Opinion: Your vote is your power – use it for your community

Posted on May 6, 2026 by | Comments Off on Opinion: Your vote is your power – use it for your community

UNISON represents over a million public service workers. Together, our collective voting power can transform our local communities. And your vote is vital for defending your rights at work, your terms and conditions and your local public services.

I know that UNISON members will make up their own minds about who to vote for. But as the general secretary of our union, I have a duty to warn you of the damage that Reform will cause if they gain seats in the Senedd, Scottish Parliament and in England’s councils next week. Voting for them would be catastrophic – for you, your families, your communities.

Announcements from Reform over recent months have made it very clear what direction they will take the country in. Public sector pensions will be downgraded. The new Employment Rights Act will be scrapped, which will see the return of exploitative practices like zero hours contracts and fire and rehire, and an end to the gains made in sick pay provision, among many other rights. And a new age of austerity will be unleashed to pay for tax cuts for the party’s billionaire backers.

You only have to look at what happens when Reform win elections locally to see that wherever Reform gains more power, life becomes more difficult for public sector workers.

Last May, workers in the 10 councils where Reform won a majority joined UNISON in droves. This was because they were shocked by the instant destruction they saw: flooding committees scrapped, Pride flags banished, and hard-won equality policies scaled back to their bare bones.

Reform-run councils have also increased council tax, closed care homes and placed thousands of public sector jobs on the chopping block.

It’s no surprise that this party funded by millionaires is prioritising the interests of businesses above workers. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has already found that Reform’s tax plans would give the poorest households a measly £17 extra a year and the richest a whopping £2,700.

Read the report ‘A threat to public service workers’ 

Within the space of one year, one in 10 Reform councillors have been forced to quit their roles for their behaviour – these include individuals exposed for racism, taking corrupt money from Russia, criminal behaviour and violence against women. Is this who you want running our communities?

The time to fight is now

As a trade union with 1.3 million members, we have the power and coordination to fight Reform. Voting is important but so is informing others about what their vote really means.

From having open conversations about the reality of Reform with colleagues, family and friends, to volunteering to help with one of our allies, like Hope not hate, there’s plenty to do.

To get further involved, join UNISON’s responding to Reform network. The time is now.

Andrea Egan, General Secretary of UNISON, photographed at UNISON HQ on Euston Road, London. March 2026.

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National Pay – Council and School Workers

Posted on April 22, 2026 by | Comments Off on National Pay – Council and School Workers

 

You may remember from previous emails that UNISON and the other council unions (GMB and Unite) submitted a pay claim a few months ago. The claim was as follows:
• An increase of at least £3,000 or 10% (whichever is greater) across all NJC spinal column points
• A minimum pay rate of £15 an hour for the NJC pay spine
• A two hour reduction in the working week
• An increase of one day annual leave
• The ability of all school support staff to take a day of paid leave during term time
The employers have finally come back with an offer – that’s nowhere near what we need! They have offered 3.3% increase at all pay points and rejected all the other parts of the claim.

The NJC committee, which is the body that negotiates our pay, met recently and has rejected the offer. The committee also agreed to go directly to an official industrial action ballot (ie not a consultative ballot), and is going to be from 9 July to 6 August. What we don’t know yet who will be balloted as the NJC committee is also looking into targeted balloting.

However, given that we have been close to the threshold in previous industrial action ballots, it’s highly likely that we will be one of the branches that is balloted! We don’t need to wait to get started though – there are a couple of steps we can take now. They are:
• Update your details – you can do this either here: My UNISON – UNISON National or by emailing unison@camden.gov.uk saying you’d like to update your details and we’ll send you a form to complete and return, or by using the form/replying to the emails that have been sent to you from Kamarie in the Camden UNISON office recently
• Recruit a workmate to UNISON – we have membership forms stored in 5PS, or you can share the link here: Join UNISON and get essential cover – the more members we have, the stronger we are.
Let’s get ready to fight for a decent pay rise!

