n By Keith Hatch
overseeing renovations for worn out facilities. She also launched initiatives to raise the union’s visibility and the value of workers in the accounting profession.
While standing up for her fellow workers as a trade union leader Vitória was also a respected
professional accountant, receiving many awards.
Vitória passed away early last year, but her passion to ensure workers were treated well and had union representation is something she has passed onto her son.
Frederico said, “I heard about Unite about 10 years ago when I was an employee. I’m always on the side of the employees, and I saw joining Unite as a good opportunity for myself, the company and my workers.”
He is particularly interested in the way that unions support workers’ health and safety and understanding of the law.
Currently RAG employs 20 people and so far Frederico and a number of others have joined Unite, with more being encouraged to join over the coming months’.
Frederico added that, “We are looking to expand next year, not only by getting contracts outside of London, but also by taking on more workers. These will all be given the opportunity of joining Unite.”
He feels that it was his mother’s influence that made him so keen to look after his workforce and sign a union
recognition agreement, and she would have approved if she could see how he had forged links with Unite.
“Sadly my mother recently passed away, but she would have been very proud that I have joined the union,” Frederico explained, “She inspired me, not only to be involved in a trade union, but to work really hard - she was a single mother who worked very hard to get trained and become the first woman to lead her union.”
The recognition agreement with Unite came about through a meeting with Unite Convenor at Canary Wharf, Trevor Simpson.
Trevor has been instrumental in negotiating time to promote the benefits of Unite membership at Canary Wharf. Trevor has a slot during the site’s mandatory staff inductions, with the opportunity to explain to all new workers what a trade union is and why it is worth joining Unite, particularly when it comes to workplace safety and skills development through Unite’s Canary Wharf Learning Centre.
Thanks to this negotiated agreement Frederico met Trevor when he and his team attended an induction session after they had been commissioned to carry out work at the Wood Wharf development.
Afterwards he approached Trevor, explaining, “I was interested in becoming more involved with the trade union at the site and talked to Trevor about the work of Unite and how I could join, along with my workforce at RAG.”
Trevor says, “Everyone who enters the site induction session leaves with a Unite membership form, with many contacting me in the days after to find out more and to sign up.
“It was really good to talk to Frederico and not only hear about his interest in joining and signing a recognition agreement for Rope Access Group UK, but also to hear the story of his mother and how her life in the Brazilian trade union movement had inspired him.”
Trevor said that RAG is just one of the companies that Unite have been signing recognition agreements with recently at the Canary Wharf site, and he is looking forward to working with them and supporting their workers in the future.
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