The practice of ghost clinics or double-booking patient clinics for commercial gain risks both patients and clinicians in their prospective roles. Patients can be put at risk from a rushed eye examination that may miss vital signs of an eye condition or overall eye health. Practitioners are put in a compromising position between carrying out their employer's request and/or breaching GOC standards which could lead to them losing their registration and be unable to practice. The application of ghost clinics is often aimed at those with less employment rights like new starters, newly qualified or locums (self-employed), who feel pressurised to accept the practice. Many practitioners are left feeling stressed, missing their rest breaks and working additional hours just to cover the double appointments booked whilst feeling they are letting patients down. This also affects everyone who rely on companies within the optical sector to look after their eye health, so help support those in the sector trying to eradicate this practice and also for the benefit of your own wider health by signing this petition.

Most people using the service are terminally ill. They deserve a specialist, knowledgeable team to manage their claims. The closure risks long delays and a lack of specialist knowledge to support claims. • 40+ jobs are at risk leaving staff in fear of redundancy with little chance of redeployment in the local area. • Over 1000 combined years of experience helping the growing number of victims of asbestos-related lung diseases and other industrial disease will be lost. • Excellent working relationships with asbestos support groups, unions and charities will end. • Sufferers of terminal illnesses and their families will have to wait longer to receive payment and peace of mind at the most difficult of times. Industrial disease continues to have a devastating effect on workers and families across the country. Britain has the highest rates of asbestos cancer in the world, and Barrow has the highest rates in Britain. The thousands of people suffering work-related illnesses every year deserve a dedicated service. Save Phoenix House! This campaign is just one concerning 50 DWP sites facing closure, for more information see www.pcs.org.uk/campaigns/campaign-dwp-jobs-services-communities

We need a new deal for all workers. We demand stronger collective bargaining rights and an end to exploitative employment practices like fire and rehire.

Firefighters’ BA is crucial for tackling fires safely in buildings, providing them with protection from death, injury and disease when working in oxygen-deficient, toxic and hazardous atmospheres. Firefighters attending high-rise fires must wear their BA and be under air before moving beyond the bridgehead - a safe-air environment – to tackle the fire and rescue anyone inside the building safely. New policy guidance issued by the NFCC would permit firefighters to be sent beyond the bridgehead without being supplied with safe air. If firefighters are not using their BA to supply safe air when they pass beyond the bridgehead, it provides them with no protection at all. This new procedure would: - Expose firefighters to toxic smoke and other harmful substances that can cause death, injury, cancer & other diseases. - Make dealing with any equipment faults extremely difficult. - Make calculating how much air a firefighter needs to get out safely impossible. If a firefighter runs out of air or gets in distress, they could be beyond the point of rescue. Firefighters’ lives, and public safety, are at risk if this policy is put in place. Dead and injured firefighters can’t rescue anybody.

Just a few months ago Grant Shapps slammed P&O for replacing experienced workers with agency staff. But now he’s proposing to do the same on railways and other key sectors. Ministers seem determined to reduce workers’ bargaining power and to make it harder for working people to win fair pay and conditions. It would put these workers in an appalling situation, worsen disputes and poison industrial relations. This is about respect, for our work, skill and experience and we can only win that dignity and respect through the power of standing together with other union members. Every time workers go out on strike, we remind them of how important we really are and it terrifies them. Add your name and tell the government to abandon this dangerous plan.

Millions of us across the country rely on train services every day to get to work, go to school, and as a greener option for travelling across the country. But the UK government is cutting Network Rail’s annual expenditure by £100 million. More than 2,600 dedicated railway workers will lose their jobs, their livelihoods and careers. That means fewer staff to undertake vital maintenance work, fewer inspectors on board trains, fewer route controllers to keep services safe and functional. It’s impossible to make those cuts without cutting corners on safety. We don’t want to see commuters packed like sardines into unsafe trains. We don’t want cuts that could make accidents more likely and increase the possibility of trains flying off the tracks. We deserve safe, reliable and affordable and well maintained trains for all. The UK government must recognise the world's most successful railways are in public ownership, and backed by sustainable government funding. We demand a better vision for the future of Britain’s rail. We want the UK government to put safety and livelihoods first. Sign the petition to stop this jobs disaster and the largest cuts to public rail services in a generation.

