Category: Article

UNISON Nelson Mandela Award 2025– (open to all Black people in conjunction with UNISON’s defining Black)

UNISON 2015 Black members’ conference resolved to establish a Nelson Mandela award that embodies his attributes and becomes an annual feature of the conference.

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president saw in democracy after decades of apartheid rule which for Black people meant living with years of racial segregation and systemic oppression. His vision was for a truly united South Africa, and he became a powerful global figure of resistance.

Our union is proud to have made Mandela an honorary president of UNISON and to have stood by him and others in the movement on their historic struggle for equality, justice and in ending apartheid.

Amongst our Black communities we recognise that there is an abundance of talent and that there are many people who tirelessly contribute to the fight for racial equality across the world. With the marginalisation and discrimination faced by Black workers and people with entrenched barriers structural and institutional racism would appear to be ever increasing, but out of the ashes of despair we have seen courage, determination, purpose, and drive throughout our history and would encourage nominations from all sections of the Black community and devolved nations.

Download the Mandela award covering letter and nominee submission form 2025

The award will be presented to someone who has supported and ‘gone above and beyond to represent Black people’ celebrating their achievements, courage, and determination within our society.

The award winner will be invited to attend the National Black members conference as a guest of the National Committee where they will be presented with the award.

The article UNISON Nelson Mandela Award 2025– (open to all Black people in conjunction with UNISON’s defining Black) first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON Nelson Mandela Award 2025– (open to all Black people in conjunction with UNISON’s defining Black)

UNISON 2015 Black members’ conference resolved to establish a Nelson Mandela award that embodies his attributes and becomes an annual feature of the conference.

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president saw in democracy after decades of apartheid rule which for Black people meant living with years of racial segregation and systemic oppression. His vision was for a truly united South Africa, and he became a powerful global figure of resistance.

Our union is proud to have made Mandela an honorary president of UNISON and to have stood by him and others in the movement on their historic struggle for equality, justice and in ending apartheid.

Amongst our Black communities we recognise that there is an abundance of talent and that there are many people who tirelessly contribute to the fight for racial equality across the world. With the marginalisation and discrimination faced by Black workers and people with entrenched barriers structural and institutional racism would appear to be ever increasing, but out of the ashes of despair we have seen courage, determination, purpose, and drive throughout our history and would encourage nominations from all sections of the Black community and devolved nations.

Download the Mandela award covering letter and nominee submission form 2025

The award will be presented to someone who has supported and ‘gone above and beyond to represent Black people’ celebrating their achievements, courage, and determination within our society.

The award winner will be invited to attend the National Black members conference as a guest of the National Committee where they will be presented with the award.

The article UNISON Nelson Mandela Award 2025– (open to all Black people in conjunction with UNISON’s defining Black) first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: Taking the chance to fix what’s been broken for too long

By general secretary Christina McAnea

After endless disappointments, cuts and chaos from a stream of Conservative prime ministers, there were, understandably high expectations around the first King’s Speech under a Labour government for 14 years.

Reassuringly the bills proposed last week showed a promising start to the long process of rebuilding the economy and revitalising essential public services.

In Keir Starmer, it feels like we finally have a PM who has a proper understanding of public services and their role in holding our communities together. Even better, he’s actually run one.

But you only have to look at the grim picture painted by the initial findings from the COVID inquiry, issued just a day later, to see what happens when services are hollowed out and simply collapse.

The new government set out 40 bills in its first King’s Speech. An ambitious work programme, but it was heartening to see their commitment to workers’ rights was high on the agenda.

I must admit, it felt strange to hear the King say, “My government will make work pay and introduce a New Deal for working People”.

At UNISON we’ve worked closely with the Labour Party to make sure the voices of our members were heard and shaped these proposals. Now it’s finally happening, I want to thank all staff, activists and members for their input in this groundbreaking moment.

And the New Deal has the potential to make a huge difference to workers and jobseekers in the UK. Good employers will benefit too and have nothing to fear.

A ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts and an end to ‘fire and rehire’ tactics are good news for millions of people. A fair pay agreement for adult social care workers could make a huge difference and help to end the staffing crisis. And the agreement will be a building block for a game-changing national care service.

We also have a commitment to introduce sectoral bargaining for school support staff in England, a long-standing policy for UNISON.

Plans to focus on and support the growth of devolved regional services in England as well as the commitment to strengthen devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could benefit UNISON members in each nation.

Far too many people continue to face racism and injustice in their workplaces. But allowing staff to make equal pay claims based on disability and ethnicity are a major step in the right direction. Promises to introduce new pay reporting requirements will also bring an improved level of transparency.

There will be challenges ahead, but the King’s Speech paints a picture of a government ready to rebuild and restore. And from what we’ve seen so far, this is a government that’s prepared to consult and listen to unions and the people they represent.

UNISON is the UK’s largest union and, as general secretary, I’m committed to pushing for the issues that matter most to our members and their families. That means working with Labour to deliver real benefits for everyone, to get rid of the worst of the Tory anti-union laws and to constantly make the case for public services to be seen as a driver of the economy.

Keir Starmer has promised to bring back trust to politics. This is so important, especially after 14 years of corrupt and out of touch Tory governments.

We’re at a pivotal moment, and we need to work together to take the chance to fix what’s been broken for too long.

The article Opinion: Taking the chance to fix what’s been broken for too long first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: Taking the chance to fix what’s been broken for too long

By general secretary Christina McAnea

After endless disappointments, cuts and chaos from a stream of Conservative prime ministers, there were understandably high expectations around the first King’s Speech under a Labour government for 14 years.

Reassuringly the bills proposed last week showed a promising start to the long process of rebuilding the economy and revitalising essential public services.

In Keir Starmer, it feels like we finally have a PM who has a proper understanding of public services and their role in holding our communities together. Even better, he’s actually run one.

But you only have to look at the grim picture painted by the initial findings from the COVID inquiry, issued just a day later, to see what happens when services are hollowed out and simply collapse.

The new government set out 40 bills in its first King’s Speech. An ambitious work programme, but it was heartening to see its commitment to workers’ rights was high up the agenda.

I must admit, it felt strange to hear the King say, “My government will make work pay and introduce a new deal for working people”.

At UNISON we’ve worked closely with the Labour Party to make sure the voices of our members were heard and shaped these proposals. Now it’s finally happening, I want to thank all staff, activists and members for their input in this groundbreaking moment.

And the new deal has the potential to make a huge difference to workers and jobseekers in the UK. Good employers will benefit too and have nothing to fear.

A ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts and an end to ‘fire and rehire’ tactics are good news for millions of people. A fair pay agreement for adult social care workers could make a huge difference and help end the staffing crisis. And the agreement will be a building block for a game-changing national care service.

We also have a commitment to introduce sectoral bargaining for school support staff in England, a long-standing policy for UNISON.

Plans to focus on and support the growth of devolved regional services in England as well as the commitment to strengthen devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could benefit UNISON members in each nation.

Far too many people continue to face racism and injustice in their workplaces. But allowing staff to make equal pay claims based on disability and ethnicity are a major step in the right direction. Promises to introduce new pay reporting requirements will also bring an improved level of transparency.

There will be challenges ahead, but the King’s Speech paints a picture of a government ready to rebuild and restore. And from what we’ve seen so far, this is a government that’s prepared to consult and listen to unions and the people they represent.

UNISON is the UK’s largest union and, as general secretary, I’m committed to pushing for the issues that matter most to our members and their families. That means working with Labour to deliver real benefits for everyone, to get rid of the worst of the Tory anti-union laws and to make the case for public services to be seen as a driver of the economy.

Keir Starmer has promised to bring back trust to politics. This is so important, especially after 14 years of corrupt and out-of-touch Tory governments.

We’re at a pivotal moment, and we need to work together to take the chance to fix what’s been broken for too long.

