Digital systems cannot replace specialist expertise The Orthopaedics Library is a highly specialised service, supporting staff and students in clinical orthopaedics, musculoskeletal sciences, rehabilitation, and biomedical engineering. Digital resources cannot replace the various specialist expertise provided by on-site library staff, such as guidance on using clinical databases, guaranteed library skills support for finding relevant literature, or support gaining rapid and accurate evidence retrieval necessary for ongoing healthcare education. Libraries build clinical and educational communities  The Institute of Orthopaedics Library is an important site for building the clinical and educational community that bolsters the aims of UCL and its NHS partners. Removing the physical library space risks weakening collaboration between clinicians and researchers and remove specialist environments, impairing clinical research and learning in the process. Libraries closures hurt students and accessibility Closing the Institute of Orthopaedics Library removes guaranteed access and space for students and staff based on the Stanmore campus, as well as limiting access to library resources and services. It also reduces access for certain disabled users, who require adapted study environments and staff working on-site. Those with limited or unreliable digital access will also be disadvantaged, lacking the computers, specialist terminals, and staffed support environments that currently allow them to access digital resources.  Staff face redeployment and/or redundancy All but one library staff member at the Institute of Orthopaedics Library face being moved to ringfenced vacancies within LCCOS. These posts are based at sites almost an hour from their current Stanmore site. Many of these jobs deemed suitable for ringfencing are substantially different from the roles these staff currently hold. The proposals also put certain staff at risk of redundancy and/or downgrading. These are specialist staff with years of service to UCL - to treat them this way is simply unacceptable. A rushed process UCL LCCOS management announced these proposals on 11 May. They intend to only hold a month-long consultation process, with the aim to close the library by 1st September. This is an incredibly rushed timeline, which does not allow time for meaningful consultation with affected staff and students, and would add immense workload pressures on these same staff who will expected to undertake the preparatory work necessary to close the library. We must stop UCL’s specialist site closure trend  In recent years, several specialist services have been closed in areas such as Eastman Dental, Ear Nose and Throat, and Ophthalmology. This reflects a wider trend towards centralisation of services in UCL and closure of remote access sites. Closing the Orthopaedics Library would continue this trajectory, and will likely unnerve dedicated staff in similar, smaller library sites.

The Halliard Academy Trust de-recognised the school workforce Unions when schools joined the Trust.  This means that there is no collective bargaining taking place between your employer and your Union.  Signing this petition will send a strong message to your employer that you, as a staff body, expect your employer to consult and negotiate with your Union in respect of all matters connected to your employment including contractual terms and conditions, employment policies, staffing restructures, equality matters, health and  safety, workload etc.. Let’s take action – sign this online petition and share with your colleagues.

The creation of Great British Railways is a big step forward, ending profiteering by train operating companies and creating an integrated publicly owned railway. But too many people are still being left out, including tens of thousands of outsourced and sub-contracted workers.  The use of outsourcing and sub-contracting is a scam, designed to siphon off profits from the railway by creating low paid and precarious work and driving down the quality of working life. RMT estimates that more than £400 million of the railway's money is lost to outsourcing and sub-contracting firms every year. Outsourcing and sub-contracting are worse for passengers too, leading to dirtier trains and stations and a poorer overall service.  Since 2020, Southeastern Trains has contracted out its cleaning to a company called Churchill. Churchill have provided an inferior service and profited from this contract. In the last two years, they have skimmed more than £50 million in dividends to their shareholders while passengers have seen worse standards and workers have struggled to get by.  Now Churchill’s contract is up and there is a golden opportunity to bring these workers into Great British Railways, end the profiteering, create better jobs and a better service for passengers.

