News

Past, Present, Future: Women on the Offensive! In celebration of International Women's Day 2018

Thursday 8th March 2018, 6pm-9pm, UNISON Galway House Belfast.

From the first women trade union organisers to today’s women activists, the battle for women’s rights at work, in their unions and in society, continues.

Join the UNISON lottery – win cash prizes AND support our charity, There for You

The new UNISON Lottery has arrived. Relaunched on 1 February, all members can enter the monthly draw for as little as £1 a month and be in with the chance of winning prizes up to £1,000.

It’s also a powerful way to support There for You, the charity for UNISON members.

Every year, more than 3,000 members and their families come to There for You for help – often in desperation, with difficulties in their personal lives.

Dr Helen Pankhurst addresses UNISON women’s conference

The great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst spoke of the ‘feminist moment’ we are having today, when she spioke at UNISON’s biggest ever women’s conference.

Dr Helen Pankhurst told the conference in Liverpool: “2018 seems potentially as symbolically important as 1918… If we can change social norms and change legislation when it’s needed, that is when the magic happens.”

Dr Pankhurst has just written a book entitled Deeds Not Words.

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”.