Unite for a Workers' Economy
Take The Power Back: Renationalise the UK Energy Network
Household energy bills have hit record levels. While millions of energy consumers struggle to pay astronomical bills, the whole energy sector are making eye watering excess profits.
New Unite research has found that public ownership could have saved us all nearly £45 billion in 2022 – over £1,800 per household.
The costs of continuing to leave this critical infrastructure in the hands of profiteers are high. The picture could look very different if the UK had an energy system which functioned to meet our needs, not prioritise profiteering.
Workers and our communities have had enough of rip-off energy prices, and we are fighting back. Find out more about the campaign to #TakeThePowerBack including the demo in London on Tuesday 20 June 2023.
Feed the Weans, Feed the Future
++ DOUBLE WIN++ | Unite for a Workers' Economy's TWO main campaign demands have now been met
End means-based ‘free’ school meals and provide school dinners for all primary school children – WON! - On 4 May 2023, deputy first minister Shona Robison confirmed that the Scottish government will deliver free school meals for all primary school children, including P6 and P7 pupils by 2024. This was also confirmed by first minister Humza Yousaf at first minister's questions on 11 May.
News updates
- Free school meals for all Scottish primary pupils will go ahead, says deputy FM - BBC News - May 2023
- Yousaf 'ties himself in knots' over conflicting school meals policy - Herald Scotland - May 2023
- Scottish First Minister's Questions - May 2023
- Good Morning Scotland - BBC Sounds - May 2023
Campaign background
Unite for a Workers Economy in Scotland has partnered with Together Against Debt and the Scottish Trade Union Congress – Women’s Committee to drive change to ensure that no child has to go hungry during the school day, so we can give children the best start in life because hungry children cannot learn.
Our two demands were:
- WON | End means-based ‘free’ school meals and provide school dinners for all children
- WON | Eradicate all school meal debt
Find out more and support the campaign- Feed the Weans, Feed the Future campaign
Systemic corporate profiteering across the economy
A new report from Unite Investigates reveals the profits of the UK’s largest companies are now 89 per cent higher than before the pandemic.
This research looks at where profiteering is happening and how corporations are taking advantage of a crisis to raise their prices. Make no mistake, profiteering has resulted in the high prices we’ve all had to pay. This report is the latest in a series of contribution to Unite’s Profiteering Commission. The aim is simple: To uncover who is really profiting from this crisis.
68 is too late | Don't raise the state pension age
Together with the National Pensioners Convention and the Scottish Pensioners Forum, Unite is calling on politicians of all parties to scrap any plans for state pension age rises, now, or in the future.
We must continue until we get a commitment from all major parties that they will not raise the state pension age in the next parliament.
On 2 May 2023 Unite handed in our 37,000-strong petition to the Department for Work and Pensions – however we must continue until we get a commitment from all major parties that they will not raise the state pension age in the next parliament.
Let's drive home our message to parliament: Workers will not be made to pay for decades of politicians' bad choices. We create the wealth in this society, and we deserve a share of that wealth in our old age. Find out more on Unite's 68 is too late campaign.
Social housing tenants are getting organised in Crawley
Social housing residents in Crawley are getting organised, with the support of Unite for a Workers’ Economy.
On 18 April over 40 residents came together to discuss issues on their estate, such as the quality & speed of repairs, the quality of kitchens, rent & service charges, anti-social behaviour, the upkeep of shared areas, communication from their landlord, and mould.
Residents are now coming together and creating an action plan to demand improvements from their landlord.
- Download the estate newsletter to find out more.
If you can help or get involved then please contact Joshua Berlyne.
Save Debt Advice
Debt advice has never been more important as millions of households struggle, yet funding cuts threaten access to this service, and advisers’ jobs. Money is there to increase funding, but government refuses to make businesses pay to fix the problem they helped to create.
Monday 13th March saw the first day of action in the Unite for a Workers’ Economy campaign to Save Debt Advice with Unite members taking to the streets in London to lobby three government departments to fix the funding crisis.
About the Unite for a Workers’ Economy campaign
From workplace to community, the Unite for a Workers’ Economy campaign is driving a UK-wide strategy to help bring change following the failure of politicians to act. With the aim of collective action, the Union now looks to drive this country’s political agenda instead of commenting on it. This is more than mutual aid. It is the potential for agitation, mobilisation, and for campaigns that organise communities — led by people for the people.
Join Unite as Britain and Ireland’s biggest union focuses on building popular, working-class power to change the system that is rigged against us.