The article Opinion: Taking the chance to fix what’s been broken for too long first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Council and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland asked to vote on possible strike action, says UNISON

Thousands of social workers, teaching assistants, planning officers, caretakers and other school and council staff are to be asked if they’re prepared to take strike action over this year’s pay offer, says their union UNISON today (Friday).

The move follows a recent consultation concerning the 2024/25 wage rise for local authority and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In this vote 81% of the workers who took part opted to reject what they’d been offered.

The pay offer from the local government employers was for £1,290. The wage rise was due in April. The offer has been accepted by the GMB, but not by UNISON or Unite.

Ballot papers will now be sent to around 360,000 UNISON members across England and Wales, with Northern Ireland to follow later. The ballot will open on 4 September and close on 16 October.

UNISON head of local government Mike Short said: “Council and school staff were asked what they wanted to do about the employers’ pay offer. A majority of those who took part opted to reject the £1,290 increase.

“Now the union’s committee of leading activists has decided to conduct an industrial action ballot to try to secure an improved pay offer.

“The legal threshold required is a hard one to meet, and so everyone who wants to take action must be sure that they and all their colleagues return their ballot papers. The local government employers should come forward with an improved pay offer.”

The article Council and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland asked to vote on possible strike action, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Council and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland asked to vote on possible strike action, says UNISON

Thousands of social workers, teaching assistants, planning officers, caretakers and other school and council staff are to be asked if they’re prepared to take strike action over this year’s pay offer, says their union UNISON today (Friday).

The move follows a recent consultation concerning the 2024/25 wage rise for local authority and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In this vote 81% of the workers who took part opted to reject what they’d been offered.

The pay offer from the local government employers was for £1,290. The wage rise was due in April. The offer has been accepted by the GMB, but not by UNISON or Unite.

Ballot papers will now be sent to around 360,000 UNISON members across England and Wales, with Northern Ireland to follow later. The ballot will open on 4 September and close on 16 October.

UNISON head of local government Mike Short said: “Council and school staff were asked what they wanted to do about the employers’ pay offer. A majority of those who took part opted to reject the £1,290 increase.

“Now the union’s committee of leading activists has decided to conduct an industrial action ballot to try to secure an improved pay offer.

“The legal threshold required is a hard one to meet, and so everyone who wants to take action must be sure that they and all their colleagues return their ballot papers. The local government employers should come forward with an improved pay offer.”

The article Council and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland asked to vote on possible strike action, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Political fund ballot – saving UNISON’s campaign voice

Ballot papers are now dropping through members’ letter boxes asking them to vote on the continuation of the union’s political fund. 

It is vitally important that they vote yes – and that the Labour Link and campaign fund continue to provide a platform for political campaigns in support of our members.     

It is a ballot we must win – by making the case once again to our members, showing them what the two distinct sections of UNISON’s fund, Labour Link and the campaign fund, do – and what they have helped us to achieve.

Each month, our members pay pennies into the political fund, but collectively that adds up to millions each year. This money funds vital political campaign work on our members behalf. This is necessary to compliment the work we do in negotiations, in  workplaces and through legal channels.  

Labour Link

The key objective of the Labour Link is to take members’ priorities and UNISON policy into the Labour Party. Labour Link also works with other unions who are affiliated to the Labour Party to deliver on our shared priorities.

Through the Labour Link side, our political fund has helped shape the New Deal for Working People – a comprehensive plan to improve the lives of working people by strengthening individual and collective rights – the first fruits of which are expected in this week’s King’s Speech.

It also helped secure commitments to re-establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body and a Fair Pay Agreement in Social Care, with an aim to create a national care service.

Going further back, it enabled UNISON to influence policy the last time Labour was in power – from the first ever national minimum wage to the Equalities Act. 

Labour Link works with UNISON activists to empower, develop and help them stand for elected office, through training and mentorship programmes, ensuring that those representing us better reflect the diversity of our communities.

In the last two years it has run training for trade unionists who are interested in becoming Parliamentary candidates, and some specifically for Black activists, with some of the graduates becoming MPs in this July’s general election.

