Blog: Tags > Sector News
FEBRUARY 14, 2024
Youth workers rally to protect services for young people
Protesters and young people furious about youth service cuts drowned out a Birmingham City Council cabinet meeting today. The protesters gathered at Central Library before marching the short distance to the Council House accompanied by a backdrop of drums and horns, ... Read more
FEBRUARY 09, 2024
Sanctuary housing maintenance workers vote to strike
The London maintenance team at the large housing association, Sanctuary have voted to strike overwhelmingly supported by members who voted 100% in favour of action on a 60% turnout. This impressive vote follows a series of disputes involving housing maintenance workers ... Read more
FEBRUARY 08, 2024
Birmingham council protest over cuts to city’s youth services
Protesters will march with drums from the Library of Birmingham to a rally outside Council House on Tuesday (13 February) over plans to slash funding for the city’s youth services in half. When: Meeting 0900 hrs 13 February at Birmingham Library ... Read more
FEBRUARY 01, 2024
Leeds housing charity refuse to recognise Unite for pay negotiations
Unite blast Leeds housing charity Gipsil for refusing to recognise Unite for pay negotiations and will take them to the Central Arbitration Committee over lack of proper union recognition. Unite, the UK’s leading union, has blasted Leeds housing support charity Gipsil ... Read more
NOVEMBER 23, 2023
Hundreds of Oxfam workers to strike for first time in charity’s history
Nearly 500 Oxfam GB workers are to strike for 17 days throughout December for the first time in the charity’s 81-year history, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Thursday). Low paid Oxfam staff, who work across the charity’s shops, offices and ... Read more
NOVEMBER 10, 2023
The closure of youth centres and lack of access to services has led to an increased likelihood of children being involved in crime, major research by the National Youth Agency (NYA) has found. The social cost of youth work cuts report ... Read more
NOVEMBER 08, 2023
Unite signs national recognition agreement with housing and social care provider Mears
Following a long-fought campaign, Unite has secured a recognition agreement with Mears covering thousands of workers at the housing and social care provider. Mears is an outsourced housing solutions provider for construction and local authorities. It predominantly manages maintenance and repairs ... Read more
NOVEMBER 03, 2023
Lawyers announce ground-breaking agreement with Unite
For the first time two Criminal solicitors associations urge lawyers to join Unite the union Two leading associations for criminal solicitors have urged all solicitors to join Unite the union to ensure they have a large independent trade union fighting for ... Read more
OCTOBER 23, 2023
Faith workers bearing the brunt of cost-of-living crisis
Unite survey shows clergy struggling to pay bills and relying on food banks A survey by Unite, Britain’s leading trade union, has shown that faith workers across various religions and denominations are struggling with the current cost of living crisis. Unite’s members ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 22, 2023
Pay strikes at Kings Lynn’s largest social housing provider escalate
Freebridge housing workers on poverty pay despite £3.6m surplus and huge executive salaries Strikes at Freebridge Community Housing over poverty pay will intensify this week as Unite members take action over pay and conditions. Many of the workers, who perform a variety ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 04, 2023
Youth charities complete merger
Two youth charities based in the North East of England have merged in an effort to strengthen their support for youth across the region. NE Youth, which runs youth programmes across 12 local authority areas, has today added the Northumbria Coalition ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 01, 2023
Unite sponsors charity gig in support of the Scottish Refugee Council
Event to take place at the iconic Glasgow Barrowlands Unite is excited to announce an upcoming event that brings together the power of music and solidarity for a truly worthy cause. Unite the Union is proud to present a charity gig ... Read more
AUGUST 30, 2023
Hull Citizens Advice strikes intensify
Strikes by over 60 Hull and East Riding Citizens Advice workers intensified this week, as protests spread to the bureau’s offices in Bridlington and Goole. Nine consecutive days of fresh strike action began this week, following four days of industrial action in late July ... Read more
AUGUST 24, 2023
Autumn council strikes announced
Unite has announced that its members in an initial 23 local authorities will begin taking strike action from next week in a dispute over pay. Unite members have overwhelmingly rejected the local authority employers’ pay offer of just £1,925, a poorer ... Read more
AUGUST 04, 2023
West Norfolk’s largest social housing provider hit by pay strikes
Freebridge Community Housing paying poverty wages despite £3.6m surplus Nearly 60 Freebridge Community Housing workers will strike over poverty pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today (Friday). Many of the workers, who perform a variety of roles, including in cleaning and ... Read more
AUGUST 01, 2023
Empowering Youth for the Future of Work
The APPG for Youth Affairs officially launched their report Empowering Youth for the Future of Work report in Parliament last month. The APPG hoped to explore the barriers to youth employment, the impact of skills gaps and identify potential solutions for ... Read more
JUNE 28, 2023
St Mungo’s workers stage sit-in outside the charity’s corporate style headquarters
Unite members from St Mungos will be staging a sit-in outside the charity’s corporate style headquarters (St Mungo’s head office in Tower Hill, 3 Thomas More St, E1W 1YW) tomorrow from 12 midday. Workers on indefinite strike at St Mungo’s will ... Read more
JUNE 26, 2023
St Mungo’s workers to begin indefinite strike
From tomorrow (Tuesday 27 June) workers at St Mungo’s will stage an unprecedented indefinite strike accusing management of a shocking dereliction of duty towards the homeless and the charity’s own staff. This momentous decision has been provoked by the ongoing indifference ... Read more
MAY 11, 2023
Former youth worker turned actor highlights damage done by cuts
Actor Ben Bailey Smith is fronting a short film produced by UK Youth to highlight the “damaging impact of cuts to youth services” as the cost of living continues to rise. The film features Bailey-Smith, star of BBC drama The Split, and ... Read more
MAY 09, 2023
St Mungos workers reject pay offer
Pitiful new pay offer fails to prevent month long strike at homeless Charity St Mungo’s which will begin on 30 May and end on 26 June. A month long strike by workers at the homeless charity St Mungo’s will go ahead ... Read more
APRIL 28, 2023
Today is #IWMD2023. A day to remember all workers who have died due to unsafe workplaces and to continue fighting for every workers’ right to a safe workplace. We remember those who have lost their lives at work, or from work-related ... Read more
APRIL 24, 2023
Unite members at the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) have returned a mandate for strike action with 68% voting to strike on a 78% turnout. Workers rejected the pay offer of just 3% after years of pay being squeezed and now the ... Read more
APRIL 19, 2023
Harlow council housing repair chaos increases as more pay strikes set
300 low paid outsourced workers employed by council owned firm being ripped off over pay Pay strikes by over 300 low paid staff responsible for Harlow council’s housing stock and the cleaning and maintenance of council grounds and buildings will continue ... Read more
MARCH 06, 2023
Rebellion at St Mungo’s homeless charity by underpaid and fed-up workers!
