Nearly 100 primary schools across County Durham will be affected tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday as teaching assistants strike in a long-running dispute over cuts to their pay. School support staff plan to protest at dozens of picket lines across the county over the two days. This will mean the closure of some schools completely, says […]
dave prentis
Government plans to reform the delivery of children’s social care have been overwhelmingly rejected by practising social workers in a new report published today (Wednesday) by UNISON. UNISON says the proposals could prove dangerous for children and fail to tackle any of the fundamental problems social workers deal with on a daily basis. UNISON says […]
Monday 31 October 2016 For immediate release Teaching assistants in Durham will take strike action on 8 and 9 November in the long-running dispute over cuts to their pay, their union UNISON has announced today (Monday). This follows a ballot over Durham County Council plans to move teaching assistants to term-time pay. This could see […]
UNISON is accusing Derby City Council of inflaming tensions and escalating a dispute with school support staff who have seen their pay slashed by up to 25%. The staff – who begin their latest two-day strike today (Thursday) – plan to distribute balloons and stickers to parents and children as part of their good-natured community […]
General secretary Dave Prentis visits branch to see first hand the practical help and support provided to members
Friday 7 October 2016 For immediate release Labour council accused of intimidating UNISON teaching assistants in Durham dispute Teaching assistants who belong to UNISON – currently voting on possible strike action against Durham County Council’s plans to cut their pay by almost a quarter – are facing intimidation tactics from their employer, says their union […]
Derby teaching assistants – striking today (Thursday) for the eighth time since the city council cut their pay in June – are taking their campaign into the community to get the public to lobby councillors on their behalf. The classroom assistants have been in dispute with their employer since last September when the council announced […]
For immediate release Reacting to government plans to cap all public sector exit payments at £95,000, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said today: “The government might claim its cap on redundancy payouts will only affect those at the top of the public sector, but the reality is that many middle-income earners – like nurses and librarians […]
A UK-wide campaign aimed at reminding the public of the importance of public services –and those that provide them – is to be launched later today (Monday) in Liverpool. UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis will launch the campaign – Public Service Champions – at a fringe at the Labour party conference. It invites people to […]
Commenting on Jeremy Corbyn’s re-election today (Saturday) as the leader of the Labour party, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Jeremy Corbyn has won because he’s captured the imagination of party members. I’m proud that our union nominated Jeremy for leader. “People are inspired by his promises to end austerity, fix our broken public services and build a […]
Seventeen homecare workers employed across the London Borough of Haringey are taking care company Sevacare and the council to court.
The pay of teaching assistants should be agreed nationally like that of teachers, then local councils would not be able to undermine their earnings and working conditions, says UNISON today (Wednesday). Unlike teachers, many teaching assistants now get paid only during term time. Government spending cuts have forced cash-strapped local authorities to move them to […]
Sunday 11 September 2016 For immediate release The government must use the Brexit negotiations to build a new, fairer Britain, and should start by throwing off the shackles of austerity, says UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis today (Sunday). Speaking in the debate on the impact of the EU referendum vote upon the UK economy and […]
Friday 9 September 2016 For immediate release Commenting on the prime minister’s speech about grammar schools today (Friday), UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The country may be under new management, but the Conservative Party’s obsession with grammar schools remains the same. “Grammar schools are outdated relics, removed in most parts of the country for very good reason […]
More than a million families with a household income below £30,000 are in extreme debt, and ongoing wage stagnation is making the problem worse, according to a new report published today (Tuesday) by the TUC and UNISON. The report, Britain in the Red, finds that total unsecured debt (which excludes mortgages) for UK households rose […]