Regional News

Parliament debates UNISON’s public sector pay cap petition

UNISON’s petition calling on the government to scrap the public sector pay cap and give NHS, council, police and schools staff a decent pay rise will be debated today (Monday) in Parliament. Ahead of the debate, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis has written to the Prime Minister to ask her why the Budget failed to […]

Mass lobby of parliament against cuts to school funding

Over a thousand parents, teachers, school support staff and head teachers will be attending the School Cuts mass lobby of Parliament this Tuesday, 24 October. They will bring the message to MPs that schools are seriously underfunded, which is having a negative impact on children and young people’s education. This situation must change. The majority […]

Court of Appeal victory over employers who fail to consult unions

UNISON has won a landmark court victory today (Friday) that makes it much harder for employers to ignore staff when making major changes in the workplace. The Court of Appeal ruling means that for the first time employers will be obliged to consult with unions around any workplace issues that affect their members. Until now, […]

Care companies must pay back pay to staff who sleep-in

Charities and care companies that have paid staff one-off payments for overnight sleep-ins should not be exempt from paying the national minimum wage, says UNISON. Claims for back pay could cost the sector £400m according to Mencap. UNISON believes care workers should be paid at least the minimum wage for work they have already done […]

700,000 joiners shows our strength, Prentis tells health conference

General secretary tells West Midlands activists: ‘unions are as relevant today as they ever were’

Help save union studies in Stoke

UNISON is backing a campaign to save the trade union studies unit at Stoke on Trent College in Staffordshire. And as part of the campaign, the union’s Stoke branch is urging members and supporters to sign an online petition in support of the campaign, which has already been signed by almost 500 people. Read and […]

Paramedic receives apology for hospital ‘ban’

West Midlands ambulance paramedic and UNISON steward Stuart Gardner has received an apology after Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust banned him from its hospitals. A joint statement from UNISON and the trust today said: “UNISON and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have agreed that the trust does not have the authority to exclude an individual […]

UNISON calls on trust to clarify position

UNISON is calling on board members of Nuneaton’s George Eliot Hospital (GEH) to clarify its current position and postpone procurement options, after the recent announcement by the government that the hospital is to be ‘buddied’ up with the high-performing N University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) trust  as a result of the Keogh inspections. UNISON regional organiser Edna Hall asked: ”How […]

UNISON urges rethink on hospital plans

UNISON is calling on the George Eliot Hospital Trust to rethink its plans after an announcement that appears designed to drive the Nuneaton hospital down the franchising route and a possible private-sector takeover. The union’s West Midlands region believes that further examination of the situation is needed, with serious consideration of the possibility of the […]

West Midlands answering the call to save the NHS

UNISON’s West Midlands region is determined to answer the call for our NHS by joining UNISON’s rally for the NHS in Manchester on 29 September. The event is expected to be the biggest national rally outside London calling on the government to reverse its health reforms and save the NHS. Branches across the West Midlands […]