Schools Dispute Update

Primrose Hill school vote to strike! Teaching Assistants in UNISON at Primrose Hill school got their ballot result a few days ago – and the turnout was 67%, with 100% voting YES to strike. As with Richard Cobden school, this is about regrading the Teaching Assistants and Early Years Practitioners. We had a great UNISON meeting last night with all the members discussing next steps and the request for strike action has been submitted to the union – we’ll know in a few days what the dates are, so watch this space!

And our amazing members at Richard Cobden school are in the middle of being re-balloted to continue their action. The ballot closes on 24 April, and we’ll know the outcome very soon after and be discussing next steps with our members there too.

It’s brilliant to see our branch members standing up and fighting for decent pay and the respect that they deserve – they are essential workers in schools and the support they give to children isn’t recognised properly in the pay that they get.

They are nearly all women workers, and amongst the lowest paid in the council. Richard Cobden members have taken up to 18 days strike, and although they receive strike pay, they have lost money. When they win, they will end up with more money, but until then, they face hardship. As a branch, we have agreed to make hardship payments because of the amount of action that they have taken, but if any branch members would also like to make a solidarity donation to the strike fund, that would be great! You can do so via a transfer, and our account details are:

Account name: UNISON Camden
Sort code: 60-83-01
Account No: 20040736
Ref: School strikes

And as soon as we have more strike days confirmed, it would be great to have solidarity visits too!

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Shorter working week

Posted on April 14, 2026 by | Comments Off on Shorter working week

Trade unions fought for an eight-hour day in the 19th century and a two-day weekend in the 20th. In the 21st century, it is time to take the next step and win a shorter working week with fair pay for all.

UNISON members work a wide range of shift patterns delivering essential public services, so some full-time workers will have an ambition for a true 4-day week, while others would like to get their contract reduced with shorter working hours across their usual pattern. Crucially, whichever the model, UNISON’s campaign is about reduced working hours with no loss of pay. 

As bosses and profit-makers reap the benefits of automation and artificial intelligence, shouldn’t workers get a share of the productivity gains too, through reduced working hours? The government has stated that its ambition is to shape the AI revolution so that the “increasing of prevalence of AI in people’s working lives opens up new opportunities rather than just threatens traditional patterns of work”.  

How would a shorter working week improve workers’ lives and public services?

UK trials of a four-day week in 2022 found that:  

  • Levels of anxiety and fatigue decreased 
  • Mental and physical health both improved 

Turnover and retention are huge issues in many public services, including the NHS and social care, which have thousands of vacancies. Research conducted by the 4 Day Week Global Campaign has found that: 

  • 63% of organisations find it easier to attract and retain staff with a four-day week 
  • 78% of employees with a four-day week are happier and less stressed.  

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Come together for the national demonstration this weekend

Posted on March 28, 2026 by | Comments Off on Come together for the national demonstration this weekend

 

General secretary Andrea Egan will address the rally at the national demonstration, alongside speakers from across the trade union movement, environmentalists, community activists, faith leaders and elected representatives.

Ms Egan said: “Trade unions have always stood on the side of unity and fairness. UNISON sees solidarity in action every day with people working side by side delivering public services in our care homes, NHS, schools, and councils.  The politics of hate and division cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.  UNISON has a long and proud history of challenging racism and all forms of discrimination.

“UNISON supports Together Alliance with its message of unity over division, and hope over hate.  We will continue to speak up for those being threatened by racism and hatred.  The far right thrives on fear and division, but our values are built on the belief that when working people stand together, we are stronger.

“This weekend is about sending a clear message: there is no place for racism, hatred or the politics of division in our communities.  Let’s be united in solidarity and unity.”

UNISON is calling for a strong presence on the day, bring your friends, colleagues, banners, and make some noise to show solidarity to those who are impacted by their racist, Islamophobic and hateful commentary.

The march will begin gathering at 12pm on Park Lane, departing at roughly 1pm heading towards Piccadilly towards Green Park tube station.