Dedicated charity workers who are fed up with greed at the top of their homeless charity while they struggle to make ends meet are now being balloted for strike action. With the St Mungo's CEO paid more than £189,000 (according to ... Read more
MARCH 01, 2023
Wales spending twice as much as England on youth services
YMCA’s latest study into expenditure on youth services highlights a stark disparity in per-head spending between Wales and England. Analysis released shows that children and young people in Wales receive more than double the real-terms spend per-head than those in England, ... Read more
FEBRUARY 17, 2023
Outsourced Harlow housing repair and grounds workers to strike over pay
Over 300 staff responsible for Harlow council housing stock and cleaning and maintenance of council grounds and buildings will strike over pay in late February. The workers, members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are employed by HTS, which is a wholly owned subsidiary ... Read more
FEBRUARY 13, 2023
Every worker needs a union Get ready! ❤️ Unions week is back and we want to hear from you. 13-19 February 2023 There has never been a more important time to join Unite! The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) bill – threatens ... Read more
FEBRUARY 03, 2023
Wirral housing workers to strike over deadly asbestos fears
Workers at social housing landlord Magenta Living are to take extensive strike action over fears that new working practices will expose them to asbestos. The 100 plus workers, who are members Unite, the UK’s leading union, are employed in repairs and ... Read more
FEBRUARY 02, 2023
Staff anger reaching tipping point at the FCA
Management refuse to discuss rock bottom morale and poor pay. Regulator faces crisis with over half considering leaving the FCA. Exodus of experienced staff raises serious questions about the regulator’s ability to keep consumers safe. Unite, the UK’s leading union, has today (1 ... Read more
JANUARY 12, 2023
Shelter pay dispute ends as workers receive improved offer
The long running pay dispute at housing and homelessness charity Shelter has ended after workers accepted a vastly improved pay offer. Over 600 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, took strike action last December over pay. During the strike action talks ... Read more
JANUARY 11, 2023
As industrial action by housing workers enters its twenty-third week without resolution, Unite demands Department for Communities intervention Thousands of social housing tenants are left without needed repair and maintenance work as a result of management intransigence. Unite the union has written ... Read more
JANUARY 11, 2023
Union leader brands Minimum Services Bill as “another dangerous gimmick”
Union leader brands Minimum Services Bill as “another dangerous gimmick” Grant Shapps is, as usual, economical with the truth. The evidence from abroad clearly shows this kind of legislation only forces unions to use other tactics, inflaming and prolonging disputes. Commenting on the ... Read more
DECEMBER 19, 2022
Youth Workers JNC Pay Agreement
The JNC for Youth and Community Workers has reached an agreement on a pay award for 2022. A pay agreement was reluctantly reached for Youth and Community Workers which is as follows: An increase of £1925 on all other spinal column points ... Read more
DECEMBER 06, 2022
Unite ballots 4,000 Health and Social care workers for strike in early 2023
Healthcare staff warn NHS on life support and may not survive staffing crisis Nearly 4,000 more health and social care workers across Northern Ireland have begun balloting for strike action, Unite, which represents some 100,000 NHS workers across the UK, said today. Unite said its healthcare members are ... Read more
DECEMBER 02, 2022
Shelter workers to begin strike action in pay dispute
Shelter staff work tirelessly to keep roofs over people’s heads. But senior management’s refusal to make a decent pay award means that soon, some Shelter staff will be facing the very real threat of homelessness themselves. Over 600 members of Unite, ... Read more
NOVEMBER 21, 2022
Tenants groups in Belfast and Craigavon challenge NIHE on impact of unresolved strike
Workers enter their fifteen week of strike action for improved pay as LRA-mediated talks are due to commence this week Striking housing workers at NIHE have linked up with tenants associations and residents groups across the three housing regions impacted by ... Read more
NOVEMBER 21, 2022
New research reveals widespread fear of ‘pension poverty’ among workers ahead of retirement
New research reveals widespread fear of ‘pension poverty’ among workers ahead of retirement with four in ten believe their works’ pension won’t see them through retirement and seven out of ten agreeing ‘you can’t live on the state pension’. A shocking new ... Read more
NOVEMBER 10, 2022
Shelter workers announce two weeks of strike action in pay dispute
Over 500 workers at the housing charity Shelter will stage a two week strike next month, in response to the organisation’s management attempting to impose a real terms pay cut on its staff. The workers, who are based across the UK, ... Read more
NOVEMBER 10, 2022
Unite prepare to formally ballot members at the Regulator of Social Housing
Unite at The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) are now preparing to formally ballot its members for industrial action over pay after senior management attempted to push through modelling options on the basis of a 3% on average pay award ... Read more
NOVEMBER 09, 2022
Inaction by board leaves social housing tenants facing huge backlog of repairs and improvements
4,000 tenants have been left without much needed housing improvements and almost 400 houses left empty as a result of the inaction of the board of the NI Housing Executive. Unite members, who are on the thirteenth week of strike action, ... Read more
OCTOBER 31, 2022
Axing one in 10 staff at Royal College of Occupational Therapists called ‘rank hypocrisy’
Workers given just 3 days to make life changing redundancy decision or accept new jobs on worse terms Unite represents many of the affected workers, who include counsellors, therapists and support staff, and have called on Royal College of Occupational Therapists ... Read more
OCTOBER 25, 2022
Hestia Hounslow LIFE workers ballot for strike action
Workers at Hestia Hounslow LIFE are currently voting in a formal ballot for strike action. Previous articles on our website have indicated how these workers have attempted to engage Hestia in discussion over proposed changes for their service, pay and ... Read more
OCTOBER 25, 2022
Unite shines a light on `shocking’ pay situation for Scotland’s care and support workforce
More than half of those working in care and support in Scotland (52 percent) run out of money before their next pay day, and one in five don’t use energy when at home because they can’t afford to according to ... Read more
OCTOBER 10, 2022
Acevo identify that gender pay gap grows to 11 per cent amongst charity chiefs
The annual survey of chief executives, conducted by the umbrella body Acevo, found that the median annual salary for a male leader is £60,000, compared with £53,500 for women. The Pay and Equalities Survey for 2022 found that gender pay gap ... Read more
OCTOBER 10, 2022
The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year. The theme of this years World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is 'Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority'. For over ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 16, 2022
Alarming Rise In Teenage Suicides
Campaigners warn of an 'Alarming' Rise in teenage suicides and are calling for dedicated mental health support in schools after figures revealed that suicide rates among 15- to 19-year-olds in England have reached their highest point in 30 years. Data from ... Read more
AUGUST 24, 2022
Voluntary sector workers face a collective “wage penalty”
Analysis undertaken by Pro Bono Economics (PBE) shows that the voluntary sector workforce in the UK are paid an average of 7 per cent less per hour than equivalent workers in other sectors. The report, The price of purpose: Pay gaps ... Read more
AUGUST 16, 2022
Commission probes housing charity at heart of Panorama investigation
Housing charity My Space Housing Solutions, the subject of a BBC Panorama investigation broadcast last night is currently being probed by Charity Commission. The Panorama broadcast claimed the charity My Space Housing Solutions had been used to inflate property values before ... Read more
AUGUST 15, 2022
Child trafficking referrals reach record levels
The number of potential victims of modern slavery referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) or via the Duty to Notify (DtN) process has reached record levels. The figures have been released by the Home Office just weeks after Sir Mo Farrah ... Read more
AUGUST 01, 2022
Repair workers at Sanctuary Housing Association secure major pay increase
Over 300 workers employed by housing association Sanctuary in its repairs department have secured an additional nine per cent pay increase. The workers who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, recently held a demonstration about pay concerns. This followed ... Read more
JULY 14, 2022
Cost of living crisis threatens pre-pandemic fall in child deprivation
Deprivation levels among disadvantaged families seen were falling before the Covid-19 pandemic but now there are concerns that these reductions could be reversed by the cost-of-living crisis. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has published its annual living standards, poverty and ... Read more
JUNE 13, 2022
Government Food Strategy Misses the Mark
The government’s long-awaited food strategy has been branded a “pale imitation” of proposals put forward by an advisor to reduce food poverty in England according to an article published in Children and Young People Now. The strategy“focuses on longer-term measures to ... Read more
MAY 24, 2022
Join us on Saturday 18 June at 11am and march to demand action to tackle the cost of living crisis. Inflation is at its highest level in 30 years. Prices are rocketing. Six in ten people are struggling to make ... Read more
MAY 24, 2022
Britons are struggling to make ends meet as inflation hits 13-year high with nine in 10 people say they are worried about the rising price of their weekly shop. A survey undertaken by Kantar finds that more than a fifth of ... Read more
MAY 18, 2022
INFLATION: Restrain boardroom greed not workers’ pay
CPI leaps to highest on record at 9 per cent, RPI hits 11.1 per cent As real terms inflation (the RPI) crashes into double–digits at 11.1 per cent, the leader of the Unite union hit back at demands for wage restraint, ... Read more
MAY 18, 2022
London’s violence reduction unit (VRU) has announced plans to double the number of specialist youth workers placed in the capital’s police stations. £3m in funding has been announced to expand its Engage programme over the next three years to embed youth ... Read more
MAY 17, 2022
Unite calls for 13.5% pay rise at Hestia
Unite have submitted a pay claim to management following discussion among workers asking that staff receive a 13.5% pay rise. It was felt that a 13.5% pay rise would help remedy the years of wage stagnation workers at the organisation ... Read more
MAY 17, 2022
International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
Unite is proud to recognise International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia on 17 May. Known as IDAHOBIT for short, this date was chosen as it commemorates the date of the decision to remove homosexuality from classification as a mental ... Read more
APRIL 28, 2022
A message from Sharon Graham on International Workers’ Memorial Day
When my great uncle died at work in the mines in 1933, he left behind three children and a family to feed. The employer paid out a paltry sum and that was that. But for those left behind, the failure ... Read more
APRIL 15, 2022
Unite condemn proposal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda
Unite the union has condemned outright the government’s hideous, inhumane proposal to send those seeking asylum in the UK to detention in Rwanda. This untested proposal will see the government selecting people by gender, exploiting their isolated status, then sending them ... Read more
APRIL 14, 2022
Unite members take strike action at NEU
Members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, employed by the National Education Union (NEU) in its London Region, are to take 48 hours of strike action in support of a colleague who they believe was unfairly disciplined. The workers recorded a ... Read more