It is vital for our community to stand united against these plans because they represent more than just budget savings but are a fundamental shift that compromises the safety and future of our children. By joining this fight, you are helping to prevent a chain reaction of negative impacts: • Declining Educational Quality: When specialised teachers are lost, subjects may be covered by staff without the appropriate expertise, for example, asking a geography teacher to cover science. This "cost to valuable support" inevitably leads to less thorough lesson planning and marking. • Increased Isolation for Vulnerable Students: Support staff are the backbone of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) inclusion. Cutting these roles makes real inclusion "impossible," leaving students with complex needs without the specialist care they require to succeed. • The Breaking Point for Remaining Staff: The Trust's plan to increase staff teaching hours places an unbearable burden on the teachers who remain. This leads to burnout and exhaustion, driving educators out of the profession and creating a cycle of recruitment crises. The Horncastle Education Trust argues these cuts are necessary for longer term financial health, but we believe the cost to our children's education is too high.

Cleaners on Barnet’s council cleaning contract—employed by Norse Group—are among the lowest-paid workers delivering public services in one of the richest cities in the world. They keep our council buildings and schools clean, safe and running, yet they can be left waiting around 10–12 days after the end of the pay period to receive wages they have already earned. They are paid every four weeks, but the pay arrives nearly two weeks after the work period ends. For workers living week to week, that delay creates real hardship: rent, bills, food and travel costs don’t wait. It also creates a clear two-tier situation where outsourced staff can be treated differently from directly employed council staff. On top of that, many contractors delay implementing the new London Living Wage rate until 1 April even though it is announced in October—leaving low-paid workers waiting months for an uplift that is meant to reflect the real cost of living. Barnet Council should set fair standards for any contractor that wants to provide services in Barnet: pay workers on time and pay the Living Wage when it is announced. If outsourcing cannot deliver basic fairness and accountability, then cleaning should be brought back in-house at the earliest opportunity.

The local trade union movement, including Leicester and District Trades Council, stands behind Tom. An injury to one is an injury to all. But Tom’s case has much more far-reaching implications for the labour movement. Tom’s suspension is also a direct attack on the rights of other UNISON members, who have been denied access to their elected representative in the middle of an industrial dispute. On March 18th 2026, UNISON members at Ash Field Academy completed an industrial action ballot over Tom’s suspension and the attack this represents on their rights. A massive majority of 87% voted for strikes on a turnout of 57%. Ash Field Academy is one of UNISON Leicester City’s most densely organised workplaces, and members there have a track record of winning – in 2023, Ash Field UNISON members won pay increases of between 18 and 25% after 43 days of strikes. If employers get away with victimising union stewards simply for doing their job effectively - especially in the middle of ongoing industrial disputes - this sets a dangerous precedent for our movement as a whole.

 Scotland stands at a crossroads. Our creative industries contribute over £5 billion to our economy and are the heartbeat of our national identity, yet the workers behind this success are being pushed to a breaking point. Following the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, we call on the next Scottish Government to move beyond "slogans" and immediately implement the 16 recommendations of the Culture Fair Work Taskforce and the findings of the Independent Review of Creative Scotland  The implementation of recommendations from the Independent Review of Creative Scotland (November 2025) and the Culture Fair Work Taskforce Report (December 2025) represent a defining moment for Scotland’s cultural identity and economic resilience.  The Creative Industries are crucially important to Scotland’s economy and wellbeing, the reports make clear that Scotland’s creative industries must change if we are to protect and enhance the lives and livelihoods of the workers within them.  We cannot claim to value "Scottish Culture" while the people who create it lack sick pay, maternity leave, and financial security. We call on all parties contesting the 2026 election to commit to the full, funded implementation of these reports in the first 100 days of the new Parliament 

Outsourcing companies frequently compete to win public contracts by reducing costs: it's a race to the bottom on the pay, terms, and conditions for their workers. This has a knock-on effect for services: for instance, hospital infections have increased under outsourced cleaning services. In its Make Work Pay plan the government committed to: 1. Bring about the biggest wave of insourcing of public services in a generation. 2. Introduce a strengthened two-tier workforce code to reduce differences in the wages of workers doing similar jobs. 3. Undertake procurement reform to drive up employment standards across the economy. As a package, these policies will have a significant positive impact on the employment terms and conditions of the workers delivering our public services – and everyone who relies on them. They will also deliver greater value for taxpayers by reducing inefficiencies, removing private profit, and increasing accountability. Minister Ward has committed to driving forward an ambitious agenda towards insourcing and, where the outsourcing of public services is deemed to be in the public interest, ensuring decent work for outsourced workers. Union access, recognition, and collective bargaining are often missing in outsourced services, leading to further attacks on working conditions. The proposed new Procurement Bill will be crucial to addressing these gaps and delivering decent work across our public services. To succeed for workers and service users, this agenda needs widespread public support. Please sign the official record of support for insourcing today.

