UNION Labour Link – Union Newswire

Unions to campaign for Labour’s ‘new deal for working people’

UNISON members will be joining other trade unionists across the country this weekend, taking to the streets to campaign for Labour’s ‘new deal for working people’.

The new deal is a comprehensive plan to improve the lives of working people by strengthening individual and collective rights – benefitting public service workers across the UK.

It is the culmination of years of joint work between the party and its affiliated trade unions, like UNISON. It flows from motions passed and priorities raised through the unions’ democratic structures, over decades of Tory government attacks on rights at work.

Saturday and Sunday, 3 and 4 February, will see campaign events up and down the country, as the labour movement unites to promote the plan.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea, who will be campaigning herself at the weekend, said today: “The new deal is a priority for our union, because it has the capacity to transform the world of work for UNISON members and is a chance to reset the balance of power to benefit workers.

“Labour’s new deal will ban zero hours contracts, end fire and rehire, strengthen sick pay and make sure travel time is paid. It will make sure rights at work are enforced on day one of a person’s employment, and give unions the right to properly organise across the economy.

“It contains the crucial commitment to a fair pay agreement in social care – the first of its kind – a massive and radical expansion of collective bargaining, which lays the foundation stone of a world class national care service.

“And it will see the return of the school support staff negotiating body, so all staff in schools are properly valued when their terms and conditions are negotiated.

“These are only some of the commitments that UNISON pushed for in the new deal – but to make them a reality, we have to fight for them.”

UNISON Labour Link has partnered with the Labour Party and other unions to organise campaigning sessions in key seats, over the weekend.

Ms McAnea will be campaigning in what will be one of the key battleground seats in the upcoming general election, Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, in Scotland. She will be alongside Wilma Brown, a senior UNISON lay activist, and Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, who is leading the party’s work on the new deal.

Members can join any of the events below:

Eastern Region

Welwyn Hatfield

Watford

Peterborough

East Midlands

Wellingborough

London

Uxbridge

Sunday – meeting at Uxbridge Station at 2.30pm

North West

Blackpool South

South East

Southampton Itchen

Saturday morning

Saturday afternoon

West Midlands

Birmingham Northfield

Saturday morning – Labour Unions Big Campaign Day

Saturday afternoon

Worcester

Saturday morning

Saturday afternoon

Yorkshire and the Humber

Wakefield

Saturday morning

Saturday afternoon

Labour’s new deal explained

The article Unions to campaign for Labour’s ‘new deal for working people’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Unions to campaign for Labour’s ‘new deal for working people’

UNISON members will be joining other trade unionists across the country this weekend, taking to the streets to campaign for Labour’s ‘new deal for working people’.

The new deal is a comprehensive plan to improve the lives of working people by strengthening individual and collective rights – benefitting public service workers across the UK.

It is the culmination of years of joint work between the party and its affiliated trade unions, like UNISON. It flows from motions passed and priorities raised through the unions’ democratic structures, over decades of Tory government attacks on rights at work.

Saturday and Sunday, 3 and 4 February, will see campaign events up and down the country, as the labour movement unites to promote the plan.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea, who will be campaigning herself at the weekend, said today: “The new deal is a priority for our union, because it has the capacity to transform the world of work for UNISON members and is a chance to reset the balance of power to benefit workers.

“Labour’s new deal will ban zero hours contracts, end fire and rehire, strengthen sick pay and make sure travel time is paid. It will make sure rights at work are enforced on day one of a person’s employment, and give unions the right to properly organise across the economy.

“It contains the crucial commitment to a fair pay agreement in social care – the first of its kind – a massive and radical expansion of collective bargaining, which lays the foundation stone of a world class national care service.

“And it will see the return of the school support staff negotiating body, so all staff in schools are properly valued when their terms and conditions are negotiated.

“These are only some of the commitments that UNISON pushed for in the new deal – but to make them a reality, we have to fight for them.”

UNISON Labour Link has partnered with the Labour Party and other unions to organise campaigning sessions in key seats, over the weekend.

Ms McAnea will be campaigning in what will be one of the key battleground seats in the upcoming general election, Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, in Scotland. She will be alongside Wilma Brown, a senior UNISON lay activist, and Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner, who is leading the party’s work on the new deal.

Members can join any of the events below:

Eastern Region

Welwyn Hatfield

Watford

Peterborough

East Midlands

Wellingborough

London

Uxbridge

Sunday – meeting at West Drayton Station at 2.30pm

Cities of London and Westminster

Saturday – meeting at 2pm at Marylebone Gardens, W1U 5JE

North West

Blackpool South

South East

Southampton Itchen

Saturday morning

Saturday afternoon

West Midlands

Birmingham Northfield

Saturday morning – Labour Unions Big Campaign Day

Saturday afternoon

Worcester

Saturday morning

Saturday afternoon

Yorkshire and the Humber

Wakefield

Saturday morning

Saturday afternoon

Labour’s new deal explained

The article Unions to campaign for Labour’s ‘new deal for working people’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Labour vows to work with HE unions ‘as partners, not adversaries’

Labour’s shadow minister for higher education Matt Western has accused government ministers of “collective amnesia” regarding the work of the “dedicated, compassionate people working in Britain’s universities.”

Mr Western was speaking at UNISON’s national higher education conference, in Newcastle, where he told delegates: “The pandemic reminded those that needed reminding that society and institutions cannot function without those working in important services and support roles.

“People such as yourselves and those you represent keep the proverbial show on the road, keep the lights on, the doors open and the rooms ready so that young people can access education.”

The MP for Warwick and Leamington said that his parents – his mother a school assistant, father a primary teacher – had instilled in him “their principles of fair reward, of the value of public service and believing in education as a tool for social justice”, principles he was determined to bring to bear on a Labour government.

In the meantime, continuing to criticise the current government, he noted that in 2022 there were 16 education ministers across both Houses of Parliament, and no fewer than nine held responsibilities for higher education.

“Higher education, in particular, has too often been viewed more as a political battleground than a force for public good. Higher education’s potential to reduce inequality, drive economic growth, and support regional development has been side-lined in favour of culture wars.

“I can hardly believe my ears when ministers make bold statements on how much they seemingly care about education. They have had almost 13 years to harness the power of education, but instead they have presided over a decade of underfunding of every part of the education sector, a period of growing inequalities, and sought to introduce measures to restrict access to university… I fear that the government’s policy is closing the door on many people’s dreams of a university education.”

Addressing the experience of the hall directly, he said: “Clearly, ministers’ total lack of interest has also impacted on you and your colleagues. The sector is under far greater financial strain than it was 30 years ago, it is expected to do more with less and has, at times, been asked to do the impossible.

“If your pay has failed to match inflation for the past 14 years, your collective frustration should come as no surprise to your employers. [Your] goodwill and values of public service only stretch so far. They do not pay the bills, and they do not put food on the table.”

Mr Western acknowledged that, were Labour to win power in 2024 or early 2025, the Tories’ “reckless” handling of the economy would leave huge challenges and no quick fixes.

However, “the mess we will inherit should we enter government should not dent our ambition for long-lasting reform, guided by a belief in education as a force for shaping the citizens of the future.

“I am committed to working with you, other education unions, and sector bodies as partners, not adversaries. These relationships will prove to be the building blocks for meaningful change.

“From there we can go about finally introducing Lifelong Learning entitlements, reforming the skills landscape, preparing our young people for the green economy of 2030, and equipping them with the skills they need to be ready for work, ready for life.”

The article Labour vows to work with HE unions ‘as partners, not adversaries’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.

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