UNISON ‘unequivocally condemns’ Tory donor’s ‘horrific abuse’

UNISON considers comments made by Frank Hester, the Tory Party’s biggest donor, that looking at Diane Abbott MP makes you “want to hate all black women” and the MP “should be shot”, to be racist and sexist, unacceptable and dangerous.

Diane Abbott MP has been a significant public figure since 1987, the first to open doors into political leadership for Black women. No woman in public life should have to accept this kind of abuse and intimidation. Black women all over the UK feel labelled, hurt, and scared.

UNISON unequivocally condemns Frank Hesters’s racist, violent language. The Prime Minister was also slow to acknowledge the comments as racist and wrong.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The personalised, horrific abuse levelled at Diane Abbott is frightening. She has had to endure intolerable abuse and intimidation. Our members expect us to call this out. The government should do the same.”

The article UNISON ‘unequivocally condemns’ Tory donor’s ‘horrific abuse’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON ‘unequivocally condemns’ Tory donor’s ‘horrific abuse’

UNISON considers comments made by Frank Hester, the Tory Party’s biggest donor, that looking at Diane Abbott MP makes you “want to hate all black women” and the MP “should be shot”, to be racist and sexist, unacceptable and dangerous.

Diane Abbott MP has been a significant public figure since 1987, the first to open doors into political leadership for Black women. No woman in public life should have to accept this kind of abuse and intimidation. Black women all over the UK feel labelled, hurt, and scared.

UNISON unequivocally condemns Frank Hesters’s racist, violent language. The Prime Minister was also slow to acknowledge the comments as racist and wrong.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The personalised, horrific abuse levelled at Diane Abbott is frightening. She has had to endure intolerable abuse and intimidation. Our members expect us to call this out. The government should do the same.”

The article UNISON ‘unequivocally condemns’ Tory donor’s ‘horrific abuse’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Ramadan 2024: Your rights at work

The holy Muslim month of Ramadan is due to begin on the evening of Sunday 10 March, with the first fast from sunrise to sunset on Monday 11 March.

Eid-al-Fitr, the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan, is expected to fall on Tuesday 9 April. 

During this important holy period for Muslims, UNISON reminds both workers and employers that it is within the Equality Act 2010 for all employers to ensure flexible working and provide reasonable adjustments for workers wishing to observe Ramadan, which includes fasting, prayers, charity and reflecting on the Quran.

During Ramadan, Muslims spend a period of 30 days abstaining from food and drink, including water, during daylight hours, as a means of celebrating and reflecting on their faith.

Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast when the sun has set, is often shared with family and the local community. Traditionally, the fast is broken with a date (pictured above).

Workplace advice: flexible working

Tell MAMA have produced useful employers’ guidance on how Muslims can be supported at work during Ramadan.

Advice includes:

  • consider the energy levels of staff, especially where work is physically demanding, and where possible, scheduling meetings earlier in the day and avoiding evening meetings or work events
  • avoid scheduling lunchtime events
  • be fair and considerate in the distribution of additional rest breaks
  • as the month of Ramadan is aligned with the lunar calendar, Eid-al-Fitr has no fixed date. Employers are encouraged to be flexible with their annual leave requests from Muslim workers around this time.

Guidance from ACAS and the EHRC provides employers with a range of best practices during the holy month, for example, by allowing Muslim workers to start their work day earlier, or longer break times on Fridays for Jummah prayers.

A 2021 survey of British Muslims on support from employers during Ramadan found that the most supportive adjustment (desired by 69% of recipients) was flexible shift patterns, followed by team members understanding what Ramadan means to them (60%), and annual leave for the final days of Ramadan (58%).

The article Ramadan 2024: Your rights at work first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Ramadan 2024: Your rights at work

The holy Muslim month of Ramadan is due to begin on the evening of Sunday 10 March, with the first fast from sunrise to sunset on Monday 11 March.

Eid-al-Fitr, the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan, is expected to fall on Tuesday 9 April. 

During this important holy period for Muslims, UNISON reminds both workers and employers that it is within the Equality Act 2010 for all employers to ensure flexible working and provide reasonable adjustments for workers wishing to observe Ramadan, which includes fasting, prayers, charity and reflecting on the Quran.

During Ramadan, Muslims spend a period of 30 days abstaining from food and drink, including water, during daylight hours, as a means of celebrating and reflecting on their faith.

Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast when the sun has set, is often shared with family and the local community. Traditionally, the fast is broken with a date (pictured above).

Workplace advice: flexible working

Tell MAMA have produced useful employers’ guidance on how Muslims can be supported at work during Ramadan.

Advice includes:

  • consider the energy levels of staff, especially where work is physically demanding, and where possible, scheduling meetings earlier in the day and avoiding evening meetings or work events
  • avoid scheduling lunchtime events
  • be fair and considerate in the distribution of additional rest breaks
  • as the month of Ramadan is aligned with the lunar calendar, Eid-al-Fitr has no fixed date. Employers are encouraged to be flexible with their annual leave requests from Muslim workers around this time.

Guidance from ACAS and the EHRC provides employers with a range of best practices during the holy month, for example, by allowing Muslim workers to start their work day earlier, or longer break times on Fridays for Jummah prayers.

A 2021 survey of British Muslims on support from employers during Ramadan found that the most supportive adjustment (desired by 69% of recipients) was flexible shift patterns, followed by team members understanding what Ramadan means to them (60%), and annual leave for the final days of Ramadan (58%).

The article Ramadan 2024: Your rights at work first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Blog: Trade unions wouldn’t be the same without Black Britons

Throughout history, the contributions of Black people have been overlooked and ignored. But Black History Month and UNISON’s Year of Black Workers are all about getting Black people’s achievements recognised and appreciated all year round.

Key Black figures have been at the forefront of fighting for social justice and equal rights in the UK. They’ve been instrumental in developing Britain’s culture, art and society as we know it now.

During this year’s Black History Month, we’ve been celebrating their achievements, but particularly those of Black women, as community builders, trade unionists, change makers and trailblazing political influencers. Like Olive Morris, a 1960s and 1970s south London community activist who fought for Black women’s rights and organised others to oppose inequalities.

The trade union movement – and UNISON – wouldn’t be the same without Black Britons. UNISON has over 185,000 Black members and hundreds of Black staff, and some of them have made history.

May Parsons, an NHS matron, administered the first NHS Covid-19 vaccine to 90-year-old Maggie Keenan. This year, May was recognised as one of the most influential Black women in health by the HSJ magazine, along with our deputy head of health Helga Pile.

Saluting our Sisters: Black History Month

I’ve spoken many times during UNISON’s Year of Black Workers about the 75th anniversary of Empire Windrush, and the 75th birthday of our NHS. If that ship had never docked in Tilbury, we wouldn’t have our NHS today. New migrants from the Caribbean helped to build our NHS, and the struggles they’ve faced since then will never be forgotten by UNISON. We’re committed to our legal action against the government’s decision to renege on actions that would give justice to victims of the Windrush scandal and prevent another similar scandal from happening again.

But there is still a lot of work to do. NHS workforce data shows that Black workers are still underrepresented in senior roles, and many experience harassment and bullying from the patients. Black women are often disadvantaged in the workplace and ethnicity pay gaps still persist, meaning Black workers are not getting the pay and recognition they’re owed.

We will continue to use UNISON’s Year of Black Workers to establish a legacy to generate change, and build on our campaigns to push for more change in UNISON, in society and through government – at the next general election and beyond.

Because, as the biggest and best trade union in the UK, we take our responsibility in challenging racist policies and championing anti-racist campaigns seriously. We know that, together, we can make the UK a place where Black people are never left underrepresented, undervalued or underpaid.

The article Blog: Trade unions wouldn’t be the same without Black Britons first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Blog: Trade unions wouldn’t be the same without Black Britons

Throughout history, the contributions of Black people have been overlooked and ignored. But Black History Month and UNISON’s Year of Black Workers are all about getting Black people’s achievements recognised and appreciated all year round.

Key Black figures have been at the forefront of fighting for social justice and equal rights in the UK. They’ve been instrumental in developing Britain’s culture, art and society as we know it now.

During this year’s Black History Month, we’ve been celebrating their achievements, but particularly those of Black women, as community builders, trade unionists, change makers and trailblazing political influencers. Like Olive Morris, a 1960s and 1970s south London community activist who fought for Black women’s rights and organised others to oppose inequalities.

The trade union movement – and UNISON – wouldn’t be the same without Black Britons. UNISON has over 185,000 Black members and hundreds of Black staff, and some of them have made history.