- From workplace to community, Unite is driving a UK-wide strategy to help bring change following the failure of politicians to act. With the aim of unifying collectivism, the Union will now look to drive this country’s political agenda as opposed to commenting on it.
- Unite is investing in communities that feel alienated by politics and are being left behind by the broken economy and cost of living crisis. Unite is in the community, acting on the concerns of working people instead of telling them what to think. And as working people make their voices heard, we are taking direct action rather than waiting for politicians to save us.
- Unite is upending the status quo by investing in people, not politics. This ground-breaking campaign seeks to organise communities, led by people for the people. We will not stop simply because an election has passed. This long-term work is taking place alongside a groundswell of industrial action from working people who are refusing to accept low wages and attacks to our public services.
- Together, we will put the power back into the hands of working people where it belongs. The ground is there for us to build on, and we’re just getting started
Our economy isn’t working for anyone but the wealthiest people and the biggest corporations. The very workers who kept our nation running throughout the pandemic face a cost of living crisis, while the 1% reap the rewards of our labour. Working people didn’t create this mess, and yet are being called to accept low wages amidst rising prices as corporate executives make record profits. “Our economy isn’t working for workers, only for corporate Britain and its rich backers. It’s time for workers and communities to fight back.” – Sharon Graham.
Workers and community members unite
From workplace to community Unite is driving a UK-wide strategy to help bring change to ‘heartland’ communities following the failure of politicians to act. With the aim of unifying collectivism at the workplace and within local communities, the union will now look to drive the political agenda as opposed to commenting on it.
This fight is about the workplace, our families, communities and the power of a united working class. We stand with workers taking action and will organise support on the picket lines, we will help mobilise in our communities to equip people to fight back against cuts.
The ground is there for us to build on, and we’re just getting started. Unite for a workers' economy. Join our movement - sign up to the campaign today.
Campaign news and updates
Check out these recent updates and news stories highlighting the Unite for a Workers' Economy campaign in action and join our movement - sign up to the campaign today.
“I am calling for a #windfalltax on the excess profits of the big banks. Our economy is broken. Nothing symbolises that better than the spectacle of politicians demanding pay cuts from nurses whilst doing nothing to get City noses out of the ‘banking-billions’ trough." via the Daily Mirror #CostOfLivingCrisis #CostOfGreedCrisis Read more on the campaign and about bankers profiting from pain: Bank of England interest hikes making profits bonanza billions for big banks - Thursday 2 February 2023 |
CAMPAIGN UPDATE: We say no to crumbs - Workers will "not be broken or beaten by Rishi Sunak" says Unite's Sharon Graham - Sunday Mirror - 1 January 2023 Struggling workers WILL continue striking for fair pay in 2023 and WON’T “settle for crumbs”, a campaigning union leader warned. Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “We will not be broken or beaten by Rishi Sunak and his government. We are here to stay.” "Just who pays for the latest economic crisis will be the question of 2023." - Sharon Graham | Read the full Sunday Mirror story |
Minsters made a choice about this economic crisis - to make working people pay for it - The Guardian, December 2022
|
Sharon Graham interviewed in the Big Issue North on how she is delivering double digit pay rise for Unite members across the country
|
Check out the links for the latest campaign news updates as well as all the news on Unite's wins in the workplace. Join our movement - sign up to the Unite for a Workers' Economy campaign today.
Glasgow food pantries Christmas appeal
Crawley food banks Christmas appeal
Workington Food Pantries Christmas Appeal
Debt Advisers campaign
Grimsby Christmas Appeal
Hull Christmas Appeal
Hull food banks
National campaign video
Unite For A Workers' Economy - Ofgem HQ Demo
Unite For A Workers' Economy - Crawley
Unite For A Workers' Economy - Grimsby
Unite For A Workers' Economy - Co-op demo - December 2022
Unite For A Workers' Economy - Hull Stagecoach strikers rally
Unite For A Workers' Economy - Glasgow Foodbanks
Unite For A Workers' Economy - ScottishPower HQ demo
Unite for a Workers' Economy - Derby
Unite for a Workers' Economy - Glasgow
Unite for a Workers' Economy – Grimsby
Unite for a Workers' Economy - Leigh
Follow the campaign on social media
Follow the campaign on Facebook: @Unite4WorkersEconomy![]() |
Follow the campaign on Twitter: @UniteEconomy ![]() |
|
|
Follow Sharon Graham on Instagram: @UniteSharon |
Follow the campaign on Instagram: @Unite4workerseconomy |
|
|