During the general election, it provided support to Labour candidates in target seats in England, Scotland and Wales, helping create links between the union and future Parliamentarians. 

Campaign fund

On the campaign fund side (previously called general political fund) all branches, nations, regions, self-organised groups, service groups and departments are able to bid for funds to support local and national campaign priorities. 

The campaign fund committee, which oversees the fund, approved more than 60 bids over the last year. Bids from every UNISON region were successful, with total expenditure across the UK totalling £1.2m. This included funding for important strategic projects, such as the campaign for a national care service, the union’s work fighting racism and targeting the far right via HOPE not hate, and support for the Year of LGBT+ Workers.   

Political activity was supported in all nations of the UK. Funding was provided for the equalities coalition in Northern Ireland, for UNISON’s presence at Scottish political party conferences, and for a series of workshops supporting the implementation of the Social Partnership and Public Procurement Act in Wales/Cymru. 

The committee also set aside funding for the general election campaign to pay for polling, political advertising and member communication in target constituencies.  

The campaign fund also continued to support the full range of the union’s equalities work.  This included funding for Black History Month, UN Anti Racism Day and local and regional pride events.   Important trade union heritage events, the Durham Miners’ Gala and Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, also received funding.   

Why we have political fund ballots

The requirement for trade unions to hold political fund ballots was introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government in its 1984 Trade Union Act.

This legislation placed a duty on all trade unions to do two things if they wanted to undertake political campaign activity on behalf of their members.

Firstly, to hold and win a ballot of members to set up a separate fund to support our political campaign work.

Secondly, to hold further ballots – every 10 years thereafter – to renew the fund’s mandate.  

Someone once said that trade union money is the cleanest money in politics, so it isn’t surprising that the Tories attacked unions through their political fund legislation.

They wanted to take away the campaign voice of working people and they wanted to defund the Labour Party to prevent them from being an effective political force.

Fortunately, the Tory party never achieved the aims set out in their 1984 act.

No political fund ballot has ever been lost.

Over the coming month we need to ensure that this one will not be the first. This is a ballot we need to win if we want UNISON to be able to continue to campaign on behalf of our members.   

Ballot timetable

What branches need to do

All ballot packs include a letter from the general secretary and a leaflet urging a yes vote. There are downloadable materials and social media content urging members to take part.  

Branches need to:

  • Cover the ballot in your branch newsletters 
  • Share social media content
  • Download and distribute leaflets to members
  • Make members aware of the ballot helpline if they’ve not received their ballot paper: 0800 0 857 857.

Download leaflet in English

Download leaflet in Welsh

 

The article Political fund ballot – saving UNISON’s campaign voice first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Political fund ballot – saving UNISON’s campaign voice

Ballot papers are now dropping through members’ letter boxes asking them to vote on the continuation of the union’s political fund. 

It is vitally important that they vote yes – and that the Labour Link and campaign fund continue to provide a platform for political campaigns in support of our members.     

It is a ballot we must win – by making the case once again to our members, showing them what the two distinct sections of UNISON’s fund, Labour Link and the campaign fund, do – and what they have helped us to achieve.

Each month, our members pay pennies into the political fund, but collectively that adds up to millions each year. This money funds vital political campaign work on our members behalf. This is necessary to compliment the work we do in negotiations, in  workplaces and through legal channels.  

Labour Link

The key objective of the Labour Link is to take members’ priorities and UNISON policy into the Labour Party. Labour Link also works with other unions who are affiliated to the Labour Party to deliver on our shared priorities.

Through the Labour Link side, our political fund has helped shape the New Deal for Working People – a comprehensive plan to improve the lives of working people by strengthening individual and collective rights – the first fruits of which are expected in this week’s King’s Speech.

It also helped secure commitments to re-establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body and a Fair Pay Agreement in Social Care, with an aim to create a national care service.

Going further back, it enabled UNISON to influence policy the last time Labour was in power – from the first ever national minimum wage to the Equalities Act. 