The shorter, accessible march will begin gathering from 1pm at the top of Whitehall, next to Trafalgar Square (outside Waterstones).

View full routes

In an increasingly hostile environment, where the far right seek to conquer for their own political gain, it’s important that members come together to show solidarity against their hateful rhetoric.

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‘A union where Black workers are protected’

Posted on March 25, 2026 by | Comments Off on ‘A union where Black workers are protected’

UNISON general secretary Andrea Egan opened Black members’ conference with a speech in which she committed to ‘a new chapter’ for Black union members.

She also gave two prominent UNISON activists awards.

Sandra Okwara (pictured left) won this year’s 2026 Nelson Mandela Award, which is given to those who exemplify Nelson Mandela’s values of ‘determination, a desire for unity, and strength in the face of injustice’.

Kelvin Imoloame (pictured right) won the 2026 young Black members’ award UNISON activists under 30 who are dedicated to race equality and passionate about improving workplaces.

Watch Andrea’s full speech on YouTube

“For too long, Black members have carried the weight of discrimination cases that drag on for years, disciplinary processes that fall disproportionately on your shoulders, and workplaces that treat equality as an optional extra.

“I know the hurt, the frustration, the exhaustion that comes from being ignored or sidelined by employers when you raise racism. When your grievance sits unanswered,” she said. “When the trauma is compounded by delay, denial, and silence.”

Andrea explained that, when she was UNISON president in 2023, she led the Year of Black Workers. Now, in her post as general secretary for the next five years, she outlined her vision:

“A union where Black workers are protected, represented, and empowered. A union that uses its collective bargaining strength to challenge racism head on. A union that organises to win.”

A bigger, stronger UNISON

Andrea stated that the fastest-growing part of UNISON’s membership is migrant workers, particularly migrant care workers, many of whom are Black and of African origin.

“Your fight is UNISON’s fight. Your fight is my fight,” she said.

“Together we have to defend jobs. Together we have to protect pay. Together we have to campaign for £15 an hour. Together we have to fight austerity and the cost of living crisis that hits Black communities hardest. We will push for better pay and pensions across public services. And together we have hold to employers to account when they fail our members.

“Tackling racism in the workplace requires more than statements. It requires action.”

Andrea committed to turn the recommendations of the UNISON Race Discrimination Inquiry into action.

“We will support branches to take on employers who fail to protect Black workers. We will ensure equality is not an afterthought but a core industrial issue. This is about justice in the workplace. Fairness in practice, not just policy. Dignity for every member.”

Andrea welcomed the Labour government’s commitment to making ethnicity pay gap reporting mandatory in the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, but said that UNISON will be also demanding mandatory action plans.

She also committed to working with employers across the UK to sign up to the union’s anti-racism charter.

Reform UK

Speaking to the wider political environment, Andrea said the government and Reform UK were painting a false picture that claimed migrant and trans people are a danger to women and girls.

“This transphobic and racist rhetoric does not protect women — it endangers us. It fuels the real causes of harm: misogyny, underfunding, and the privatisation of public services.”

“Right‑wing forces have disguised a class war as a culture war. And I do include Reform UK in that category, selling us a story that asylum seekers seeking refuge in this country are the cause for our broken infrastructure. When it is the rich and powerful who seek to profit from our labour.

“It is years of underfunding from successive governments who choose to fund illegal wars, who profit from arms flowing from the UK to Israel to fund a genocide in Palestine so that their land can be stolen, it is private profiteering that sucks out profit on the back of our labour to build up their stocks and shares.”

A union that organises and challenges

Andrea concluded her speech with a summary of her vision. Under her leadership, UNISON will be ‘a union that stands shoulder to shoulder with Black workers every single day, a union that turns pain into power, a union that delivers change you can see and feel in your workplaces.’

“Together, we will build a union that truly reflects the strength, resilience and leadership of Black workers. A union that fights for justice. A union that wins.”

