Becoming an academy has profound implications for children and young people, parents, staff and the local community. The decision to apply for academy status is made by the school’s governing body, which is required to consult with ‘appropriate’ persons. We believe that it is essential that there should be full consultation with parents and the local community about such an important decision. We have grave reservations about academy status. We believe that any change to the school should be one that makes a positive difference to children’s educational attainment and there is no evidence to show that Stockbridge Village Primary School becoming an academy would raise educational standards. We hope that having considered all of the information, you will share our view that the high level of risk involved in academy status far outweighs any of the suggested advantages and decide to cease seeking academy status. The decision to become an academy is irreversible. There is no going back!

Regina Coeli House in West Belfast is the only women-only hostel in Northern Ireland providing accommodation and support to the homeless, those with addictions, mental health challenges or survivors of domestic abuse. The 21-bed facility faces the threat of impending closure as the Legion of Mary, who own the building, claim they cannot maintain it any more. But letting our only women’s hostel shut its doors is wrong. The staff of Regina Coeli House who face redundancy are bravely fighting to keep this vital service open. If the Legion of Mary cannot maintain this building, they must do the right thing and transfer the building to the Housing Executive who must be prepared to step forward to keep this service running. It’s not too late to save Regina Coeli House and the jobs we love. Please join us in calling on the Management Committee to transfer this facility and grounds to the Housing Executive, who must step in to run this service, so that with funding from Communities’ Minister Deirdre Hargey we can expand access to an all-too-vital service for vulnerable women. Thank you The staff of Regina Coeli House

Glasgow as a city has a vibrant nightlife and as stated by the Licensing Policy Statement (2018) the nightlife industry generates £2.16bn every year. The nightlife industry is clearly crucial to Glasgow’s economy however the safety of the workers that allow the industry to function is not the priority for employers, Glasgow City Council or the licensing board. We are calling for this to change. The 17,000 jobs mentioned in the policy report neglects to highlight the precarious nature of this form of employment and the sacrifices night workers need to make to simply get home safe. SafeHome is a campaign led by a network of women and shift workers in hospitality, cinemas and other late night premises; demanding a safe transport home from shifts that does not leave any worker financially worse off or compromise their safety when returning home from work. We have entered the festive period which for most is a time for enjoying Christmas parties with friends and colleagues however the reality for nightlife workers is an extension to license hours for employers to make more profit. This means further harassment,higher difficulty getting home and dealing with the fact that no real safety measures are being put in place to protect staff. We are calling for Glasgow City Council to recognise the difficulty workers face and change the realities of hospitality and late night working in the city. Our campaign highlights the realities of workers trying to get home safe which can range from taxi fares being deducted from payslips, measly £4 credit provided by multi million pound companies and having to pay substantial portions of wages on taxi fare. Workers have to attempt to navigate a busy dangerous city center at unsociable hours and risk being assaulted on the way home after a shift. These scenarios are not hypothetical, they are the reality of working in the nightlife economy. This was the reality for one of our activists when finishing work in the city center earlier this year. When the last bus for the evening failed to show up she had to walk through the city center and was sexually assaulted in the street. This came after her employer refused to provide paid transport past the last bus. Incidents like these are avoidable and this is just one case of many.

By removing the Trade Union Act 2016, we begin the process to repeal anti-trade union laws that have been placed upon us by the Conservatives. The right to strike is just that; a right. Yet Conservative government after Conservative government has decided that we must jump over unnecessary hurdles to earn what is rightfully ours. We must take a stand against this injustice.

Trade unions estimate that this will result in over 400 job losses and essential public services will be severly impacted, if not lost altogether.

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.

Dundee City Council are trying to force through a disruptive restructure of all secondary schools in the area. If the changes were to go ahead, the council would band subjects together under one faculty. The council would remove principal teachers from secondary schools and replace them with a new position – “faculty heads”. The plans mean there would be fewer teachers in our already under-resourced schools and yet more disruption to students’ learning. The changes would significantly increase workload for teachers – that means less one-to-one time with students. And there is no evidence out there to suggest that the faculties model has any educational benefit. This will hit the poorest students, hardest. Dundee is one of the most deprived areas in Scotland. And one in five young people leave school without any qualification at National 5 level. Secondary teachers almost unanimously oppose the changes. 97% have voted to reject the plans, and 96% don’t believe that the changes will improve the attainment gap. Education is in crisis. We need more class teachers, not less. Every young person deserves a qualified and experienced teacher. Every young person deserves a quality education.