Labour Link works with UNISON activists to empower, develop and help them stand for elected office, through training and mentorship programmes, ensuring that those representing us better reflect the diversity of our communities.

In the last two years it has run training for trade unionists who are interested in becoming Parliamentary candidates, and some specifically for Black activists, with some of the graduates becoming MPs in this July’s general election.

During the general election, it provided support to Labour candidates in target seats in England, Scotland and Wales, helping create links between the union and future Parliamentarians. 

Campaign fund

On the campaign fund side (previously called general political fund) all branches, nations, regions, self-organised groups, service groups and departments are able to bid for funds to support local and national campaign priorities. 

The campaign fund committee, which oversees the fund, approved more than 60 bids over the last year. Bids from every UNISON region were successful, with total expenditure across the UK totalling £1.2m. This included funding for important strategic projects, such as the campaign for a national care service, the union’s work fighting racism and targeting the far right via HOPE not hate, and support for the Year of LGBT+ Workers.   

Political activity was supported in all nations of the UK. Funding was provided for the equalities coalition in Northern Ireland, for UNISON’s presence at Scottish political party conferences, and for a series of workshops supporting the implementation of the Social Partnership and Public Procurement Act in Wales/Cymru. 

The committee also set aside funding for the general election campaign to pay for polling, political advertising and member communication in target constituencies.  

The campaign fund also continued to support the full range of the union’s equalities work.  This included funding for Black History Month, UN Anti Racism Day and local and regional pride events.   Important trade union heritage events, the Durham Miners’ Gala and Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, also received funding.   

Why we have political fund ballots

The requirement for trade unions to hold political fund ballots was introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government in its 1984 Trade Union Act.

This legislation placed a duty on all trade unions to do two things if they wanted to undertake political campaign activity on behalf of their members.

Firstly, to hold and win a ballot of members to set up a separate fund to support our political campaign work.

Secondly, to hold further ballots – every 10 years thereafter – to renew the fund’s mandate.  

Someone once said that trade union money is the cleanest money in politics, so it isn’t surprising that the Tories attacked unions through their political fund legislation.

They wanted to take away the campaign voice of working people and they wanted to defund the Labour Party to prevent them from being an effective political force.

Fortunately, the Tory party never achieved the aims set out in their 1984 act.

No political fund ballot has ever been lost.

Over the coming month we need to ensure that this one will not be the first. This is a ballot we need to win if we want UNISON to be able to continue to campaign on behalf of our members.   

Ballot timetable

What branches need to do

All ballot packs include a letter from the general secretary and a leaflet urging a yes vote. There are downloadable materials and social media content urging members to take part.  

Branches need to:

  • Cover the ballot in your branch newsletters 
  • Share social media content
  • Download and distribute leaflets to members
  • Make members aware of the ballot helpline if they’ve not received their ballot paper: 0800 0 857 857.

Download leaflet in English

Download leaflet in Welsh

 

The article Political fund ballot – saving UNISON’s campaign voice first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON’s voice is at the heart of government

UNISON hosted a post-election reception at Parliament last week (Wednesday) to welcome new and returning MPs with links to the union.

The event saw a host of MPs attend, including eight recent UNISON staff and activists who had been newly elected as MPs, the newly appointed deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and the secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting.

Liz Twist, chair of the UNISON group of MPs, welcomed attendees, saying she was “delighted to welcome everyone here with a Labour government in power”.

Christina McAnea speaks at UNISON post-election parliamentry House of Lords reception.

Christina McAnea welcomes attendees. Photo: Jess Hurd

Introducing UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea, she said the party is ready to work with UNISON on policies for public services and on the New Deal for Working People.

Christina continued the speeches, saying: “I’m so excited to be here, this is like a dream come true, the thought of being general secretary while we have a Labour government is just amazing.

“I want to thank everyone who has been involved in the election campaigns – our staff, activists and members, and I particularly want to thank our Labour Link committee and its chair, Linda Hobson.”