May Parsons, an NHS matron, administered the first NHS Covid-19 vaccine to 90-year-old Maggie Keenan. This year, May was recognised as one of the most influential Black women in health by the HSJ magazine, along with our deputy head of health Helga Pile.

Saluting our Sisters: Black History Month

I’ve spoken many times during UNISON’s Year of Black Workers about the 75th anniversary of Empire Windrush, and the 75th birthday of our NHS. If that ship had never docked in Tilbury, we wouldn’t have our NHS today. New migrants from the Caribbean helped to build our NHS, and the struggles they’ve faced since then will never be forgotten by UNISON. We’re committed to our legal action against the government’s decision to renege on actions that would give justice to victims of the Windrush scandal and prevent another similar scandal from happening again.

But there is still a lot of work to do. NHS workforce data shows that Black workers are still underrepresented in senior roles, and many experience harassment and bullying from the patients. Black women are often disadvantaged in the workplace and ethnicity pay gaps still persist, meaning Black workers are not getting the pay and recognition they’re owed.

We will continue to use UNISON’s Year of Black Workers to establish a legacy to generate change, and build on our campaigns to push for more change in UNISON, in society and through government – at the next general election and beyond.

Because, as the biggest and best trade union in the UK, we take our responsibility in challenging racist policies and championing anti-racist campaigns seriously. We know that, together, we can make the UK a place where Black people are never left underrepresented, undervalued or underpaid.

The article Blog: Trade unions wouldn’t be the same without Black Britons first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Blog: Trade unions wouldn’t be the same without Black members

Throughout history, the contributions of Black people have been overlooked and ignored. But Black History Month and UNISON’s Year of Black Workers are all about getting Black people’s achievements recognised and appreciated all year round.

Key Black figures have been at the forefront of fighting for social justice and equal rights in the UK. They’ve been instrumental in developing Britain’s culture, art and society as we know it now.

During this year’s Black History Month, we’ve been celebrating their achievements, but particularly those of Black women, as community builders, trade unionists, change makers and trailblazing political influencers. Like Olive Morris, a 1960s and 1970s south London community activist who fought for Black women’s rights and organised others to oppose inequalities.

The trade union movement – and UNISON – wouldn’t be the same without Black members. UNISON has over 185,000 of them and hundreds of Black staff, and some of them have made history.

May Parsons, an NHS matron, administered the first NHS Covid-19 vaccine to 90-year-old Maggie Keenan. This year, May was recognised as one of the most influential Black women in health by the HSJ magazine, along with our deputy head of health Helga Pile.

Saluting our Sisters: Black History Month

I’ve spoken many times during UNISON’s Year of Black Workers about the 75th anniversary of Empire Windrush, and the 75th birthday of our NHS. If that ship had never docked in Tilbury, we wouldn’t have our NHS today. New migrants from the Caribbean helped to build our NHS, and the struggles they’ve faced since then will never be forgotten by UNISON. We’re committed to our legal action against the government’s decision to renege on actions that would give justice to victims of the Windrush scandal and prevent another similar scandal from happening again.

But there is still a lot of work to do. NHS workforce data shows that Black workers are still underrepresented in senior roles, and many experience harassment and bullying from the patients. Black women are often disadvantaged in the workplace and ethnicity pay gaps still persist, meaning Black workers are not getting the pay and recognition they’re owed.

We will continue to use UNISON’s Year of Black Workers to establish a legacy to generate change, and build on our campaigns to push for more change in UNISON, in society and through government – at the next general election and beyond.

Because, as the biggest and best trade union in the UK, we take our responsibility in challenging racist policies and championing anti-racist campaigns seriously. We know that, together, we can make the UK a place where Black people are never left underrepresented, undervalued or underpaid.

The article Blog: Trade unions wouldn’t be the same without Black members first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON welcomes British standard on menopause support at work

UNISON has played a key role in the development of a new British standard on menstruation and menopause in the workplace, published today. 

This new standard draws on UNISON’s guidance on menopause, designed to assist branches in ensuring that workplaces consider how menopausal symptoms can impact on women, trans and non-binary people.

UNISON national women’s officer Bukky Akinwale said: “The majority of our members are women who will experience the menopause. For many, it will be a natural occurrence, but for many others it can affect them profoundly, leading to emotional and health changes that can impact on their work and relationship with colleagues.”