APRIL 13, 2022
Workers at Thirteen Housing Group balloted for strike action
Workers at Thirteen Housing Group, which has over 35,000 properties in North East and Yorkshire, are being balloted for strike action in a dispute over an ‘insulting’ pay offer as the chief executive pockets £215,000 a year. Unite the union said that in ... Read more
APRIL 08, 2022
Government urged to do more to protect children from child criminal exploitation
Children and Young People Now report that a coalition of children’s charities has called on the Education Secretary to better protect children facing school exclusion from child criminal exploitation. The charities have written to the Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, arguing that ... Read more
MARCH 08, 2022
Unite the union - always defending and advancing women's jobs, pay and conditions
Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias. Celebrate women's ... Read more
MARCH 02, 2022
DCMS Youth Policy Review published ... but falls short
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published its review of youth policy which it says includes plans to encourage more people into the youth work sector, better co-ordinate funding across government departments, improve access to services ... Read more
MARCH 01, 2022
Kickstart scheme failing to support enough young people
The government’s Kickstart jobs scheme has been blighted by “chaotic” early delivery, low take-up and long delays in filling vacancies, according to a report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). According to an evaluation of the first year of Kickstart by ... Read more
FEBRUARY 25, 2022
The fight against the Health and Care Bill continues
Unite members will stage a series of actions up and down the country as part of the union’s NHS day of action on 26 February, which it is holding with SOS:NHS. Members of Unite’s Community section, along with activists in Unite in Health, ... Read more
FEBRUARY 07, 2022
Support for Regina Coeli House
Barbara McIlwrath (Sec) and Carolyn Lowry (Chair) of the CYWU NI Branch 114, (The Community, Youth and Playworkers in Unite) presented Bernie from Regina Coeli House with £200 in Sainsbury’s vouchers donated from the branch to help support the workers ... Read more
JANUARY 21, 2022
Understanding poverty in the UK
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has published a new-style comprehensive report on poverty in the UK, calling for coordinated commitment, effort and action on the intersecting issues and challenges its report identifies. The report, UK Poverty 2022: The essential guide to ... Read more
JANUARY 17, 2022
Economic forecasters to strike in a row over inflation
Economists and researchers at the world famous NIESR (National Institute of Economic and Social Research) will stage a two week strike in a row over two years of below inflation pay offers. The strike will start on Friday 21st January and ... Read more
JANUARY 13, 2022
Health committee calls for Boris Johnson to resign
Unite’s national health committee, representing 100,000 health workers, has called for Boris Johnson to resign as prime minister due to his ‘disastrous’ handling of the pandemic. Unite national officer for health Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe said: “Health workers have toiled long and sacrificed ... Read more
JANUARY 12, 2022
Workers commence 24-7 work-in occupation of Regina Coeli House in West Belfast
Unite industrial and community members establish a solidarity camp outside the Regina Coeli Workers at Regina Coeli House have commenced a 24-7 ‘work-in’ occupation of the hostel to demand Ministerial intervention to save the facility. The house faces closure at the ... Read more
DECEMBER 30, 2021
Out of Harm's Way - a new care system to protect young people at risk of exploitation
Former children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield has warned that the current children’s social care system is “making it too easy for criminals to exploit our teenagers” in her new role as chair of the Commission on Young Lives. The report ... Read more
DECEMBER 13, 2021
Early years staff more stressed now than before pandemic!
The latest findings from Ofsted’s annual report into education and children’s services found that early years staff were more stressed and felt their work was more difficult than before the pandemic. Despite this, the report highlighted how staff and leaders worked “tirelessly” in ... Read more
DECEMBER 13, 2021
Children's Commissioner for England announces investigation over children missing from education
The Children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, is set to launch an investigation over tens of thousands of children missing from education. The investigation comes following the death of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes in Solihull last year, and will look ... Read more
DECEMBER 10, 2021
SHAMEFUL OUTSOURCING OF TURING SCHEME TO CAPITA
Education unions and MPs have criticised a government decision to outsource a £6.27m contract to run the Turing Scheme - which replaced Erasmus+ - to private firm Capita. The Turing Scheme was introduced by the Department for Education as a replacement ... Read more
DECEMBER 01, 2021
YOUNG PEOPLE URGED TO FIGHT FOR GREATER INVESTMENT IN YOUTH SERVICES
The Youth Ask campaign is encouraging young people are being encouraged to write to the Prime Minister and call for greater investment in youth work and describes the offer for youth services made in October’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) as ... Read more
DECEMBER 01, 2021
The charity predicts that as many as 29,000 under-25s face being homeless this year and if the projections are accurate, figures could reach the highest level since 2016, when it started recording these figures. Factors including the end of furlough, a ... Read more
NOVEMBER 26, 2021
Step Together scheme launched in attempt to keep children and young people safer
A new scheme has been launched in Birmingham to help keep children and young people safe on their journey to and from school. The Step Together project has initially partnered with Erdington Academy in Birmingham and will see youth workers based ... Read more
NOVEMBER 18, 2021
Animal charity to hold ballot for strike action
Staff at the long-established Mayhew animal charity in North West London, patron the Duchess of Sussex, are holding a ballot for industrial action over staffing levels and trade union recognition. The ballot for strike action and industrial action short of a ... Read more
NOVEMBER 08, 2021
North West housing association workers begin strike ballot over pay
Members of Unite employed by Onward Housing and Hyndburn Homes Repairs Ltd have begun balloting for strike action over pay. The 230 workers at the housing association, who are based at depots in Accrington, Bolton, Manchester, Liverpool, Runcorn and Stockport, primarily undertake ... Read more
NOVEMBER 02, 2021
Youth services suffer ‘stealth cut’ of more than £400m
Rishi Sunak has been accused of including a 'stealth cut' to funding for youth services worth more than £400m over the next three years despite promises of levelling up. Sunak’s third budget included a slew of spending promises, as the Conservatives ... Read more
OCTOBER 28, 2021
Sector unites with YouthAsk campaign
The Youth Sector requires urgent investment in order to safeguard the futures of millions of young people across Britain. This Government’s commitment to invest in young people through the Youth Sector has, as yet, been unmet. In September 2019, the flagship ‘Youth ... Read more
OCTOBER 14, 2021
Animal charity workers in consultative strike vote
Jobs cull planned at Mayhew animal charity spurs consultative ballot for possible industrial action Howls of protest have met plans to cut staff at the long-established Mayhew animal charity in North West London, as Unite the union holds a consultative ballot ... Read more
OCTOBER 13, 2021
100,000 posts in the social care sector unfilled
Unite leader says Britain’s social care crisis is another example of how low-pay Britain is abjectly failing to deliver services for the elderly, and all others dependent on such services The Skills for Care Report found that there are more than 100,000 ... Read more
OCTOBER 11, 2021
Youth Work: A Manifesto Revisited – at the time of Covid and beyond
Youth & Policy has published Bernard Davies' Youth Manifesto for 2021 in which he considers what has changed since previous versions of the Manifesto were published back in 2005 and 2015 locating his discussion of youth work’s defining features in ... Read more
OCTOBER 05, 2021
Workers vote for strike action at Greenwich Leisure Limited over back pay owed
Social enterprise Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) has been given ‘a reasonable timeframe’ to sort out the pay issues of its Lewisham leisure staff, such as failure to pay wages owed and redundancy enhancements - or face strike action. Unite the union members ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Crisis-hit UK: this is not the time to stop furlough
With a fuel supply crisis, a mounting cost of living crisis and parts of the economy still operating under Covid-19 restrictions, the general secretary of the country's leading union, Unite, says that ‘this is not the time’ to end the furlough scheme today (Thursday 30 September). Unite general ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
Unite calls for a ‘New deal’ for ‘Shared Lives’ foster carers looking after 14,000 vulnerable adults
Employers have been urged by Unite the union to give a ‘new deal’ to the UK’s 10,000 ‘Shared Lives’ foster carers who look after about 14,000 vulnerable adults, many with learning difficulties, in their homes. Unite said that many of the ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 07, 2021
Unite calls for ‘Wealth’ tax to be mobilised to pay for social care reform
The money to ‘fix’ the decades-old problem of social care requires a wider tax base to finance it rather than concentrating on National Insurance that hits the incomes of working people, Unite the union said today (Tuesday 7 September). Unite, which ... Read more
AUGUST 26, 2021
Growing numbers of British children are unhappy with their lives
A report from the Children’s Society shows that modern life continues to erode the happiness of young people. Dissatisfied with school, friendships and how they look, children deserve drastic change. The tenth annual Good Childhood Report found that 7% of 10 ... Read more
AUGUST 16, 2021
The chequered employment relations of controversial social enterprise Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) are again under the spotlight as employees at leisure centres in Lewisham are being balloted for strike action over pay issues, such as failure to pay wages owed ... Read more
AUGUST 16, 2021
Young people to be hit hardest if UC uplift scrapped
Over 620,000 families with children have started claiming Universal Credit since the start of the pandemic, according to figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions – a 51% increase. Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint reports that claimants under the age ... Read more
AUGUST 12, 2021
London Youth Services Funding Cut By £240m Since 2011 Riots
Green Party London Assembly member Sian Berry finds that youth service funding across London as a whole has been cut by 44 per cent in the last decade. London’s youth service cuts 2011-2021: a blighted generation finds that youth service funding ... Read more
AUGUST 05, 2021
Chair of Care Review sets out priorities
In a letter to the Secretary of State and Chief Secretary, Josh MacAlister, Chair of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care has set out three priorities for the upcoming Spending Review highlighting areas where investment is urgently needed. Outlining that ... Read more
AUGUST 04, 2021
APPG for Youth Affairs calls for long term investment in youth services
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Youth Affairs led an extensive inquiry on youth work, publishing its final report and recommendations in 2019. Two years-on, it has published its interim report into the progress across statutory and voluntary youth services. It found that "While ... Read more
AUGUST 03, 2021
A Sky Pool and the ghettoisation of Nine Elms
While the rich splash about in the city's most indulgent swimming pool, those down below are living very different lives. If you’re an affordable housing tenant then the Sky Pool is not for you. Private residents of Nine Elms basked in ... Read more
JULY 30, 2021
Child Poverty Action – Universal Credit: what needs to change to make it fit for families?
