Political and social issues – Unite CEC Branch

Scotland demands a pay rise—STUC march and rally on 8 September

Assemble at 10:30am on Johnson Terrace to march off at 11am.
Rally at the Scottish Parliament 11.30am to 1pm

The Cost-of-Living Crisis is hitting people across the country. Public service workers in particular are facing a fresh set of real terms pay cuts on top of years of stagnating wages.

The STUC and our affiliated unions are campaigning for a range of urgent actions to stem this crisis, including action to reduce energy bills, support for those of all ages on benefits, rent caps and action to reduce transport costs.

The ultimate responsibility for the Cost-of-Living Crisis sits with the Tories at Westminster. However, this does not mean that the Scottish Government is powerless. It needs to start by funding inflation level pay rises for Scottish public service workers.

Join us, as we demand better for the public service workers of Scotland.

Festival of International Solidarity on 25 June

Come to a public show of solidarity with all people forced to become refugees. Many are from war zones, such as Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, or fleeing political repression, ethnic cleansing, economic crisis and climate change.

Our common humanity means all deserve equal and dignified treatment.

The event takes place on Saturday 25 June from 4 to 6pm on Leith Links.

tucedinburgh2022@gmail.com

Visit the Edinburgh Trades Union Council Facebook.

International Workers Memorial Day 2022

On Thursday (28th), trade unionists and campaigners met at the Workers’ Memorial Tree in Princes Street Garden to mark International Workers Memorial Day, an annual event to commemorate those that have died at and due to work and to galvanise our fight to protect the health and safety at workers.

May Day celebrations

Come celebration International Workers Day in Edinburgh at two events.

May Day Cabaret on 1 May

The May Day cabaret on is Sunday 1 May at 7:30pm at the Southside Community Centre, featuring performances from:

Rab Noakes
Becci Wallace
Susan Morrison
Calum Baird
Ghazi Hussein
Iona Lee plus more guests.

Buy tickets for the May Day Cabaret

May Day March and Rally on 7 May

The May Day march and rally is on Saturday 7 May, assembling at 11:30am at the top end of Johnson Terrace to march at 12 midday and rally at the Pleasance Theatre at 12:30pm, where there will be music from Penny Stone and Calum Baird.

Speakers include:

International Women’s Day on 8 March

This International Women’s Day, our branch would like to draw attention to the historical successes women have achieved within the union movement.

In the past, as now, women within the workforce have struggled with low, sometimes poverty wages and insecure terms and conditions.

Take our survey on women and trade unions in the Council

Cradley Heath chainmakers’ fight for a fair wage

In 1910 the women chainmakers of Cradley Heath won a battle to establish the right to a fair wage following a 10-week strike. This landmark victory changed the lives of thousands of workers who were earning little more than ‘starvation wages’.

HeartUnions week is 14 to 20 February

What have the unions ever done for us?

Apart from the 5-day work week, the 40 hour week—and continuing reduction, paid annual leave, sick pay, paid maternity leave, flexible working, improvements to pay, health and safety at work, the right to accompaniment in formal proceedings, protection against unfair dismissal, bullying, victimisation…

Unions are vital to ensuring the rights of workers and that their voices are heard. Unions make sure that employers see workers as people with a life beyond their job—and that how they are treated and valued at their job has a huge impact on their life.

The week of 14 February is the TUC’s HeartUnions week—a time to celebrate the value of trade unions in the workplace and in society as a whole and to encourage as many people as possible to join a union.

Find out more about HeartUnions week and register for the online events to learn more about unions and how they win for workers.

What does your union mean to you?

As part of this week we would welcome comments—either using the box below or by contacting a rep directly—on what your union means to you.

Has being part of the union helped you at work? Have you felt supported by other reps and members? Do you have ideas about how you’d like your union to work? Let us know!

LGBT+ history month

Throughout February we are celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender + (LGBT+) history month, a time to remember the struggles, key figures and events in the fight for rights and against discrimination, a fight that continues to this day in society and the workplace.

The theme for this year is politics in art: ‘the arc is long’, taken from Martin Luther King’s quote “the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice”.

Visit the LGBT+ history month site for resources and events, including an event on 9 February hosted by the University of Edinburgh—’From the 1969 Stonewall Riots to Lesbian & Gays Support the Miners Group: a history or revolt, defiance and solidarity.’

Read how the Council are marking LGBT+ history month on Newsbeat.

Category: Political and social issues