23/04/2020 Call for minute’s silence to honour all workers who have died from coronavirus The country is to be asked to observe a minute’s silence next Tuesday (28 April) to remember all the health, care and other key workers who have lost their lives to coronavirus, in a campaign launched Monday by three health unions. UNISON, […]
Covid-19
Friday 17 April 2020 For immediate release Commenting on the emergency measures published today (Friday) by Public Health England, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “These are absolute worst case scenario measures, which staff hope their organisations won’t have to implement. “No part of the NHS should use this move as an excuse to […]
Staff keeping vital local services running – including schools, refuse collection and child protection – during the pandemic deserve a proper pay rise, say the three unions representing council staff in England and Wales today (Thursday). Responding to the 2.75% pay offer for 2020/21 made today by the Local Government Association (LGA), UNISON, Unite and the GMB are urging the […]
Union raises strong concerns with Department for Education’s latest guidance UNISON has written to the Department for Education, after its updated guidance on social distancing in education settings said that education staff do not require personal protective equipment (PPE). While the union understands that the risks in schools are different to those in hospitals, it is […]
UNISON says ‘desperate measures’ in leaked plans could lead to preventable deaths Frontline staff must be properly equipped to protect lives during the COVID-19 crisis, says UNISON, after ‘last-resort’ proposals on safety equipment were leaked. General secretary Dave Prentis said that the proposals from Public Health England contain “desperate measures” and “are a shocking indictment […]
Raising status must be backed by better pay Commenting on the health secretary Matt Hancock’s announcements at the Downing Street briefing today (Wednesday) about care workers, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:“It’s right that the care, compassion and selflessness of care workers should be given proper recognition. They’re putting their lives on the line. “But for all the […]
A message for Branch Secretaries Dear Branch Secretary There for You is UNISON’s welfare charity that helps members who experience hard times. In the current coronavirus crisis, that’s pretty much everyone. There for You is helping more and more members who find that their limited income has been hit by the crisis:- · Some are […]
The UK Government and NHS leaders from a range of medical and nursing royal colleges have published new guidance about personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS teams who are likely to come into contact with patients with coronavirus. The guidance has been agreed by the four Chief Medical Officers, Chief Nursing Officers and Chief Dental […]
Staff want to be tested but ministers must be realistic about what is possible. Commenting on the announcement by health secretary Matt Hancock today (Thursday) that the government is aiming to conduct 100,000 tests by the end of April, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Testing is key in the fight against the virus. It’s clear the […]
Union pressure at City, University of London, helps protect incomes of outsourced catering staff UNISON has welcomed a move by City University – part of the University of London – instructing contracting-out firm Sodexo to pay catering staff on zero hours contracts while City’s campuses are closed for the weeks they would normally have expected […]