Universal credit: what needs to change to reduce child poverty and make it fit for families? calls for design and funding changes to improve claimants’ experience of universal credit and to reduce child poverty. It includes new analysis by IPPR which ... Read more
JULY 16, 2021
Unite National Black & Asian Ethnic Minority Committee Statement
Unite’s National Black & Asian Ethnic Minority Committee (NBAEM) strongly condemns the racist abuse and comments posted on social media targeting England football players Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho. Like the rest of the country watching the UEFA Euro ... Read more
JULY 15, 2021
St Mungo’s strike ends after independent review into bullying grievances agreed
Maintenance staff at the homelessness charity St Mungo’s have been on strike for twelve weeks in what had become a protracted dispute but the strike was called off today after the management agreed to an independent review into bullying grievances ... Read more
JULY 12, 2021
MPs call for an end to the use of handcuffs on children in care
Ministers are backing the Hope Instead of Handcuffs campaign, launched by Emily Aklan, chief executive of children’s social care provider Serenity Welfare, which is calling for legislation allowing a child in care to be handcuffed during secure transportation to be scrapped. Children ... Read more
JULY 12, 2021
More girls being recruited and horrifically abused by county lines drug gangs
Girls and young women are being deliberately and increasingly recruited into drug-dealing ‘county lines’ gangs and subjected to horrific acts of sexual violence, the Local Government Association warns. They say that the menace of county lines has been fuelled by the ... Read more
JULY 09, 2021
Ending child poverty must be a priority for government
A cross party commission of MPs and children’s campaigners has identified ending child poverty as a core priority for improving early years support and learning in the next decade. The Early Years Commission, co-chaired by former children’s minister Edward Timpson, MP ... Read more
JULY 07, 2021
Prime Minister questioned over a decade of cuts to youth services
At Prime Minister’s questions Boris Johnson faced a question from Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy who asked “Can he explain why his Government have cut over 70 per cent of youth services in the past decade?” The Prime Minister replied: “We invested in youth services and will ... Read more
JULY 06, 2021
Closure of government's Everyone In scheme threatens big rise in homelessness
More than one thousand people in London are at risk of returning to the streets as emergency accommodation used to house rough sleepers during the pandemic is wound down, charities have warned. A report in Inside Housing suggests that figures published ... Read more
JULY 02, 2021
Striking St Mungo’s staff protest over bullying at housing charity’s Oxford shelter
Striking maintenance workers at the St Mungo’s housing charity are staging a protest in Oxford today over bullying and anti-union behaviour by the management. When: 12.30pm – 2pm, Friday, 2 July, 2021 Where: Floyds Row, Oxford, OX1 1SS Around a dozen members of Unite, the ... Read more
JUNE 18, 2021
Independent living is a right for all
Unite rep and support worker, Ali Treacher, believes our social care is not fit for purpose and systemic change must happen. In an article for Unite Extra, she writes... I have worked in ‘social care’, which it is a relatively new ... Read more
JUNE 17, 2021
London Mayor to be petitioned over keyworker list
A group of workers have set up an action group called Care and Support Workers Organise (CaSWO) and have launched a petition asking Sadiq Khan and members of The London Assembly to follow through on the promise to recognise the ... Read more
JUNE 15, 2021
Unite call on St Mungo’s to stop ‘peddling untruths’
Unite has written to St Mungos Chief Executive Steve Douglas today to ask him to stop his organisation from “peddling untruths” to the media about the fact that St Mungos maintenance team have been on indefinite strike since April 22nd. ... Read more
JUNE 09, 2021
Government told to invest in youth services and to stop robbing working class kids of their futures.
MPs have voted for a Labour Party motion criticising the government’s plans to help children and young people recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. The motion, tabled by shadow education secretary Kate Green, called for increased investment in funding for education catch-up ... Read more
JUNE 07, 2021
Unions call for a 10% pay increase for Youth and Community Workers
JNC Staff Side unions have today submitted their JNC (Pink Book) Pay Claim today calling for a 10% pay increase for youth and community workers employed on JNC pay and conditions. In the claim, LGA Employers have been reminded that most ... Read more
JUNE 02, 2021
With the end of lockdown restrictions in sight, Unite urges government to see the bigger picture as NHS care backlog grows As the UK today (June 2) marks its first day of zero Covid fatalities in ten months, an ostensible end ... Read more
MAY 25, 2021
Government fails to prioritise early years
Latest government data has shown that more than 2,000 childcare providers have closed in the first four months of the year. Between 31 December 2020 and 30 March 2021, 2,087 childcare providers stopped being registered with Ofsted and this figure ... Read more
MAY 21, 2021
£118m for disadvantaged pupils could be lost from school budgets this year
Councils stand ready to help the Government prioritise disadvantaged pupils in its education recovery plan and to prevent the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and young people and their peers from widening further as a result of the pandemic. A total ... Read more
MAY 13, 2021
Unite members in the property services department at St Mungo's have been on indefinite strike against a campaign of bullying and intimidation by senior management since April 22nd. Please support members where possible at their planned strike events: Friday 14th May - 8.30am to ... Read more
MAY 03, 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) sets out the latest picture of what is known about depression and adults during the pandemic so far with findings estimating that one in five adults have experienced some form of depression during the ... Read more
APRIL 28, 2021
International Workers Memorial Day
Today the trade union movement unites to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day. We remember those who have lost their lives at work, or from work-related injury and diseases. We renew our efforts to organise collectively to prevent more deaths, injuries and ... Read more
APRIL 16, 2021
Staff members at The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of Unite being their recognised trade union to represent them on pay and employment issues. The 200 plus staff members voted by 87 per cent on ... Read more
APRIL 14, 2021
LGBTQ+ charity condemns government decision to disband LGBT advisory panel
Organisations supporting young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have condemned the government’s decision to disband its LGBT advisory panel with no immediate replacement. Following the resignation of three panel members last month over claims the government was creating a ... Read more
APRIL 14, 2021
Compulsory vaccinations for care home staff must be thought through
Unite has urged the government to carefully examine the pitfalls, as well as the advantages, of requiring care home staff to be compulsorily vaccinated for Covid-19 following the launch of a five-week consultation with a decision to be made over ... Read more
APRIL 08, 2021
Industrial action called at St Mungo's
Maintenance workers at the St Mungo’s housing charity will begin indefinite strike action from Thursday 22 April in response to ‘appalling treatment’ by senior management, Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said today (Thursday 8 April). The all-out strike follows a warning in March by Unite, which has ... Read more
APRIL 01, 2021
Safe work is a right not a privilege
Workers' Memorial Day, held on 28 April every year, brings together workers and their representatives from all over the world to remember the dead and fight for the living. In 2021 the theme is: Health and Safety is a fundamental workers' ... Read more
MARCH 31, 2021
Race report fails to address endemic inequalities
Unite has said that the government’s report on race and ethnic disparities has ‘extinguished any hope in addressing rife and deep seated inequalities’. Unite was commenting on The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities which was set up after Black Lives ... Read more
MARCH 19, 2021
Law needs to change for care workers to have decent pay rise
The government needs to step in and change the law following today’s (Friday March 19) Supreme Court ruling that carers, who have to sleep at their workplace in case they are needed overnight, are not entitled to the national minimum ... Read more
MARCH 18, 2021
Management accused of targeting union reps at housing support charity St Mungo’s
Unite has called for a ‘bullying and anti-union culture’ amongst the management at London-based housing support charity St Mungo’s to end. With more than 500 members at St Mungo’s, Unite said that a ‘disproportionate’ 44 per cent of Unite stewards ... Read more