Black Members Conference 2026
Brighton Centre
Mandela Awards

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UNISON statement on conflict in Middle East

Posted on March 17, 2026 by | Comments Off on UNISON statement on conflict in Middle East
UNISON is extremely concerned by the dangerous military escalation in the Middle East, which risks pushing the region into a protracted conflict, which threatens regional and international peace and security.

The US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, launched whilst international mediation efforts are ongoing, are a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law. We particularly condemn any attacks on civilians and are deeply concerned by reports of such attacks, including on a girls’ school.

We also condemn the illegal and indiscriminate attacks by the Iranian regime against several states in the region including Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, which violate the sovereignty of these nations and risk dragging their governments further into this rapidly escalating conflict.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran as they face yet more devastation, following the brutal killing of thousands of protestors by the Iranian regime. The future of Iran should be decided by its people, with the support of the international community working within the United Nations. Not by a unilateral military intervention, which violates international law.

We also stand in solidarity with our trade union partners and the millions of civilians throughout the region who fear the consequences of growing hostilities on their lives, jobs and public services.

UNISON joins the International Trade Union Confederation and trade unions in the region in calling for universal ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the convening of a special session of the UN General Assembly to strengthen international efforts to reduce nuclear armaments and safeguard global security.

We call on the government to avoid any attempts to drag the UK into any offensive and do all it can to support calls for an end to hostilities, the resumption of peace talks, and a diplomatic solution that upholds international law and the UN Charter.

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UNISON AGM 4th March 2026 at 15:30 5 Pancras Square room 10.10

Posted on February 25, 2026 by | Comments Off on UNISON AGM 4th March 2026 at 15:30 5 Pancras Square room 10.10

On Wednesday 4th March 2026 at 15:30 is our Annual General Meeting

PAID TIME OFF FOR COUNCIL EMPLOYEES HAS BEEN AGREED BY MANAGEMENT!

This meeting will take place in 5 Pancras Square, N1C 4AG in rooms 10.10 Kiln & 10.11 Grange & 10.12 Kingsgate on the 10th Floor.

Since 2021, we have held our AGMs either online or as a hybrid meeting and decided we would be hybrid again this year – although it would be great to all meet in person, we know that some members have regular working from home days so find attending via Teams easier.

Over the last year, our branch has grown in size, with over 380 new members since the AGM last year, which at a time where local government services and jobs are seriously underfunded is impressive.

We have also been increasing the number of reps and branch officers in the branch – although we are always on the lookout for more members to take that extra step! We are very proud that a majority of our branch officers and of our reps are Black and a majority of both groups are also women/LGBT+. We have a serious commitment in the branch to fighting oppression and actively speaking out against discrimination, so it’s brilliant to see this reflected in our structures.

Our national pay claim was submitted earlier this year, and we are waiting for a response from the employers – so keep a look out in our weekly emails or at our members’ meetings for updates.

In the last year, we have continued to be inundated with restructures – some small, some very large and involving hundreds of members. Many of us feel that working for Camden is one permanent restructure, and we know that there will be more to come as funding continues to be cut. Our involvement in the restructure process is a central part of what we do as a branch – we fight for every job because it matters both for you and for the service you provide. Our reps have put in huge amounts of work trawling through management documents, meeting with members to work out a response and in negotiating meetings with management. It’s not easy to make management change their plans, but where we think they will have a negative impact, we’ve had a good go!

We will discuss this plus lots of other topic of interest at the AGM and vote on motions to keep fighting for workers’rights, the defense of  equal opportunities and  against the far right.

We look forward se you all there.

 

Camden UNISON

Tel: 020 7974 1633
Email: unison@camden.gov.uk
Web: http://www.camdenunison.org.uk

Camden UNISON Branch Office
3rd Floor Crowndale Centre
218-220 Eversholt Street
London
NW1 1BD

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Year of Green Activity Webinar: AI’s dirty secret – the environmental cost of digitalisation

Posted on February 18, 2026 by | Comments Off on Year of Green Activity Webinar: AI’s dirty secret – the environmental cost of digitalisation

26 March 202612:30pm–1:30pm

Online via Teams

Get directions 

The government is pushing rapid AI adoption across public services, but there’s a problem: AI is terrible for the environment.

