Forced jab rule in the NHS risks doing more harm than good

Commenting on the announcement today from health secretary Sajid Javid that all NHS staff in patient-facing roles will need to be Covid double jabbed by 1 April, UNISON regional secretary Clare Williams said: “This wasn’t something the government needed to do. The effective and supportive approach taken by NHS trusts has persuaded the overwhelming majority […]

Council and school staff deserve increased pay offer

Unions representing council and school support staff have ​today (Friday) urged employers to return to pay talks with an improved offer as they prepare for industrial action over “inadequate” pay proposals. Months of disruption to local government services could lie ahead​, but the unions say councils have it within their gift to prevent community services […]

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Poorest will be hardest hit by lack of government energy plan, says UNISON 

Commenting on the business secretary’s statement on the energy crisis, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said today “The government’s lack of an energy plan has made a bad situation much worse. Allowing the market free rein, with multiple energy suppliers fighting for consumers, was always going to end in disaster. “Millions of low-income households are feeling […]

UNISON health members deliver damning verdict on government’s 3% increase

Health workers in England – angry that rising costs have already wiped out their recent pay rise – have voted to oppose the government over the 3% increase, says UNISON today (Monday). Publishing the results of a consultation exercise that ran over the summer, UNISON says the overwhelming majority (80%) of health workers are not happy with the […]

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What’s a youth club? New report uncovers the true extent of struggling youth services in the North of England

A new report published by Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, calls on the Government to urgently invest in youth services, if serious about levelling up. The research, conducted as part of the Commissioner’s preventing crime strategy, highlights how local youth provisions are at breaking point and one youth worker said they know of young people who […]

Mandatory vaccination risks worsening NHS staff shortage

Today the government launched a six-week consultation into making ​Covid vaccination compulsory for frontline health workers in England. Responding to the launch, UNISON regional secretary Clare Williams said: “The key to convincing hesitant staff is persuasion​, not force. Pushing NHS staff to get vaccinated ​will create resentment, destroy ​already fragile morale and ​reduce take-up. ​Of course, everyone who can should be jabbed, but as with care, […]

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Blog: Climate change – The window of opportunity is closing – Guest post by Ronagh Craddock

Tackling climate change is one of UNISON’s key objectives. It is a core issue for our members, both in their workplaces and communities. The United Nations (UN) body for assessing climate change science (IPCC) published their latest report this week. The report is a stark warning on the reality of the scale of the challenge […]

Welfare of ambulance staff at risk as services face ‘unsustainable’ demand, says UNISON

UNISON has written to ambulance service chiefs calling for urgent support for staff as services face unprecedented 999 call volumes and unsustainable demand from the public. The letter to Daren Mochrie, chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), says employers must act ​now to​limit the impact on the wellbeing and morale of staff, especially those working […]

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Army of invisible, yet indispensible, cleaners, porters and caterers must be included in NHS pay award, says UNISON

Cleaners, porters, catering assistants, security ​guards and other health staff employed by private ​companies but working in the NHS​ must not miss out on ​any pay ​rise given to their colleagues, says UNISON today (Monday). UNISON ​is urging firms such as Serco, Sodexo and Mitie – as well as subsidiary companies ​owned by individual NHS trusts – to increase hourly pay rates to at […]

UNISON launches consultation over NHS rise

The government has failed to honour its own ‘levelling up’ promises with the disappointing 3% pay rise for NHS workers in England, says UNISON. The award announced last week doesn’t meet the real living wage of £9.50 per hour for the lowest paid health service workers and widens the gap between those at the top […]