed the true damage of the past decade of ideologically driven austerity and relentless privatisation. Many who were already in poverty are being pushed further into deprivation.    Communities are having to adapt to social distancing measures, including being without so many of our loved […]

Thank you to all the key workers who are delivering our public services

No matter how difficult the last few weeks have been and will likely continue to be I am in awe of how our members have stepped up and worked incredibly hard during the crisis

Blog: Give the best gift this Christmas, Save the Planet – Guest blog by Ronagh Craddock

Ronagh Craddock is the climate change lead for UNISON Northern. It is now officially December which means we can talk about Christmas, and I know that the best gift that I can give to my friends and family this Christmas is to save the planet. Tackling the climate crisis sounds like a big task – […]

Blog: Sharon Hodgson MP on Public Services and Labour’s Green New Deal

For this blog I managed to have a catch up with Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West to discuss public services and Labour’s Green New Deal. Clare Williams CW: Public services are all really struggling to provide the services they want with the level of government funding cuts and we’re wondering what your thoughts […]

Blog: Why Teaching assistants like my Mam deserve our solidarity – Guest post by Jamie Dickinson

Ignored by the government once again, why Teaching assistants like my Mam deserve our solidarity.

Blog: Police and Crime Commissioner For Northumbria – Guest post by Kim McGuinness

On 19 July I was honoured to have been elected as the new Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria and one of the most enabling factors in this was my union, UNISON.