Speaking of the formation of the new government she said: “One of the most exciting moments for me was the next morning, watching the TV, bleary eyed, and seeing Angie (Angela Rayner) walk into Downing Street and I thought, ‘yes, yes we’ve done it’.

“I can’t tell you how excited I felt to think that Angie Rayner, who I’ve known for many years, is now the deputy prime minister of this country.”

Introducing Ms Rayner, Christina said: “I can’t tell you how many times I go to UNISON events and people talk about you, because you are the inspiration for so many people – and particularly women – in unions.”

Angela Rayner addressing the reception
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner tells her UNISON story. Photo: Jess Hurd

The deputy prime minister then spoke and, referencing Labour’s manifesto commitment to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote, she said: “I remember bouncing into my first UNISON young members weekend, where I demanded votes at 16 – isn’t that funny?

“I wasn’t told to stay in my lane, I wasn’t told I was talking too much, I wasn’t told that my opinion didn’t count. UNISON was the place for me where your opinion did count, where respect was given to people and was expected to be given to others.

“UNISON gave me an absolute warm cuddle, they looked after me, guided me and that’s why I call UNISON my family and my home, and without them I wouldn’t be able to stand in front of you today as your deputy prime minister.

“One thing UNISON taught me is that it’s not about yourself, it’s about ‘us’. It’s about who you’re there [in parliament] for. You’re there to fight for the people you represent, to fight for your constituents. Everything I’ve achieved has been an endeavour for ‘us’, for our people, for the people who have elected us.

“I’m incredibly proud that the Labour government will deliver a new deal for working people. We will fix our economy so we can pay for public services. We will respect our fantastic staff that work in our public services. We will make sure that working people get a better deal than they have had. And the reason why we’ll do it is that we’ve all had skin in the game.”

“UNISON is a great union and I’ll always have it in my heart. I always say ‘I was born in Stockport and raised in the movement’ and I know what a force for good it is. I know sometimes it’s tough, sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s never as hard when you know you’re going to make a real difference.

“You [UNISON] are in government with us, I know you’ve got my back, we’re going to smash it and we’re going to change Britain for the better.”

After Ms Rayner, Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care also spoke. He said: “This afternoon I was in the department with Stephen Kinnock (minister of state for social care) and Karin Smyth (minister of state for health).

Wes Streeting MP, UNISON post-election parliamentary House of Lords reception

Secretary of state for health and social care Wes Streeting speaks of his first days in  government. Photo: Jess Hurd

“We were doing a walk around to meet officials and learning a bit about different teams and what they do, and it was a chance for people to ask questions. One of the questions we were asked was, ‘how are you going to make sure that you speak up for the interests of parts of the workforce in health and social care that don’t always manage to grab the microphone or the headlines?’.

“And it was a really easy answer for me because I said, ‘in myself, in Steve and in Karin, you’ve got three UNISON MPs and those [people who don’t grab headlines] are our people’.”

He continued: “UNISON’s voice is now right at the heart of government and right at the heart of the department which will deliver for UNISON members.

“And the truth is, we would not all be here today, and we would not be in government without the political leadership that UNISON has shown, year in year out, from that awful defeat in 2019.

“In UNISON we have an outstanding general secretary, and we’re going to be working really closely together and if ever we steer off track she’s going to keep our feet firmly on the ground.

“But enjoy this moment, there’s a lot of hard work to come and we’re going to do some incredible things, thank you for slogging your guts out to get here and together we’re going to change our country for good.”

The article UNISON’s voice is at the heart of government first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON’s voice is at the heart of government

UNISON hosted a post-election reception at Parliament last week (Wednesday) to welcome new and returning MPs with links to the union.

The event saw a host of MPs attend, including eight recent UNISON staff and activists who had been newly elected as MPs, the newly appointed deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and the secretary of state for health and social care, Wes Streeting.

Liz Twist, chair of the UNISON group of MPs, welcomed attendees, saying she was “delighted to welcome everyone here with a Labour government in power”.

Christina McAnea speaks at UNISON post-election parliamentry House of Lords reception.

