Unite branch officer and workplace rep elections 2022

If you are a Unite member, there is an opportunity until the end of March 2022 within Unite to stand to be a workplace rep, safety rep, learning rep, environmental rep or equality rep if you are in an industrial branch or a branch officer in any branch.

This opens the door to standing for election as a delegate to constitutional committees in Unite and gets you involved in Unite’s structures.

This is a great opportunity to get loads of new people involved in the union.

We encourage Unite Rank and File Supporters to come forward as reps or branch officers.

Please feel free to contact if you are interested in becoming a new rep, have any questions or need any guidance with the process.

https://uniteforoursociety.org/join-us/become-a-rep/

Leaflet for 6th Unite Policy Conference 2021

This weekend delegates from across the UK, Ireland and Gibraltar will gather in Liverpool for Unite’s 6th Policy Conference. The final agenda suggests there should be some lively and important debates.

Unite Rank and File has produced a leaflet highlighting some of the key issues. If you’re at conference, please help distribute it

 

Unite membership figures by sector December 2020

Unite membership figures from the Unite Executive Council’s report, December 2020

Automotive Industries 72,453
Aerospace & Shipbuilding 63,238
Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Process and Textiles 43,134
Civil Air Transport 65,892
Community Youth workers and not for profit 42,985
Docks, Rail, Ferries & Waterways 17,228
Education 17,335
Energy and Utilities 32,485
Engineering, Manufacturing and Steel 57,753
Finance and Legal 61,559
Food Drink and Agriculture 63,589
Government, Defence, Prisons & Contractors 10,751
Graphical Paper and Media & Information Technology 36,810
Health 88,770
Local Authorities 61,783
Passenger Transport 76,861
Road Transport Commercial, Logistics and Retail Distribution 62,619
Service Industries 50,564
Unite Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians 68,083
Community 14,971
Unknown 6,668
Retired 65,503

Total 1,081,034

Unite 6th Policy Conference October 2021 documents

Unite 6th Policy Conference takes place in Liverpool from Monday 18th October 2021 to Friday 22nd October 2021 Agenda and other key documents below

Unite 6th Policy Conference Final Agenda ( excluding emergency motions )

COMPLETE UNITE 6th Policy Conference FINAL AGENDA Standing Orders Report Policy Conference 2021 STANDING ORDERS REPORT Policy Conf 2021 Unite Executive Council Report to 6th Policy Conference Unite Executive Council Report to 6th Policy Con 2021 Unite Implementation Report 6th Policy Conference 2021 COMPLETE Unite Implementation Report 6th Policy Conference 2021

What kind of Unite do we want?

We are holding our next Unite Rank and File open meeting, What kind of Unite do we want? on Sunday 1st August 2021 from 4pm to 6pm

Speakers from Unite Rank and File, Go North West and NHS Workers Say No!

The meeting will take place via Zoom

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsc-muqD0jHNJ4z8uhHtvW1Gvdp6COzqlV 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please feel free to share the registration link with other Unite members who might be interested

Facebook event here with the Zoom registration link to share with your networks

https://fb.me/e/4erfSNft0

We look forward to seeing some of you on Sunday 1st August!

Unite structures and participation

Guide to Unite structures and participation here

 

Unite structures and participation (July 2021)

Unite Constitutional Timetable 2022 – 2028

Details of the Unite Constitutional Timetable for 2022 – 2028 are now out following the June EC meeting

 

Details in the document here

 

Doc 11.4 constitutional timetable 22-28

 

Goodlord Referencing department strike

Workers in the referencing section of Goodlord, a lettings platform, are taking strike action between 22 February and 5 March over fire-and-rehire plans which would see many salaries reduced by £6,000 to below the real London Living Wage.

Goodlord is using the fact that employees are now working from home due to the pandemic to make this cut.

Goodlord provides services for a number of estate agents in London, including Winkworth, Best Estate Agents, Andrews and Featherstone Leigh.

 

Goodlord @sogoodlord care about their social media presence. We can put pressure on them by calling them out on social media platforms. 

Twitter sogoodlord Instagram sogoodlord Facebook sogoodlord

You can also use the hashtag #GoodLordBadLord

 

The workers are members of Unite London Digital & Tech branch (LE/7098L).

Read the Unite the Union press release: https://bit.ly/37lCCGT

Messages of support or questions can be sent to steve.o’donnell@unitetheunion.org

Follow SoBadLord on Twitter and unitelondonitc on Facebook

https://www.unitedigitaltech.org/2021/02/goodlord-lettings-platform-faces-strike-over-savage-pay-cut

 

Solidarity with Unite bus worker

Please donate to help a good Unite rep O’Neil Lewis clear his name

https://www.gofundme.com/f/legal-requirements

Email us to pass on solidarity messages

Rolls Royce and Optare

Unite members are currently involved in two crucial battles at the Rolls-Royce plant in Barnoldswick, Lancashire and the Optare bus manufacturers in Leeds.


Rolls-Royce bosses announced in August that they would be offshoring production of the Trent Engine blades, currently manufactured at the Barnoldswick plant to Singapore.


The move would see 350 workers lose their jobs, the potential closure of the factory and the further threats to the jobs of workers in the supply chain.  And this is a company that sought £1 billion in financial support from the Government.


Unite members voted 94% for a strike to stop the job losses. 


They began a 3 week strike last Friday 6 November that was due to end on 27 November – but the action will now continue until Christmas Eve.


National officer Ross Quinn told the local press 
“This dispute is not just about maintaining the viability of the Rolls-Royce factory in Barnoldswick, it is about the future prosperity of the local community.”

Workers at bus manufacturer Optare in Leeds have been taking strike action from last month.  They have been staging 48-hour strikes every week to win a pay rise that was pledged but never implemented by the company last year.  Optare can hardly plead poverty. The company is owned by the billionaire Hinduja brothers Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash, the second richest people in the UK.
Despite Unite pickets at Optare wearing masks, socially distancing and regularly using hand sanitiser, last week a police officer ordered them to stop picketing quoting new coronavirus legislation.Unite made legal representations that have been successful so the right to picket has been maintained. The stakes are high, the bosses are accommodating temporary workers in hotels and bussing them in to try and break the strike. But next week, the strike will escalate to four days a week and workers believe that this will have a major impact. 

It is clear that just as with the economic crash in 2008, the Tories and the bosses are intent on making us pay for growing pandemic and economic crises.  These strikes are crucial because if they win it shows that workers don’t have to meekly accept being thrown on the scrapheap or cuts to their pay and benefits.  But the workers at these factories could also be the key to tackling another crisis – that of the ongoing climate catastrophe.  Optare workers specialise in making electric buses. Barnoldswick workers specialise in making blades for aircraft engines – but there’s no reason why they can’t make blades for wind turbines. 

Raise solidarity for these strikes in your branch and committee meetings. Get in touch to invite a speaker or if your branch can make donations.


Send messages of solidarity to:


Rolls-Royce Barnoldswick – facebook.com/UniteNorthWest/  and tweet to @Unite_NorthWest using #BattleForBarnoldswick and #SaveOurSite hashtags

Optare Richard.bedford@unitetheunion.org