The heritage and wider cultural sector was hit very hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of jobs were lost as vital income streams dried up. As museums, galleries and other spaces have been able to reopen to the public and tourism has begun to recover there have been some green shoots of recovery. However this can only happen with both a safe workforce and visitors that feel confident about attending Covid-secure venues. This is being put at risk by the failure of the UK government to mandate the wearing of facemasks for visitors to indoor heritage venues in England. Although masks will only be one part of a comprehensive strategy to address the risks posed by Covid the World Health Organisations recommends them as an important part of this comprehensive approach.

PCS members have been in dispute with DVLA management and the Department for Transport (DfT) since January over covid safety in the workplace. With the highest numbers of workplace cases, management were slow to act and showed scant disregard for members health. After 8 days of strike action PCS negotiated a deal to end the dispute and put in place clear safeguards for those in work. At the 11th hour the draft agreement was scrapped by management without a clear explanation why. Further strike action is now underway. We believe government ministers stopped the DVLA management signing the deal. We need to apply pressure to the Secretary of State to settle this dispute. Please sign the email to him. It’s your right to be heard and only pressure from union members and our friends and family will work now.

Latest Government figures revealed a staggering 385,000 people have been living with symptoms of long Covid for a year or more. And spiralling infection rates mean many more people are likely to contract long Covid. Symptoms include fatigue, brain fog and shortness of breath, and it’s more common in key workers, women and those living in the most deprived areas. Our research reviled wide spread discrimination and disbelief at work 1 in 20 people with long covid have been forced out of their jobs. This is not acceptable. We must stand in solidarity with everyone who has long Covid. We demand the Government urgently address the discrimination people with long Covid face.

Over the past year, we have successfully adapted to remote working made necessary by the pandemic. We have worked hard to ensure the work of the University has continued, in a safe and effective way. We have made sure systems still run, research is able to continue, and students are still able to have the best experience possible. Feedback from University management has rightly recognised this: "We can all feel proud of the quality of education that we have been able to maintain in the most difficult of circumstances. [It] is a testament to your dedication, and to the supportive environment that you have all helped to create." "Indeed, one of the more positive lessons of the pandemic is that we can do some pretty fabulous things online." (Emails to all staff from Head of College of Social Sciences) We have done all this from home. While the COVID-19 crisis has brought many challenges, there have also been opportunities. Being able to work from home has meant a better work-life balance, and more inclusive ways of working for disabled staff and those with caring responsibilities - often met by women. We are concerned that one of the few positive points of the COVID-19 pandemic - our ability to work flexibly and remotely, improving our work-life balance and our productivity - will be lost as we begin to emerge from lockdown. We ask the University to make sure this does not happen, and staff at all levels are enabled to keep working well. We Need to Keep Working Safely As the most recent lockdown begins to lift, we want to ensure we are able to keep these flexible working arrangements, where they work for us. This means ensuring that all those who want to continue to work from home, and for whom it is practical and accessible to do so, are able to keep the flexibility they have been able to work with, without having to go through onerous formal application processes. This also means ensuring disabled, chronically ill and neurodivergent staff have the right adjustments in place both at home and on campus, right from the beginning of their employment, to enable them to work safely, productively and flexibly. We ask the University to work with UCU, Unison, Unite and GMB to ensure all staff are able to work in ways that work for them, including having the right adjustments in place to enable us to work flexibly. The Benefits of Remote and Flexible Working It has been argued by organisations such as the Chartered Management Institute that home working, and other flexible working arrangements, can be a part of closing gender and disability pay and leadership gaps, as well as improving the attraction, retention, progression, and well-being of employees. The University of Birmingham’s own research into increased flexible working during COVID-19, in partnership with the University of Kent, found that most respondents noted they would prefer to work more flexibly in the future (including 52% of all parents and 66% of non-parents), after benefitting from a better work-life balance, increased productivity and improved wellbeing during lockdown. The University's Business School has also written about some of the benefits of home working, flexible working and blended approaches. Research from Cardiff University and the University of Southampton found that 70% of employees surveyed found their productivity either stayed the same or increased while they were working from home. The Government itself has argued flexible working - including flexi-time and home working - should be normalised, stating it would ‘boost productivity and particularly help women and those outside major cities’. By enabling all staff to continue working in ways that work for them, the University can make meaningful progress on some of its targets around dismantling structural barriers faced by groups within the University, as part of its 2021-24 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion scheme. This includes demonstrating the University’s commitment to being a “Disability Confident” employer, by ensuring the benefits of remote and flexible working for disabled people are not lost; and making it easier for those with caring responsibilities to balance these with their work. Home working can also contribute positively to the UoB Sustainable Travel Plan by reducing travel to campus and surrounding areas, and address the significant issues that staff have faced with parking on campus. Trust us to Work Well An earlier email from the chairs and co-chairs of the University’s staff networks stated that there was clear evidence of ‘a desire for global culture change that embeds a transparent trusted approach in relationships between staff and leaders.’ We ask the University of Birmingham to trust staff, who have consistently demonstrated their ability to adapt and deliver to a high standard, given the right support. We ask the University of Birmingham to demonstrate its worth as an employer that trusts and empowers its staff: trust us to work flexibly, in ways that work for us, and that benefit everyone.