Tracey Scholes has been a bus driver at the Queens Road depot for the past 34 years. When Tracey started her journey as a bus driver in 1987 she was the first female bus driver employed at the Queens Road depot. The industry back then was very male dominated and a woman taking a driving position was challenging to say the least however Tracey took the challenge and has had the full respect of all her colleagues. Over the years Tracey has been instrumental in paving the way for other women to take up positions within the passenger sector. Tracey is a hardworking, loved and valued member of the NW/5/4 Branch and the Queens Road family who deserves to be commended for her years of service to the traveling public of Greater Manchester, however Go North West Ltd has dismissed her from employment because THEY changed the manufacturer specification on their fleet of buses resulting in five foot tall Tracey being physically unable to operate some company vehicles. Go North West Ltd have refused to consider proposals from Tracey and her Unite trade union reps to keep her in employment. This has resulted in her unfair dismissal from Go North West Ltd for capability to fulfil her role a PCV driver. The company’s only resolution is to offer Tracey a position in the company that would see Tracey’s pay and hours cut significantly leaving her in financial hardship.

Girls' Day School Trust is threatening to leave the national Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) at 23 of its schools. This could mean a significant reduction in the pension entitlements promised to hundreds of teachers. There is no excuse for teachers at GDST schools to be threatened with cuts to their pension rights given the financial position of the employer. All teachers deserve certainty over income in retirement. The alternative defined contribution scheme proposed by GDST would leave teachers with an inferior pension for teachers and their families. Furthermore the unacceptable proposals would also allow GDST to reduce the amount it pays in employer pension contributions in future years - further cutting the value of teachers' pensions (i.e deferred pay) in future years. This is not an honourable position for any good employer to take and, if implemented, these changes will seriously damage the reputation of GDST. We call on GDST to withdraw its proposals to leave TPS and to commit to working with the NASUWT on a way forward in the interests of teachers and pupils. GDST has enough funds to offer teachers fair pensions. The Trusts finances are in a healthy condition with total funds of £461.9 million and available reserves of £43.1 million as of August 2020. Whilst the fees payable by parents have increased, additional investment should prioritise teachers at GDST. Despite claims by the employer, there is no confirmation that pension contributions to be paid by the employer will increase. The proposed changes are therefore an unnecessary and unjustified attack on the terms and conditions of dedicated and highly-skilled and professional teachers. Teachers make a school successful. GDST, as an employer, needs to value and invest in the school workforce. There is no justification for them cutting pensions. There is a recruitment and retention crisis in education and attacking pensions and threatening to dismiss and re-engage staff on inferior terms and conditions of service is not the way to encourage them to remain with GDST or to motivate them to deliver the best possible education for pupils. Teachers deserve a decent pension. Keep GDST in the Teachers' Pension Scheme and withdraw these threats to teachers.

Unite the Union currently have over 60 members on strike at Weetabix, due to the company adopting fire and rehire tactics which will in some workers losing £5000 annually. Weetabix have no legitimate reason to be slashing the pay and conditions of it's engineers. From research obtained, we believe Weetabix profited $112.3 million in 2020. And Post Holdings Inc. most recent accounts show an operating profit of $700.8 million and has $1.2 billion in cash reserves. The healthy finances at both Weetabix and Post Holdings render these actions completely unnecessary. This is nothing more than corporate greed at the expense of a loyal workforce. The Post Holdings corporate responsibility states: "We believe it’s our responsibility to help make the world a better place, and we do this through our commitment to doing business the right way and investing in efforts to create positive change for people and our communities." So why are they treating Weetabix engineers with contempt? You can read the full statement here: https://www.postconsumerbrands.com/responsibility/

Community support has been fantastic, with more than 11,500 of us having signed the petition. We need to carry on getting more signatures to help us to put more pressure on the Government to set up an Inquiry into police brutality and government involvement at Orgreave. Please can you send a message to keep the momentum going?

Throughout the pandemic, biomedical scientists have been on the frontline of our NHS, analysing patient blood samples and carrying out covid-19 testing. The workers, who have been on strike since May, are owed staggering amounts of back pay. That starts at several hundred pounds up to as much as £8,000, after managers failed to honour a 2019 agreement to upgrade their pay. Send a message to Chair of the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Eileen Fairhurst, demanding she meet with Unite and settle this unnecessary dispute as soon as possible.