CAMPAIGN Health and safety – Prostate cancer ‘‘ Unite Wellbeing Day – around 2,000 workers pack out the event
“Men are the worst when it comes to getting themselves checked out for anything so this raises the profile. We also carry out training to raise awareness and help everyone.”
Beyond construction lots of other Unite reps are getting involved in highlighting the danger of prostate cancer and supporting colleagues who have been diagnosed.
In Yorkshire, Unite senior steward, librarian Karen Daniels has been supporting male colleagues at work by negotiating sanitary provision in men’s toilets.
Karen decided to take action after hearing a speaker from Prostate Cancer UK at a Unite national health and safety committee meeting.
The speaker explained the challenges men can face because of a lack of disposal facilities for soiled incontinence wear, and though it took a while to get things moving, Karen has now managed to make a real change in her workplace by negotiating provision with the employer.
“Management responded positively to the information I gave them. This was most definitely a Unite/management collaboration, of which I’m proud,” she explained.
With Karen’s encouragement the management started to make necessary changes, and “now has disposal bins installed at most of our sites.”
The initiative has been well received by male colleagues and Karen has had “really positive comments.”
Karen would encourage reps in other workplaces to look at negotiating
FIND OUT MORE
For guidance and how to support colleagues you can download the Unite Prostate Cancer Toolkit and other resources online.
Visit
bitly/4c0s81N or scan the QR Code
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bitly/4an4w6e or scan the QR Code
Construction national industrial sector committee (NISC) chair Billy Parry encouraged everyone to get checked at the October meeting.
Billy explained to delegates, “After seeing all the news about prostate cancer I recently went for a test. When I saw my doctor to get the results it was fortunately very good, and he told me I needn’t come back until I was 70.
“It was a relief and I came away from the Surgery feeling great, I just wished I’d got checked earlier instead of pushing it to the back of my mind.
“I would urge everyone to take the opportunity to get tested.”
RISK CHECKER
Take Prostate Cancer UK’s 30-second online Risk Checker to find out your risk and what you can do about it.
I recently went for a test. The results [were] fortunately very good, and I [was] told I needn’t come back until I was 70…I came away feeling great. I’d urge everyone to take the opportunity to get tested
Billy Parry, Unite construction NISC chair
similar facilities, explaining that they should, “Just present the facts to management and ask the question, you may be surprised by the answer.
“However, if the answer is no, use the structure of Unite to support you in your mission. Our equalities committees are second to none. With all the training and committee structures Unite provides us with, we are able to go into our workplaces and make a real difference.”
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