National media team
These numbers are for media use only, not for queries about membership or general enquiries about the union. If you email outside office hours, please do follow up with a call, text or WhatsApp message so you can be sure that we’ve seen.
Liz Chinchen E: press@unison.co.uk M: 07778 158175
Fatima Ayad E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk M: 07508 080383
Anthony Barnes E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk M: 07834 864794
Commenting on Jeremy Corbyn’s speech to the 149th TUC in Brighton, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Jeremy Corbyn delivered a powerful speech that showed why he is such a great friend of working people. He is right to say that all public sector workers need a real pay rise. It’s time for Theresa May […]
Commenting on the news of pay awards for police and prison officers today (Tuesday) UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “It’s a tiny step in the right direction but not nearly enough. “For seven long years the government’s harsh pay cap has been hurting public sector workers, their families and the services they provide. “There […]
Opening the public sector pay debate at the 149th Trades Union Congress in Brighton, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “For millions of public service workers struggling to survive, there is no more pressing issue than lifting the pay cap. “We’ve seen years of brutal austerity and vicious attacks on public services, overseen by an […]
The government must bring to an end the damaging era of public sector job losses and squeezed services – and scrap the punishing pay cap for everyone once and for all, says UNISON today (Sunday). At the start of the annual Trades Union Congress in Brighton, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The government is […]
Staff providing vital public services are being forced into debt, into cutting back on groceries, having to go without heating and even a daily meal, because of the government’s pay cap, according to research by UNISON. The findings released today (Sunday) will increase pressure on ministers to give all public service employees a proper pay rise ahead […]
Commenting on the news that the government has backtracked over the selling off of NHS Professionals, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “The government has at last seen sense. NHS Professionals is an organisation that saves the health service money and ensures there are enough staff on wards. “But despite many warnings, ministers have once again […]
Midwives, healthcare assistants and hospital porters who belong to UNISON are joining their nursing colleagues demonstrating in Parliament Square today (Wednesday) over the government’s refusal to lift the pay cap. Commenting on the Royal College of Nursing’s protest UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “Faced with an exodus of staff across the NHS, ministers’ justification for […]
Commenting on confirmation from the First Minister that the Scottish government is to lift the public sector pay cap, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “It’s high time the Prime Minister followed suit and scrapped the cap for all public sector employees – no matter where in the UK they work or what job they do. “By […]
Commenting on NHS England statistics covering Theresa May’s first year as Prime Minister, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis today (Thursday) said: “Patients are clearly paying the price for Theresa May’s time in Downing Street. Staff too are struggling to cope, delivering more with less while their pay lags ever further behind inflation. “It’s no surprise […]
Responding to government plans to provide an extra 10,000 training places for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said: “These new posts are nowhere near enough to make up for the number of UK and EU nurses and midwives leaving the NHS. “Staff shortages, huge workloads, the withdrawal of the nursing bursary and the […]
The government must bring failing privatised probation services back under public control instead of leaving the taxpayer to bail them out, UNISON, NAPO and GMB said today (Wednesday). The three public service unions have written to justice secretary David Lidington highlighting how ‘risky and controversial’ reforms – where private probation firms manage thousands of people who have […]
UNISON has won a landmark court victory today (Friday) that makes it much harder for employers to ignore staff when making major changes in the workplace. The Court of Appeal ruling means that for the first time employers will be obliged to consult with unions around any workplace issues that affect their members. Until now, […]
UNISON has won a landmark court victory today (Wednesday) against the government, which means that employment tribunal fees will now be scrapped. The Supreme Court – the UK’s highest court – has unanimously ruled that the government was acting unlawfully and unconstitutionally when it introduced the fees four years ago. From today, anyone who has […]
In response to new figures published today (Thursday) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealing a sharp rise in violent crime, UNISON national officer for police staff Ben Priestley said: “This worrying rise isn’t surprising given years of police force cuts. “Solving and preventing crime has become harder with fewer staff. “More people will […]