MARCH 17, 2021
Unite calls for action on violence against women amid domestic abuse bill victory
Unite and other unions are demanding safety, justice and equality for women after Sarah Everard’s murder has reignited a national conversation about violence against women. Earlier this month, Sarah Everard went missing after last being seen walking home from a friend’s ... Read more
MARCH 14, 2021
The fundamental freedom to protest is under grave threat, Unite has warned, as new draconian legislation significantly expanding police powers over public demonstration is being rushed through Parliament this week. MPs will be weighing up the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts ... Read more
MARCH 08, 2021
This government is actively anti-women
Unite national officer Siobhan Endean: On International Women’s Day, let’s organise to hold this government to account It couldn’t be clearer. The Tories are completely out of touch with the realities for women of the impact of the pandemic and have ... Read more
FEBRUARY 28, 2021
The impact of Covid-19 on England’s youth organisations
UK Youth has found that the youth sector is well-placed to support young people to overcome the increased challenges they face due to the Covid-19 crisis. However, Covid-19 restrictions, the financial implications of the pandemic and a variety of barriers ... Read more
FEBRUARY 18, 2021
Into the clutches of poverty and hunger
Growing calls to cancel £20-a-week Universal Credit cut as new research shows 420k children will be plunged into poverty if extra payment is axed Pressure on chancellor Rishi Sunak to extend the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift continues to mount as the ... Read more
FEBRUARY 12, 2021
Support the Social Action Housing Campaign
The Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) is a network of tenants, residents, workers and activists in housing associations and cooperatives and is aligned to the Unite Housing Workers Branch which represents staff in these organisations. It campaigns to improve the ... Read more
FEBRUARY 09, 2021
Children's Mental Health Week and the toll of Covid
Unite Live writes: This week is Children’s Mental Health Week – a campaign to raise awareness around the ever increasing decline in our children’s mental health. In her fourth annual report on the state of children’s mental health services in England, ... Read more
FEBRUARY 08, 2021
Young people still not being kept safe
A year after the Prime Minister promised to “cut the head off the snake” of county lines, thousands of children are still not being kept safe. That’s the conclusion of the report published by Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, which ... Read more
FEBRUARY 02, 2021
We need to talk about....our union
From 8-14 February, we need to get everyone talking about our union. It is the annual TUC Hearts Union week and it is National Apprenticeships week (Scotland’s Apprenticeship week is taking place from 1 to 5 March). You can find out ... Read more
JANUARY 25, 2021
'Raising Care and Support Workers'
A new campaign is being launched which will bring together Unite members and reps working within care and support services. An initial discussion was held back in December which started planning how to achieve improved pay and conditions for these essential ... Read more
JANUARY 23, 2021
Young people struggling with life amid pandemic
Research finds that four in 10 young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) have said they feel "unable to cope with life" since the start of the pandemic. The Prince’s Trust Tesco Youth Index found that a quarter of ... Read more
JANUARY 21, 2021
Clarion Housing Group presses ahead with routine repairs, despite Covid-19 fears, says Unite Clarion Housing Group, one of the UK’s largest social landlords, is still continuing to insist on pushing ahead with routine repairs at its properties, despite some residents being ... Read more
JANUARY 19, 2021
Health and Social Care Workers to be offered Covid vaccination
Tragically, over 200 UK frontline health and social care workers have died after contracting coronavirus and Unite believes that the government’s chaotic approach to the vaccination of health and social care workers has put its members at risk. Unite has published ... Read more
JANUARY 12, 2021
Councils urged to take back control of gyms and pools, as leisure centre giant ‘sheds 2,000 jobs’
An estimated 2,000 staff on zero hours contracts have been shed during the pandemic by controversial leisure services giant Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) reinforcing the case for the gyms, swimming pools and sports halls it operates to be taken back ... Read more
JANUARY 08, 2021
Unite urges Jenrick to extend ban on evictions for renters
Unite is calling on the government to do ‘the decent thing’ and follow the example of the Scottish Government which has extended the evictions’ ban until 31 March. Millions of people in the UK rent and many have struggled with payments ... Read more
DECEMBER 15, 2020
Greenwich Council revokes plans to close schools early for Christmas after governmental threats of legal action. The Leader of Greenwich wrote to head teachers last weekend advising them to close schools from today (15 December) amid concerns over the rising number ... Read more
DECEMBER 12, 2020
£11.7m of emergency funding available to charities in Northern Ireland
Charities in Northern Ireland have been invited to prepare grant applications for up £75,000 from an emergency £11.7m government fund announced by Carál Ní Chuilín, the communities minister. This is the second phase of the Covid-19 Charities Fund, and charities are ... Read more
DECEMBER 11, 2020
More than half the country wants the £20-a-week boost to Universal Credit made permanent
More than half the country wants chancellor Rishi Sunak to continue permanently with the £20-a-week uplift in Universal Credit (UC) due to end in April 2021, according to a survey carried out by Survation for Unite the union, as millions ... Read more
DECEMBER 09, 2020
New study finds rapid growth in destitution across the UK
The third report in the Destitution in the UK series by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) reveals that even before the COVID-19 outbreak destitution was rapidly growing in scale and intensity. JRF found that since 2017 many more households, including families ... Read more
NOVEMBER 26, 2020
GOVERNMENT USES DIVIDE AND RULE TACTICS WITH PUBLIC SECTOR PAY FREEZE
Unite have strongly criticised the government’s decision to freeze pay for public sector workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In his one-year Spending Review announced today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government could not “justify across the board pay rises” due to ... Read more
NOVEMBER 20, 2020
Think tank report touting public sector pay freeze ‘an insult’, says Unite
Public sector employees, many of whom are essential Covid-19 workers, should not be subject to a continuing pay freeze from a government that has not learnt the lessons of austerity, Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, said today (Friday 20 ... Read more
NOVEMBER 12, 2020
Massive increase in food bank usage during pandemic underscores necessity for welfare reform
New figures released today reveal 2,600 emergency food parcels were provided for children every day on average by food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network during the first six months of the pandemic. Food banks in the Trussell Trust’s UK network saw a shocking 47% increase in need during the crisis, building on record ... Read more
NOVEMBER 09, 2020
Access to democracy for 16 & 17 year olds
Cat Smith MP, Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement & Young People has asked for your support in lobbying for the passage of an important cross-party amendment to the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill 2019-21, seeking to improve electoral registration rates among 16 ... Read more
NOVEMBER 06, 2020
Calls on government for action on homelessness
Homelessness charities, human rights groups and politicians are calling on the government to relaunch the ‘everyone in’ strategy to protect thousands of homeless people from the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and to scrap plans to deport foreign rough ... Read more
NOVEMBER 05, 2020
Attacks on sign language interpreting opportunistic
‘Opportunistic’ attacks on sign language interpreting/translation services during the coronavirus pandemic will cause ‘long term misery’ on deaf communities struggling during the crisis, the National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI), a branch of Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. The pandemic ... Read more
NOVEMBER 03, 2020
Unite launch Christmas appeal for struggling families
The Covid crisis has resulted with thousands of Unite members losing their jobs and many are now relying on a completely inadequate social security system. The union is determined to do all it can to help and has launched a Christmas ... Read more
NOVEMBER 02, 2020
Unite is ambitious for the future of youth work!