The Scottish Government has prioritised school education during the pandemic; it has now opened schools for a full pupil return in P1-3 whilst continuing to lock down other parts of society and people’s lives outside of school. The EIS believes that teachers and other school staff should be vaccinated in phase 2 of the Scottish vaccination programme – the Scottish Government has the power to do this, and it will help to safely implement their policy of prioritising schools. Furthermore, the EIS believes that medical grade facemasks should be provided to teachers and other school staff to better protect against the coronavirus and its variants, especially by aerosol transmission. Finally, the EIS believes that ventilation in classrooms is of key importance and is concerned to hear of members’ poor experiences in this regard.

Are your Local Authorities Trades People and Council Tenants being put at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 during the National Lockdown? During the first lockdown local authorities across the country reduced the service they provided and carried out emergencies only repairs in occupied houses. Following the announcement from Boris Johnson of a further lockdown on January 5th, some local authorities have been slow to act and are continuing with non-essential works within occupied properties. The workers can visit numerous properties within a day, frequently exposing workers and the tenants to the serious risk of contracting COVID-19. Latest information indicates one in three people do not show any symptoms of the deadly virus. The new strain of the virus is 70% more transmissible and evidence suggests more variants are likely to develop. By signing this petition, you are supporting Unite the Union to help reduce the spread of infections amongst workers and tenants within your Local Authority. Checklist for Members and Reps (Re Construction Tradespersons entering properties and occupied premises) • Unite supports local authorities and housing associations responding to emergency situations and essential maintenance only in occupied properties. • Planned maintenance work can be undertaken in vacant (void) properties provided risk assessments are conducted and strict social distancing measures are enforced at all times. • All necessary PPE supplied to workers who must have it before commencing work and completing jobs safely. • Employers must consult with trade union representatives when producing a risk assessment and the results of risk assessments shared with and communicated to employees. All existing risk assessments need to be reviewed and updated. • Unite reiterates the requirement for dynamic risk assessment which Includes an agreed stop work process, where the assessment highlights a serious risk. Incorporates method statements, including induction processes, being delivered remotely, utilising modern technology to update and inform all employees and workers prior to any works commencing. • Safe systems of work to be reviewed and updated in light of the increased transmission of the new Covid-19 variant. This to include workplace and travel to work policies. • Involvement of Unite stewards and health and safety representatives in all safety discussions. Please see Unite coronavirus guide. • All employers must construct a stop work on health and safety grounds procedure. An employee who believes their safety is threatened can stop work, and work cannot be resumed until a solution is agreed. Develop these procedures with trade union representatives. • All employees afforded protection under section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (the right to withdraw from a work area when faced with imminent risk to health/safety). https://unitetheunion.org/media/3094/legal-s44-100-advice-to-members-returning-to-workplaces-200520.pdf • The right to decline work due to the failure of the responsible entity/person to ensure social distancing on site with no detriment to the worker.