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Density will create power, says Margaret McKee, and help build a world where all people are treated with respect

“Our strength as a union comes from you, our members and our activists” and we need to “build up our density and strengthen our power.

That was the rallying call to delegates at UNISON’s Black members’ conference from president Margaret McKee, speaking in Liverpool this morning.

Building the union was essential, she said, because of “the challenges we face from the Westminster government … a government determined to undermine working people”.

It is with deep sorrow and sadness that we write to tell you that UNISON Assistant General Secretary, Cliff Williams, lost his long batttle with Cancer on Friday. Cliff was a good friend to UNISON Northern Ireland and supported us through many of our challenges.

Cliff was a giant in the trade union and labour movement and was the current chair of the North West regional Labour Party and a former chair of the North West TUC, but most of all he was a thoroughly decent person, working tirelessly for our members and our union.

Today (13 December 2017) the Department of Finance has determined a public sector pay policy for 2017/18 in the absence of a Finance Minister, finally paying UNISON members what they are already owed.  Following this announcement, the Department of Health has confirmed that the 1% pay award recommended in April for health and social care workers in Northern Ireland will now be implemented and backdated, with full implementation expected before the end of the financial year. 

Call to release £26 million owed to Health workers