Christina McAnea welcomes attendees. Photo: Jess Hurd

Introducing UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea, she said the party is ready to work with UNISON on policies for public services and on the New Deal for Working People.

Christina continued the speeches, saying: “I’m so excited to be here, this is like a dream come true, the thought of being general secretary while we have a Labour government is just amazing.

“I want to thank everyone who has been involved in the election campaigns – our staff, activists and members, and I particularly want to thank our Labour Link committee and its chair, Linda Hobson.”

Speaking of the formation of the new government she said: “One of the most exciting moments for me was the next morning, watching the TV, bleary eyed, and seeing Angie (Angela Rayner) walk into Downing Street and I thought, ‘yes, yes we’ve done it’.

“I can’t tell you how excited I felt to think that Angie Rayner, who I’ve known for many years, is now the deputy prime minister of this country.”

Introducing Ms Rayner, Christina said: “I can’t tell you how many times I go to UNISON events and people talk about you, because you are the inspiration for so many people – and particularly women – in unions.”

Angela Rayner addressing the reception
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner tells her UNISON story. Photo: Jess Hurd

The deputy prime minister then spoke and, referencing Labour’s manifesto commitment to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote, she said: “I remember bouncing into my first UNISON young members weekend, where I demanded votes at 16 – isn’t that funny?

“I wasn’t told to stay in my lane, I wasn’t told I was talking too much, I wasn’t told that my opinion didn’t count. UNISON was the place for me where your opinion did count, where respect was given to people and was expected to be given to others.

“UNISON gave me an absolute warm cuddle, they looked after me, guided me and that’s why I call UNISON my family and my home, and without them I wouldn’t be able to stand in front of you today as your deputy prime minister.

“One thing UNISON taught me is that it’s not about yourself, it’s about ‘us’. It’s about who you’re there [in parliament] for. You’re there to fight for the people you represent, to fight for your constituents. Everything I’ve achieved has been an endeavour for ‘us’, for our people, for the people who have elected us.

“I’m incredibly proud that the Labour government will deliver a new deal for working people. We will fix our economy so we can pay for public services. We will respect our fantastic staff that work in our public services. We will make sure that working people get a better deal than they have had. And the reason why we’ll do it is that we’ve all had skin in the game.”

“UNISON is a great union and I’ll always have it in my heart. I always say ‘I was born in Stockport and raised in the movement’ and I know what a force for good it is. I know sometimes it’s tough, sometimes it’s difficult, but it’s never as hard when you know you’re going to make a real difference.

“You [UNISON] are in government with us, I know you’ve got my back, we’re going to smash it and we’re going to change Britain for the better.”

After Ms Rayner, Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care also spoke. He said: “This afternoon I was in the department with Stephen Kinnock (minister of state for social care) and Karin Smyth (minister of state for health).

Wes Streeting MP, UNISON post-election parliamentary House of Lords reception

Secretary of state for health and social care Wes Streeting speaks of his first days in  government. Photo: Jess Hurd

“We were doing a walk around to meet officials and learning a bit about different teams and what they do, and it was a chance for people to ask questions. One of the questions we were asked was, ‘how are you going to make sure that you speak up for the interests of parts of the workforce in health and social care that don’t always manage to grab the microphone or the headlines?’.

“And it was a really easy answer for me because I said, ‘in myself, in Steve and in Karin, you’ve got three UNISON MPs and those [people who don’t grab headlines] are our people’.”

He continued: “UNISON’s voice is now right at the heart of government and right at the heart of the department which will deliver for UNISON members.

“And the truth is, we would not all be here today, and we would not be in government without the political leadership that UNISON has shown, year in year out, from that awful defeat in 2019.

“In UNISON we have an outstanding general secretary, and we’re going to be working really closely together and if ever we steer off track she’s going to keep our feet firmly on the ground.

“But enjoy this moment, there’s a lot of hard work to come and we’re going to do some incredible things, thank you for slogging your guts out to get here and together we’re going to change our country for good.”

The article UNISON’s voice is at the heart of government first appeared on the UNISON National site.