Blog: A brilliant branch building on their many strengths

Today I saw people from different backgrounds with different talents and different skills coming together to support public service workers

It was great to visit Southampton district branch today, and meet up with a great group of activists who have taken their branch and our members through a very difficult period. Whether they’re old stewards returning to the fray or new branch activists, particularly women activists, recruited to support their colleagues, this is a branch that’s really going places and it inspired me.

Today I saw people from different backgrounds with different talents and different skills coming together to support public service workers. These activists were professional, loyal and committed – a great example of what our union does best. Most of all, the UNISON activists today, like thousands of you across our union, have only one priority – coming together collectively to provide the best possible support for our members.

This is what makes UNISON so special – as I told members in Southampton today. I also gave them a personal commitment that I would keep on supporting them as they continue to develop and grow this brilliant branch, which by building on its many strengths will continue to show that UNISON is the only union worth joining in local government and in Southampton.

I want to place on record my gratitude, not just to the activists I met today, but to all UNISON activists who make our union so special. Every day I’m proud of our union.