Get involved in Youth Work Week! Youth Work Week starts today and it’s an opportunity for us all to raise the profile of youth work and the union! This year’s theme is ‘Ambitious for Youth Work’ and provides a great opportunity for ... Read more
OCTOBER 19, 2020
Axing Union Learning Fund short-sighted and self-defeating
Plans to axe the Union Learning Fund, which has helped thousands of people to gain new skills for the workplace, has been branded as ‘short-sighted and self-defeating’ by Unite. Unite is strongly supporting the TUC’s Save Union Learning campaign, following the shock ... Read more
OCTOBER 09, 2020
Ground-breaking agreement to promote tolerance
Unite’s Unity Over Division campaign has been given another big boost with Caerphilly County Borough Council becoming the first local authority, in Wales and in the UK, to formally agree the adoption of a “Unity over Division” Charter. The Joint Trade ... Read more
OCTOBER 05, 2020
Time to insource social care services
Social care in this country is broken and the global pandemic and the UK government’s failure to protect social care users and staff has laid bare the broken system like never before. Covid-19, with its horrific death toll among both residents ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
Unite campaign to save RSPCA jobs
Unite has launched its campaign to make donors and the public aware of what is happening at one of the country’s best loved and well-supported national institutions. Unite is urging the Chief Executive of the RSPCA, Chris Sherwood, to get around ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
Exploitation by county lines increased during lockdown
The most recent modern slavery statistics, published by the Home Office, shows an increase in exploitation by county lines gangs during lockdown seeing the number of potential child victims of criminal exploitation overtake adults for the first time. The government ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
MP urges government to support to the charity sector
An Opposition Day Debate on the Protection of Jobs and Businesses saw Anneliese Dodds, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, move a motion asking: “That this House calls for the Government to abandon its one-size-fits-all withdrawal of the Coronavirus Job Retention and ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 04, 2020
Call on government to provide £270m for renters to prevent evictions
A coalition of charities and housing trade groups are calling on government to provide an emergency grant and loan package worth up to £270m to support private renters who have fallen into arrears during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shelter, the National Residential ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 03, 2020
Children exploited by gangs at most risk of exclusion
As schools throw open their doors for the mass return of pupils, Just for Kids, a children’s legal charity has warned that a spike in exclusions in September could “disproportionately impact” children and young people exploited by county lines drugs ... Read more
AUGUST 25, 2020
Covid-19 and the impact on young people’s health
‘Inside Out’, published today by the National Youth Agency highlights a rise in mental health issues among young people, providing evidence of the disproportionate impact the pandemic has on young people’s health. It argues that young people, while at lower risk ... Read more
AUGUST 24, 2020
Jobs, security, dignity – TUC Congress 2020
Congress 2020 is going ahead – and it’s open to everyone. You can sign up and join online on 14-15 Sept. Together we will demand jobs, security and dignity for all working people. On the mornings of Monday 14 and Tuesday ... Read more
AUGUST 20, 2020
If now isn’t the time to invest in youth work when is?
An article in yesterday’s Guardian, Youth work in lockdown: 'I flagged a new case of neglect every week' highlights yet again the vital work being delivered by youth workers supporting young people during Covid19. Written by Leo Casey, a youth work ... Read more
AUGUST 13, 2020
Industrial action on the cards at Riverside
The prospect of industrial action is on the cards at the Liverpool-based Riverside Housing Association over detrimental shift pattern changes for 100 customer service staff. Unite has fired a warning shot across the bosses’ bows after its members at the three ... Read more
AUGUST 12, 2020
New domestic violence policy agreed with Peabody
Unite have signed off a new policy on domestic violence with Peabody, a London based housing association, which includes agreement to provide up to seventy hours of paid leave for employees experiencing domestic abuse and to be flexible with annual ... Read more
AUGUST 06, 2020
RSPCA blame Covid-19 for plans to sack 279 workers!
Unite says that the RSPCA are using Covid-19 as a 'woeful excuse' to implement cost-cutting measures that include the sacking of 279 workers as part of a jobs’ cull strategy that predates the pandemic. Unite has been calling for an extension ... Read more
AUGUST 05, 2020
Charities and unions call on parliament to suspend Tory MP accused of rape
A joint statement by the TUC, Centenary Action Group, The Fawcett Society, Women’s Aid and trade unions representing parliamentary staff (Unite, Prospect, PCS and FDA) said sexual assault and harassment was “endemic” in parliament, as in other workplaces. The statement calling ... Read more
JULY 29, 2020
Government accused of a ‘negligent’ approach to social care during coronavirus
The damning report by MPs into hospital patients in England being discharged into care homes without a Covid-19 test reinforces the need for a public inquiry, sooner rather than later, into the government’s handling of the pandemic. The influential cross-party Public ... Read more
JULY 07, 2020
Falling through the gaps - Young people and Covid-19
Children’s Commissioner for England warns of a ‘lost generation’ with tens of thousands of England’s teenagers at risk of “falling off the radar” of schools and local authority children’s services as the country eases out of lockdown. The new analysis published by ... Read more
JULY 01, 2020
We need to care for our carers
Unite has welcomed the Labour Party’s call for fast-tracked mental health support for all people working in the NHS and social care. The party has developed a mental health support package for these workers, which would also include contracted workers such porters ... Read more
JUNE 22, 2020
One Housing Group staff campaign for £1000 corona bonus
Unite members at One Housing Group (OHG) are campaigning for every member of staff to receive a Corona Bonus of £1000. Many OHG staff have worked throughout lockdown and have risked their lives in doing so. Staff have been praised by the employer for their ... Read more
JUNE 18, 2020
More than a hundred charities, campaign groups, lawyers and local councillors have urged local councils not to evict homeless people with NRPF (Charities and campaigners urge councils to provide sanctuary to homeless people with ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF)) ... Read more
JUNE 18, 2020
‘Excessive’ RSPCA proposals to axe 300 jobs will be ‘challenged’
Proposals by the RSPCA to make nearly a fifth of staff redundant amid the pandemic have been described as being ‘excessive’ and will be ‘challenged’. Unite is demanding that the animal welfare charity enter into a comprehensive consultation to minimise any potential redundancies ... Read more
JUNE 16, 2020
Groundbreaking agreement in fight against racism
Unite’s Unity Over Division campaign has been given a big boost after an employer in Nottingham was the first to sign the anti-racism initiative’s charter. Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA) becomes the first employer to sign up to Unite’s Unity over ... Read more
JUNE 10, 2020
Labour calls for statutory instrument to be scrapped
Parliament will today debate emergency changes to legislation that relax and remove local authorities' duties to vulnerable children, with Labour calling for the controversial measures to be scrapped. The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus)(Amendment) Regulations 2020, also known as Statutory Instrument 1445, ... Read more
JUNE 08, 2020
Youth organisations face bleak future under Covid-19 restrictions
New poll finds that nearly a third of youth organisations and clubs face closure by the end of the year if current Covid-19 restrictions remain in place. A poll of youth organisations, schools and grass roots clubs taking part in programmes ... Read more
JUNE 04, 2020
Unite homelessness workers warn of rough sleeping disaster
Housing minister Luke Hall has written to local councils asking them to put in place plans to support rough sleepers as the lockdown restrictions are eased. He suggests that people who have been rough sleeping people should be asked to move ... Read more
JUNE 03, 2020
Excluded from Chancellor’s support schemes
Anger mounts among self-employed, PAYE Freelancers and many other worker groups as they are once again excluded from Chancellor’s support schemes. On Fri 26th May, the Chancellor announced the extension of the JRS and SEISS income support schemes. Incredibly, he continued ... Read more
JUNE 02, 2020
New report from the NYA - Hidden in plain sight
Building on the insights from their ‘Out of Sight?’ research, which focused on the vulnerabilities of young people caused or exacerbated by COVID-19, a new report from the National Youth Agency (NYA) shows that gangs have adapted to COVID-19, changing ... Read more
MAY 22, 2020
Unite calls for gov’t to support apprentices and young people amid crisis
At a time when industry must look to the future to rebuild the economy after the coronavirus crisis, employers are taking a short-term view by axeing apprenticeships. A new poll out today (May 20) from the Sutton Trust has found that ... Read more
MAY 21, 2020
Under Pressure: children’s and young people’s services
New analysis by The Children’s Society, Barnardo’s, Action for Children, NSPCC and the National Children’s Bureau reveals the true impact of a toxic cocktail of cuts and a soaring demand for help. The two reports published, Children’s and young people’s services: ... Read more
MAY 19, 2020
Research conducted by the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (Class) think tank found that one in five people – or six million workers – feel ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ that they will lose their jobs in six months’ time. The Class ... Read more
MAY 15, 2020
Unite reveals pandemic’s impact on workplaces across UK
Workers’ worried about their mental health have skyrocketed since the lockdown began – a new Unite survey has shown. Dealing with employees’ mental health challenges on this scale is not going to be easy and Unite is calling on employers to ... Read more
MAY 13, 2020
Covid-19 and the impact on vulnerable children
The UK could face “losing a generation of young people” to poverty and poor mental health following the coronavirus crisis, the education select committee has heard. Giving evidence on the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable children, Javed Khan, chief executive ... Read more
APRIL 29, 2020
How long will young people be Out of Sight?
