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uniteLANDWORKER Comment
WALK THIS WAY
There should be a brighter path ahead after the government announced recently that it’s planning to remove the 2031 cut-off date for recording historic rights of way, writes Mark Metcalf.
There are thousands of miles of unrecorded rights of way across England that are enjoyed by walkers, cyclists and equestrians.
In March 2024 the BBC found around 8,000 requests for paths to be added to the official map were waiting to be processed, with cash strapped local authorities struggling to keep pace with the public’s clamour for them to be added to the official map. These paths and bridleways can now be retained, but still need to be recorded.
Help is on hand from the Ramblers and the Open Spaces Society (OSS). The latter is Britain’s oldest national conservation body, whose Find Our Way fund can aid local groups to carry out research. This can be time consuming and complex – you need maps and evidence from users of the highway and you must contact as many landowners as you can find, before a claim can be made to the local authority. They will then investigate by walking the route and undertaking their own research. In the final case a public inquiry could be held.
Following the announcement of the intended removal of the 2031 cut-off date, the OSS is now hoping to persuade the government to make it compulsory for lost commons to be registerable throughout England. Currently they can only be registered in Cumbria and North Yorkshire, yet, grossly unfairly, landowners can apply to deregister commons throughout England.
5 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2025
Bev Clarkson Unite national officer
Food, drink and agricultural sector WORKERS’ RIGHTS:
OUR CUP OF TEA Sexual harassment in the international tea supply chain is a significant trade union issue for the UK. It highlights the intersection of gender-based violence, workers’ rights, and corporate responsibility in a global industry tied closely to British consumption and retail.
While much of the world’s tea is grown and processed in countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya, the final products are sold by major UK supermarkets and tea brands, making the UK a key beneficiary of these global supply chains.
Many tea plantations rely heavily on a female labour force, often in rural areas where oversight is limited and power imbalances are stark. Reports have documented widespread sexual harassment and exploitation, with women facing threats, coercion, and abuse from male male supervisors or colleagues. It’s a hostile and unsafe working environment where victims often have no voice or means of redress.
Unite views this as a core issue because British companies sourcing tea from such environments must be held accountable for upholding human rights standards.
Through affiliations with global union federations and ethical trade networks, Unite are working to ensure companies conduct rigorous due diligence, enforce zero-tolerance harassment policies, and support independent worker representation and grievance mechanisms at the plantation level.
Furthermore, ignoring abuse in tea supply chains undermines the broader union fight for gender equality and safe work environments both in the UK and globally.
Trade unions have a duty to push for systemic reforms, not only through public campaigns but also by pressuring UK companies and legislators to take responsibility for the conditions in their supply chains.
Sexual harassment in the tea supply chain is a UK trade union issue because British workers, consumers, and corporations are directly connected to these abuses – and therefore have a moral and strategic role in ending them.
See pages 12 and 13
Alamy
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