Support staff across Saint Ralph Sherwin and Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust are essential to the safety, learning and development of children in the Nottinghamshire Diocese.  They go above and beyond to ensure pupils are supported and secure in their schools. They take pride in their work and their expertise, but have made the difficult decision to strike to protect their pupils, their livelihoods and the schools they hold so dear. Workers have overwhelmingly rejected the insulting proposals that could slash their wages by up to 25%. If they go ahead as planned, they feel that the schools would no longer be the safe welcoming environments they have all worked so hard to foster. 94% and 98% of UNISON members that voted in their Trust specific ballot voted to strike and the first dates were held on 24th and 25th March making their voices heard and proving that schools can't run without them.  Following successful peaceful protests at both Trust headquarters over the Easter Break, further strike dates for April and May have been announced.

Removing this essential service will create new barriers to learning, participation, and employment at the college, undermining the ability of many to continue their courses or sustain their roles. We call on Milton Keynes College to halt the closure plans and work with staff, students, UNISON, and the wider community to find a fair, sustainable alternative that protects access to childcare.   UNISON will keep in touch as the campaign develops

Northern Trains is becoming part of a publicly owned Great British Railways, which is good news for passengers and rail workers.  But many rail workers are being left out of Great British Railways because they are outsourced to private companies.  Outsourcing companies cut costs to boost profits, resulting in worse pay and conditions for staff and a worse service for passengers. Northern Trains currently outsources station staff, cleaners and security guards to Carlisle, ISS and Amulet.  Carlisle is owned by the Tory donor and tax exile Lord Ashcroft and its treatment of staff is typical of the worst of outsourcing firms. ·         Imposing low pay: RMT members at Carlisle have been in a long-running dispute because the company won’t negotiate their pay, choosing to impose the minimum possible pay rates it can get away with. Our members have been forced to take industrial action in the form of strikes and refusing to scan tickets to try to get a negotiated pay rise.  ·         Bullying staff for taking legal strike action: Since the dispute began, Carlisle managers have tried to bully and intimidate our members into submission. Carlisle keep many of our members on zero hours contracts and threaten to cut their shifts or their holiday if our members take legal strike action.  ·         Passing the buck: Carlisle and Northern keep passing the buck between them, each blaming the other for the dispute, while hoping our members will be starved into giving up.  This treatment brings shame on Northern Trains.

Workers have called for formal union recognition so staff can negotiate pay, terms and working conditions collectively with Second Step management. While meetings have been productive, recognition has yet to be granted, leaving workers without a meaningful, organised voice in decisions that directly affect their livelihoods and the quality of services provided. We call on Second Step to recognise our union formally, commit to fair and inflation-reflective pay, and address the widening pay gap between Second Step roles and equivalent NHS and AWP positions. Fair pay and fair representation are essential not only for staff, but for the stability and future of the services our communities rely on. When workers are respected, services are stronger. We would like to highlight Kelvin Blake's conflicting position; on one hand, he is a councillor representing constituents who are struggling to buy food and access housing as their pay is not meeting the rate of inflation, and on the other hand he is the Chair of the Board of Second Step and his silence is deafening. As a Labour councillor his government have bought in the Employment Rights Bill – which among other things provides improved facility time for union reps and lifts many constraints on union activity – and yet Kelvin is silent about the industrial action happening in his constituency. This silence is palpable as Union reps struggle to engage with Second Step leadership in meaningful negotiations. We say to Kelvin: many of us are your constituents and we are asking you to make a statement in support of our campaign. This would be particularly impactful in your position as Chair of the Board. Stand with Second Step workers and support fair pay, fair conditions and union recognition. Sign to show your solidarity with our campaign and to support our message to Kelvin.