A new report published today by the National Youth Agency and the children’s commissioner, shows that there in are 3 million vulnerable eight to 19-year-olds needing support with a range of issues because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures were estimated ... Read more
APRIL 20, 2020
NCS Trust and The Challenge agree an out of court settlement of £2.8 m
The National Citizen Service Trust and The Challenge have reached a £2.8m out-of-court settlement in relation to a long running dispute relating to unfilled places on the NCS’s 2019 programme. The Challenge issued High Court proceedings against NCS Trust last August claiming £26m for breach of contract ... Read more
APRIL 09, 2020
'Much more needs to be done’ on charity sector coronavirus funding bail out
The £750 million package to support Britain’s charities and voluntary organisations facing financial ruin because of the coronavirus emergency is welcome, but 'much more needs to be done'. Following the announcement from the Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak during yesterday’s Coronovirus ... Read more
APRIL 08, 2020
Urgent funding for the charity sector NOW!
Unite has renewed its call for an urgent financial support package from government for the not for profit sector, so that charities and voluntary organisations can play their part in the coronavirus fight and help some of the most vulnerable ... Read more
APRIL 06, 2020
#WhateverItTakes for Social Care
In our blog on 1st April, we highlighted the vital need for social care workers to be provided with adequate personal protection equipment (PPE) to enable them to work safely providing the much needed care in the community. The call for ... Read more
APRIL 01, 2020
Social care workers need PPE too!
Social care workers are amongst the army of key workers providing vital support to thousands of individuals who are more dependent on such services than ever before. But it seems that this group of workers is being put at risk during ... Read more
MARCH 25, 2020
Government urged to provide urgent support to the Voluntary Sector
Government urged to provide urgent support to the Voluntary Sector Today Unite are calling for Government support and strategy in particular to assist the not for profit sector delivery of community Covid 19 response, health and Social Care, Mental Health, Housing, ... Read more
MARCH 23, 2020
Social Care sector at breaking point
Unite is warning that the social care sector is at breaking point and where workers do not even have basic personal protective equipment (PPE). Social care workers, many of whom are employed on low wages by private sector companies and who ... Read more
MARCH 12, 2020
Workers from the homelessness charity St Mungo’s in Bristol, Brighton and London are taking three days of strike action on the 16-18 March 2020. Unite has been warning the charity that its treatment of staff and the attacks on members working ... Read more
MARCH 06, 2020
'Unacceptable' exit package for former NCS Trust chief vetoed
Ministers from the Department Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) have begun a governance review of the organisation after a newspaper claimed that outgoing chief executive Michael Lynas was given £15,000 to help him retrain. The DCMS has launched a governance ... Read more
MARCH 05, 2020
An equal world is an enabled world
International Women's Day 2020 is celebrated on Sunday 8th March and this year's theme is #EachforEqual, drawn from a notion of 'Collective Individualism' where working together, we can make change happen. Collectively, we can each help to create a gender equal world. We can ... Read more
MARCH 03, 2020
Workers at the homelessness charity St Mungo’s are gearing up for three days of strike action from March 16 to 18 inclusive, after last ditch talks, under the auspices of the conciliation service, Acas, failed to resolve a row over ... Read more
FEBRUARY 27, 2020
Unite demands a joined-up government response to eradicate rough sleeping
The ‘disgraceful’ number of rough sleepers across the country demands a joined-up government response which has been lacking over a decade of Tory rule which has seen a ‘revolving door’ of housing ministers hinder plans to eradicate rough sleeping. Unite said that the lack ... Read more
FEBRUARY 21, 2020
New research exposes the hidden child workforce shows that young carers are undertaking £12,000 of unpaid work every single year! The research by UK charity Action for Children shows young carers spend on average 25 hours a week caring for loved ... Read more
FEBRUARY 20, 2020
RSPCA workers vote to strike over new detrimental ‘bully boy’ contracts
Staff at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) have voted by 73 per cent to strike over the management’s arbitrary imposition of new ‘performance pay’ contracts. Unite has said that it would be announcing strike dates ... Read more
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
Campaigners gathered outside Peabody Head Office on Wednesday 19th February to make the point that cuts to the community and neighbourhood services cost lives, and are counter-productive. Peabody plans to drastically cut its Neighbourhood Managers and has already done away with ... Read more
FEBRUARY 14, 2020
Knife crime: Stop and search not the answer, says youth committee
The Youth Select Committee concludes that the knife crime epidemic is fuelled by cuts to vital services. The report highlights concern with the Government’s increasingly punitive approach to tackling knife crime stating that serious youth violence such as knife crime is a symptom of various underlying ... Read more
FEBRUARY 12, 2020
Unite ballots members at Dundee Independent Advocacy Support
Unite the union has today (12 February) confirmed that it will open a week long industrial action ballot involving its membership at the Dundee Independent Advocacy Support (DIAS). Staff are being asked to vote on action in a dispute over an ... Read more
FEBRUARY 10, 2020
Are you ready for ❤️ unions week?
Union members from across the UK are taking part in the TUC's fourth annual ❤️ unions (heart unions) week this week (from the 10 to 16 February), celebrating all that is great about trade unions. This is the chance to ... Read more
FEBRUARY 10, 2020
Support Unite members at RSPCA!
Unite members at RSPCA are currently being balloted for strike action over detrimental new contracts. No worker should be forced into signing their contractual right to sickness, holiday and maternity pay away. The CEO is refusing point blank to negotiate with our ... Read more
FEBRUARY 04, 2020
Unite members at the RSPCA are voting to protect their rights at work
For more information about this dispute please see Workers to be balloted over the imposition of 'bully boy' contracts Read more
FEBRUARY 04, 2020
Second time lucky as St Mungo’s staff vote to strike
Unite has balloted over 500 members at the homelessness charity for a second time in less than six months in a dispute over the tearing up of the junior staffing cap agreement, which risks reinstatement of ‘race to the bottom’ terms ... Read more
JANUARY 29, 2020
RSPCA Workers to be balloted over the imposition of 'bully boy' contracts
Unite will be balloting its members at the RSPCA for strike action following an overwhelming vote in a consultative ballot to reject the management’s arbitrary imposition of new ‘performance pay’ contracts. The ballot will open on Tuesday (4 February) and will close ... Read more
JANUARY 28, 2020
Appeal to St Mungo’s board to ‘help rebuild trust’ ahead of strike ballot result
Unite has appealed to the St Mungo's board of trustees to ‘help rebuild trust’ by persuading senior management to reconsider its position and join last-ditch talks, ahead of the strike ballot result, which is due next Monday (3 February). Unite is ... Read more
JANUARY 21, 2020
Staff at St Mungos urged to vote YES to defend jobs, skills and quality services
Unite believes that its members deserve to be treated fairly and with respect and are urging members to vote for strike action as it reballots workers at St Mungos. The decision to reballot members has been taken as St Mungos push ahead with changes ... Read more
JANUARY 09, 2020
Retail expert to take top job at the NCS Trust
Mark Gifford, Director for Shop and Trade at Waitrose will become the new chief executive of the NCS Trust in March after Michael Lynas announced that he would be stepping down last year. A novice to the voluntary sector, Gifford will ... Read more
JANUARY 06, 2020
Email blunder at St Mungo’s exposes shameful anti trade union tactics
Unite has called on Howard Sinclair, CEO of homelessness charity St Mungo’s, to step down immediately after a misdirected email revealed that the charity had been working with a top London PR agency on a strategy to stop people joining ... Read more
DECEMBER 03, 2019
Peabody's CEO leaves staff and residents unimpressed
Businesses "driven by money concerns" Last week’s column by Peabody Chief Executive, Brenden Sarsfield (Inside Housing 29/11/2019) makes the call for change many in the social housing sector would want. But staff and residents are not impressed. Mr Sarsfield writes, “Some say we ... Read more
NOVEMBER 25, 2019
‘Devastating critique’ by Unite of RSPCA bosses over pay dispute and bullying culture
Unite has published a devastating critique of the managerial style at the RSPCA with an open letter to the chief executive Chris Sherwood. In the letter, Unite said that recent talks over pay and new contracts were ‘deliberately restrictive, disingenuous and designed ... Read more
NOVEMBER 06, 2019
£1 million cuts plan: Peabody workers announce strike ballot
Peabody housing plan £1 million cuts to housing management budgets by March 2020 with potentially devastating consequences to residents and workers. Unite members have voted overwhelmingly to start a formal strike ballot. In the spring management launched a brutal restructure and ... Read more
OCTOBER 24, 2019
Shadow minister criticises DCMS for withholding data on NCS Trust spending
Vicky Foxcroft, Labour shadow minister for civil society, has criticised the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport after it declined to reveal details of any underspend by the NCS Trust. The NCS Trust is the royal charter body that was ... Read more
OCTOBER 23, 2019
Greenwich housing repair workers to strike
About 120 housing repair workers at Greenwich council are set to strike for five days over plans to introduce a new pay structure which will see cuts in pay. Unite said its members voted by 95 per cent for strike action ... Read more
OCTOBER 22, 2019
More trouble ahead for NCS Trust
With The Challenge already suing the NCS trust for £22m, the DCMS has revealed that it has received a separate complaint from a small NCS delivery partner. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has revealed that it received a ... Read more
OCTOBER 22, 2019
'Taking back control' - Unite members successfully confront Brexit challenges in the workplace
Major new research shows that Unite members are working together to successfully confront the challenges Brexit is presenting in workplaces up and down the country. Despite widespread political and public division over the UK’s relationship with the EU, the academic research found Unite ... Read more
OCTOBER 16, 2019
Employment Tribunal finds that St Mungos victimised female worker
A recent judgement from by an Employment Tribunal found that St Mungos had victimised a staff member following her submission of an equal pay questionnaire. The HR director, Helen Giles, had told the staff member that she would never work in the ... Read more
OCTOBER 10, 2019
National Citizen Service accused of "mismanagement and failure of leadership"
The National Citizen Service Trust is being sued by its largest provider, The Challenge, for at least £20m with claims it has breached contracts in seven regions. The Challenge, which in August lost a contract believed to be worth more than £60m a ... Read more
OCTOBER 04, 2019
Are knife crime orders the solution to rising levels of violent crime?