She continued: “Women make up more than 70% of UNISON’s 1.3 million members and activists. They are 48% of the UK workforce. These women will inevitably experience menopause at some point in their lives, and not necessarily in their late forties or early fifties.

“That makes the menopause a workplace issue and therefore a trade union issue, so it’s important to be able to speak openly about menopause at work.”

Menopause usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55. The average age of menopause in the UK is 51.

The new standard recognises that menopausal symptoms “can coincide with significant mid-life challenges and responsibilities”, with research showing that stress and menopausal symptoms are “inextricably linked”. 

Use UNISON’s quiz to see how supportive your workplace is when it comes to the menopause.

The article UNISON welcomes British standard on menopause support at work first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON welcomes British standard on menopause support at work

UNISON has played a key role in the development of a new British standard on menstruation and menopause in the workplace, published today. 

This new standard draws on UNISON’s guidance on menopause, designed to assist branches in ensuring that workplaces consider how menopausal symptoms can impact on women, trans and non-binary people.

UNISON national women’s officer Bukky Akinwale said: “The majority of our members are women who will experience the menopause. For many, it will be a natural occurrence, but for many others it can affect them profoundly, leading to emotional and health changes that can impact on their work and relationship with colleagues.”

She continued: “Women make up more than 70% of UNISON’s 1.3 million members and activists. They are 48% of the UK workforce. These women will inevitably experience menopause at some point in their lives, and not necessarily in their late forties or early fifties.

“That makes the menopause a workplace issue and therefore a trade union issue, so it’s important to be able to speak openly about menopause at work.”

Menopause usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55. The average age of menopause in the UK is 51.

The new standard recognises that menopausal symptoms “can coincide with significant mid-life challenges and responsibilities”, with research showing that stress and menopausal symptoms are “inextricably linked”. 

Use UNISON’s quiz to see how supportive your workplace is when it comes to the menopause.

The article UNISON welcomes British standard on menopause support at work first appeared on the UNISON National site.

The increasing pressures on raising a family

UNISON has renewed its commitment to campaign for fully-funded childcare in the wake of a new report showing the extent to which working parents are struggling.

2023 Working Families Index, published last week, found that significantly more parents are reporting it is ‘financially harder to raise a family’.

60% of respondents reported that making ends meet and raising a family has become more difficult ‘over the last three years’. This represents a significant increase from just 45% in 2019.

Childcare costs in the UK, which are some of the highest in the world, are a significant factor. Over half of parents surveyed said availability of childcare impacts their capacity to work, with mothers twice as likely to report availability of childcare having a ‘big impact’ on their ability to work than fathers.

Availability of childcare impacts not just capacity to work but also career progression, particularly for mothers.

UNISON national officer Josie Irwin said: “Childcare costs on top of rising household bills are putting working parents, but particularly women, in a very difficult position. It’s women who end up leaving their jobs because childcare is so expensive.”

Earlier this year, UNISON provided evidence to an inquiry into support for childcare and the early years. The union called for:

  • fully funded childcare from the point of need;
  • affordable and flexible so women can work if they want;
  • good pay, terms and conditions for the staff that deliver it;
  • high quality education for all children, including adequate provision for disabled children and those with special educational needs.

Ms Irwin continued: “What’s needed is fully-funded childcare, which is affordable and flexible, with properly paid staff and universal access.”

report published in March revealed that the UK is losing a minimum of £27bn per year – equivalent to 1% of GDP – because a lack of suitable childcare is preventing mothers from working the hours they would like.

The government has pledged to improve childcare by extending the 30 hours of free childcare currently available to working parents for children aged between three and five to all children, from nine months old up to five years. These changes – a direct result of the campaigning work UNISON has done alongside groups like Pregnant Then Screwed and the Women’s Budget Group – will begin gradually in April 2024.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The government’s childcare pledges are a helpful start but no panacea. Many nurseries struggle to offer enough free hours as it is and can’t recruit the workers to deliver extra.

“Altering the ratios so fewer minimum wage childcare staff end up looking after ever more youngsters is not the answer. Valuing the workforce with proper rates of pay to match their skills should be the order of the day.”

The article The increasing pressures on raising a family first appeared on the UNISON National site.