Bring back probation service into public ownership

UNISON has backed a call for probation services in England and Wales to be brought back into public ownership.

The launch of a petition by campaign group We Own It comes shortly after a joint letter on the issue from UNISON, GMB and probation officers’ union NAPO was sent to justice secretary David Gauke.

That, in turn, followed the collapse of one of the ‘community rehabilitation companies’ which have took over probation services for ‘non-serious’ offenders under former justice secretary Chris Grayling’s privatisation in 2015.

There’s a petition to sign in favour of renationalisation. It can be signed after following the link below.

Sign petition

Workers’ Memorial Day 2019

Workers' Memorial Day is held on 28 April every year, all over the world workers and their reps conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and a whole host of other activities to mark the day.

The theme for this year is “dangerous substances – get them out of the workplace”. The focus will mainly be on carcinogens but you can adapt the theme to whatever is most relevant in your workplace or area, as many substances can also cause illnesses such as asthma or dermatitis.

Find out about events in your area

Branch Committee Dates

Dates and times for our committee meetings can now be found in the 

whats on section 

UNISON launches campaign to combat musculoskeletal injuries

Launch comes on national RSI awareness day as research reveals another cost of austerity

 Click here for more info

One in four UK employers would not hire someone with a disability

More than seven in 10 disabled workers in the UK have stopped working due to a disability or health condition, new research from charity Leonard Cheshire has found. 

According to a ComRes survey of more than 1,600 disabled adults in the UK, carried out between June and July 2018, 73 per cent had dropped out of work because of their condition. 

In addition, almost one in five (17 per cent) of those that had applied for a job in the past five years reported their job offer was withdrawn by their employer as a result of their disability. 

Attitudinal barriers proved a significant obstacle in preventing the progression of disabled people, the research found. Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of UK employers said they would be less likely to hire someone with a disability, and six in 10 (60 per cent) of those reported concerns that a disabled person would not be able to do the job.

Click here for the full story

AGM paperwork

Please click this LINK to download the AGM papers, this includes Agenda, new stewards and officers and report from our finance officer

Disability is not a barrier