Tough new laws to tackle knife crime could harm relationships between police and local communities and fail to properly consider the needs of vulnerable groups of young people, children's services leaders have warned. In its response to the Home Office consultation on knife crime ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
Amnesty staff ballot for industrial action over redundancies
Unite to ballot its members employed by Amnesty International for industrial action in a dispute over redundancies. Amnesty International announced in June that it was planning to cut 146 posts which would result in 93 job losses. While the number of job ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
World Suicide Prevention Day is on Social Media
The annual world suicide prevention day, organised by the The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) takes place today (10th September) The IASP was founded by the late Professor Erwin Ringel and Dr. Norman Farberow in 1960, and now includes professionals and volunteers ... Read more
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
Unite at the TUC - Lessons from Grenfell going unheeded
Unite delegate and brother of a fire fighter James Mitchell spoke in support of the FBU motion to TUC , Grenfell Tower - Never Again highlighting the union’s calls for an immediate ban on the use of combustible materials on high rise blocks. In a poignant ... Read more
AUGUST 20, 2019
Charity workers share personal experiences of racism via social media
The hashtag #CharitySoWhite has been trending on Twitter as people in the sector share their experiences of racism and discrimination. By 5pm on Tuesday, there had been over 2,000 tweets, with many of them liked and retweeted multiple times over, and ... Read more
AUGUST 14, 2019
Government’s latest knife crime initiative “wrong.”
The campaign to brand chicken shop take away boxes with #knifefree has been launched by the Home Office in response to the rising levels of knife crime. The boxes will replace packaging in chains such as Morley’s, Chicken Cottage and Dixy Chicken ... Read more
AUGUST 12, 2019
Insecure workers entitled to 28 days paid leave
In a blow against precarious work, senior judges have ruled all workers are entitled to a minimum of 28 days paid annual leave, even if they do not get given work or are not paid for parts of the year. The ... Read more
AUGUST 05, 2019
St Mungo’s balloted amidst victimisation row
Unite is urging Robert Napier, the chair of the board of the homeless charity St Mungo’s, to carry out an immediate investigation into an allegation of victimisation of a lead Unite representative. The call comes in response to emails, obtained under ... Read more
AUGUST 01, 2019
400 jobs affected as largest NCS provider confirms departure from the scheme
The National Citizen Service Trust, the royal charter body that runs the scheme on behalf of the government, confirmed that it would no longer contract its largest provider, The Challenge, after it had been 'unable to reach an agreement on a requirement to ... Read more
JULY 31, 2019
Further calls for investment in a ‘statutory youth service’
The Serious Youth Violence report published by the parliamentary home affairs committee has called for local authority funding for youth services to be statutory, ring-fenced and focused on preventing young people becoming caught up in violence. The inquiry highlights the connection between deprivation ... Read more
JULY 25, 2019
Parliamentary debate on the role and sufficiency of youth work
A general debate was held on the role and current sufficiency of youth services in the UK was held yesterday in the House of Commons as a response to the publication of the inquiry by the all-party parliamentary group on ... Read more
JULY 11, 2019
Review launched into statutory guidance for Local Authorities on providing youth services
New deal for all young people On July 25th, Lloyd Russell Moyle MP and others will lead a three hour debate in Parliament on the findings of the report and wider issues. Anyone passionate about youth work and youth services is invited to ... Read more
JUNE 27, 2019
Welsh Government more than doubles youth work funding
The Welsh Government chose Youth Work Week to recognise the important and vital role of youth work and youth services and launched a new Youth Work Strategy and a commitment to more than double youth service funding to over £10 ... Read more
JUNE 26, 2019
NUBSLI continue to be a powerful voice
The National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI) celebrates its fifth anniversary amid renewed warnings that government cost cutting and the unethical behaviour of some interpretation and translation agencies is harming deaf people’s access to public services. NUBSLI, one the ... Read more
JUNE 04, 2019
‘Stop exploiting staff goodwill’
Our survey reveals staff in the community and voluntary sector including for big name organisations such as Save the Children, RSPCA, Friends of the Earth, Citizens Advice, Oxfam and others found that 80% have experienced workplace stress in the last year with ... Read more
MAY 30, 2019
The first episode of a profoundly bleak but necessary two-part Panorama, Crisis in Care (BBC One), highlighted how the adult social care system is on the brink and in dire need of reform after years of austerity. This hard hitting documentary put a human face ... Read more
MAY 29, 2019
Epidemic of mental health issues and stress for workers in our Sector
A confidential survey of members working within the Community, Youth and Not for Profit Sector has revealed an epidemic of stress related illness and massive mental health issues with the survey finding that 80% of respondents had experienced workplace stress ... Read more
MAY 28, 2019
Tackling serious violence needs real investment in preventative services!
Unite has submitted its response to the Home Office's draft plans for a new legal duty to support a multi-agency approach to preventing and tackling serious violence. Whilst Unite is supportive in principle with taking a public health approach to tackling serious ... Read more
MAY 23, 2019
Voices need to be heard. The young and people supporting them must be recognised.
For many years the government and local authorities have neglected the Youth; we’re expected to be docile, to not question their authority or our rights, and allow our futures to be decided for us or have them be destroyed. Subsequently ... Read more
MAY 17, 2019
Recognising IDAHOBIT and raising awareness
Unite the Union is proud to recognise International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia , known as IDAHOBIT for short, this date was chosen as it commemorates the date of the decision to remove homosexuality from classification as a mental illness ... Read more
MAY 16, 2019
Calls for action to build and promote positive body image
The UK Youth Parliament has been campaigning to bring about social change since 1999. Each year, following the Make Your Mark ballot and a vote by Members of Youth Parliament in the House of Commons, they set about campaigning on ... Read more
MAY 15, 2019
Mental Health at Work - an issue all year round
There are many ways in which work can contribute to or exacerbate poor mental health, and these can include the threat of redundancies, reorganisations, overwhelming workloads, being expected to do more with less, low paid jobs, discrimination or the uncertainty ... Read more
MAY 14, 2019
Stress and anxiety in the workplace
Mental Health Awareness Week is a great opportunity for branch reps and members to address the issue of mental health at work. Branches are encouraged to help remove the stigma and discrimination that people living and working with a mental ... Read more
MAY 13, 2019
Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 13-19 May 2019 and this years theme is body image. The Mental Health Foundation have released a report setting out the individual, family and cultural influences that sometimes result in a debilitating sense of dissatisfaction ... Read more