The numbers are staggering. Data centres could use 12% of US electricity by 2028. A single AI search uses ten times more energy than a normal Google search. AI also guzzles vast amounts of water to cool servers – straining supplies in already water-scarce regions – and creates mountains of toxic electronic waste containing mercury and lead.

For UNISON members fighting for greener workplaces, this creates a real conflict. How can we support environmental action while our services rapidly adopt these environmentally destructive tools? What should workplace organisations be doing about it?

Join Tom Hegarty from Foxglove and Kate Jones, UNISON’s AI Policy Lead, to discuss the environmental impact of AI in public services – and what we can do about it.

Register here

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Workplace Day of Action for Palestine

Posted on February 11, 2026 by | Comments Off on Workplace Day of Action for Palestine

12 February 20268:00am–5:30pm

 

On 12 February UNISON branches will be supporting the TUC endorsed workplace day of action for Palestine. Branches and members are encouraged to take part in actions to demand a permanent ceasefire, an end to the occupation, respect for international law and for a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel.

UNISON is calling on the UK government to:

  • Ban trade with the illegal settlements;
  • Suspend the arms trade and the UK-Israel trade and partnership agreement until international law and human rights are respected;
  • Call for the state of Palestine to be recognised by the United Nations, contributing to a two-state solution;
  • Ensure that reconstruction in Gaza is Palestinian led, involves trade unions, and delivers decent work and quality public services.

Over the last 28 months Gaza has been devastated. Over 71,600 Palestinians have been killed and more than 171,300 injured in a situation described as genocide by a UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry. Healthcare and other critical public services have been decimated and 81 percent of structures and homes destroyed or damaged. Despite the fragile ceasefire, airstrikes, shelling and gunfire have continued, with at least 492 Palestinians reportedly killed since the ceasefire began. Palestinians in the West Bank have also been severely affected, with a huge increase in settler and military attacks, thousands displaced, homes demolished, severe restrictions on freedom of movement and major settlement expansion.

On the day of action branches are encouraged to:

  • Take part in a photo action calling for an end to the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, an end to the genocide in Gaza and respect for international law;
  • Write to your local MP to promote UNISON’s demands (above);
  • Fundraise in support of the critical work of Medical Aid for Palestinians;
  • Hold a meeting with a speaker from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC);
  • Call for ethical investment and procurement that respects human and workers’ rights and international law. And call for pension funds to divest from companies that sell arms used in violations of international law and companies on the UN list of businesses involved in the illegal settlements.

For more information see Ceasefire Now: A UNISON guide for activists campaigning for peace

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Teaching assistants working at Richard Cobden school in Camden take three days of industrial action

Posted on January 27, 2026 by | Comments Off on Teaching assistants working at Richard Cobden school in Camden take three days of industrial action


Teaching assistants working at Richard Cobden school in Camden take three days of industrial action
Over twenty teaching assistants working at a school in Camden took three days of industrial action last week.

The staff walked out in a row following a restructure, in which a number of support staff posts were deleted, and teaching assistants (TAs) were given some additional duties.

Camden UNISON opposed these redundancies and the excess workload that they created, as well as arguing that the TAs job should become NJC Scale 4, which was what the union evaluated it at. When management did not agree and rejected UNISON’s alternative proposal, staff were balloted for industrial action. They achieved the 50% turnout threshold, and voted 100% for strike action.

UNISON Camden branch secretary Liz Wheatley said: “Teaching assistants decided they were going to make a stand and fight for the education that pupils deserve, and to be paid properly to provide it.

“It was great to see the picket line was well supported by parents and teachers at the school, and by trade unionists across the country.

“Plans are being made for further campaigning and industrial action if needed, including lobbying of the council, a public meeting and much more. For more information and to send solidarity messages, please email unison@camden.gov.uk”

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