uniteLANDWORKER Comment
OUR STRONG, MEMBERS
As this issue of Landworker highlights, in recent months Unite members across our Food, Drink and Agriculture sector have been busy organising and building their collective strength in workplaces across Britain and Ireland, including at Bakkavor, Oscar Mayer and Princes.
We have also had some significant victories, such as at Hargreaves Industrial Services, in a sector that includes some of the worst employment practices in the country. This demonstrates the power that workers have when they organise together through their trade union. When visiting these disputes it has been inspiring to see how strong and determined these members are.
This strength was also evident at the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ festival in July where I met reps and activists from across Unite. The event had a great atmosphere – in part, as I said in my speech, because it was the first time in 14 years we were meeting without the spectre of the Tory government hanging over us. But that didn’t mean we can now relax. The political focus now must be on ensuring that the Labour government delivers for working people.
In Britain the publication of the Employment Rights Bill is a step forward.
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However, I have made it very clear to the government that we can’t accept their watering down of the bans of fire and rehire and zero hours contracts they promised. I am also very concerned about the weakness of their proposals for allowing workers to have access to trade unions. These are all issues that are very live in food, drink and agriculture and will continue to be so.
At the same time workers across society still face the high prices generated in the cost of living crisis and far too many have suffered as a result. This makes Unite’s work to organise workers and help them to improve their jobs, pay and conditions more
Sharon Graham General Secretary
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham writes
important than ever. It also underlines the need for us all to give our full support to those workers who are out in dispute like those featured in this issue.
Solidarity to you all.
find out more See
UNITElive.org and
unitetheunion.org for the latest Unite news.
Mark Thomas
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