Libraries do so much more than lend books! We are one of the last vestiges of public civic life, accessible to all, located at the heart of your community. We provide: • A safe space, open to everyone, cool in summer and warm in winter • A wealth of information, free at the point of delivery • Services such as printing and room hire are far below the commercial rate • IT assistance for the digitally excluded • Free community groups, clubs and societies for you to join • Free crafts, activities and workshops for your children • Partnership programmes with local schools to reinforce learning • Learning and development programmes and classes • A public platform for organisations to liaise with the community in person … and a lot more besides.

Tees Valley Combined Authority has invested £138 million into the airport since purchasing it in 2019 including acquisition costs, equity investment, loans and grants.  Tees Valley Combined Authority owns 75% of the Airport.   Public investment should lead to public benefit for the people of Teesside, starting with their pay! GMB has negotiated in good faith. Management has stalled, dismissed, and disrespected the very people who keep Teesside Airport alive. Stand with Teesside Airport Workers and Sign Our Petition. Let’s send a message: Fair pay is not optional. It’s a right. Our Airport Our Pay

Buses matter to people and their communities.  Their experiences and ideas should help shape the future of our services. The call for a public voice in decision making is backed by the following organisations: 1. Better Buses for South Yorkshire 2. Barnsley Trades Council 3. Doncaster Trades Council 4. Sheffield Trades Council 5. Rotherham Trades Council 6. Sprotborough & Cusworth Parish Council 7. Barnsley Methodist Circuit 8. Sheffield Methodist Circuit 9. Extinction Rebellion Sheffield                                                                                            10. South Yorkshire Climate Alliance 11. Sheffield Green Party 12. Doncaster Green Party 13. Greenpeace Sheffield 14. Unite Community South Yorkshire 15. Sheffield People’s Assembly 16. South Yorkshire Fossil Free 17. Sheffield for Democracy 18. A Fleet for Change (Sheffield) 19. SADACCA  (Sheffield & District African Caribbean Community Association) 20. Burngreave Clean Air Campaign 21. Gleadless Valley Climate Action Network 22. Tell the Truth Sheffield 23. We Own It

I’ve had enough of Nigel Farage pretending he speaks for industrial workers like me. He doesn’t speak for me. And I know he doesn’t speak for you either. If you work in industry—cars, steel, ceramics, logistics, construction, energy, whatever—add your name. If we hit our signature target, we’ll publish an open letter in the media with one clear message: “Farage doesn’t speak for us. We’re industrial workers. We’re proud of Britain and we’re proud of our industries. We don’t need culture wars—we need investment. We need modern car plants, world-class potteries, and future-proofed steelworks. Reform UK isn’t offering that. They want to drag us backwards. Farage’s friendship with Trump and the corporate elite says it all: He’s not on our side. He’s an enemy of the working class.” Stand up for real workers. Sign the petition.

In 2024-25, the Musicians’ Union and Council of Music Makers took part in Government-convened negotiations with major labels for fair pay and contract terms.   Despite intense Government pressure, the major labels refused to pay a greater share of streaming revenue to creators.    We urge MPs to change the law to introduce fair payments for music makers from music streaming, and other measures to finally fix streaming.

Without Contact Centre Educators there would be no people trained and ready to take our emergency calls.  North West Ambulance Service recognised that there was a recruitment and retention issue by introducing the additional payment to the educators role; the recruitment and retention issues haven't gone away and neither should the payment.

We need to show Mr. Hutton just how many of us are demanding a better deal. Standing up for ourselves is the only way we'll get the respect and pay we deserve.  Donate to the strike fund here: https://support-mitie-workers-at-sellafield.raiselysite.com/

Despite their vital contribution, Mitie’s latest offer falls well short: • A below-inflation 3.5% pay rise • An extra day’s holiday only for those on 20 days leave leaving many workers excluded • Sick pay based on managerial discretion, not guaranteed Meanwhile: • Mitie earned £5.09 billion in revenue • Took home £234 million in profit • Paid its CEO a staggering £14.7 million — 575 times more than the average Mitie worker “No one wants to strike, but we’ve been left with no alternative. Mitie must recognise the value of our work and the reality of our bills.” - Mark Kirkbride, GMB Workplace Representative. This is about more than pay it’s about respect, security, and justice for those doing essential frontline work. 

As the climate crisis heats up, so do our buses! New electric buses are overheating and breaking, drivers are taking ill from heat exhaustion, and passengers are suffocating on buses with no cooling measures. Mayor Brabin has the power to order new climate adapted buses and shelters, and negotiate with bus companies to keep West Yorkshire’s bus drivers safe during heatwaves.  She had the opportunity to write mandatory conditions into the new bus franchising contracts to force bus operators to introduce effective aircon, shaded bus shelters, more staff and rest breaks, and two sets of doors on buses to keep passengers and drivers safer. But we don’t know if she did - because the franchising contracts have so far been kept secret. Join the Better Buses for West Yorkshire campaign  in demanding she take action now, and cool our buses down!

This will make a real difference to millions of women and shows what can be done when pension schemes take this issue seriously.  We are calling on all other public sector pension schemes- covering 2.5 million more women- to take the same positive steps.  The government says it wants to close the Gender Pension Gap- this is a chance to prove it by acting to help public sector workers and setting an example to the private sector. Government should be encouraging all schemes to adopt these changes.  Add your voice to put pressure on the public sector pension schemes to act. 

SUPPORT STAFF AT AIREDALE HOSPITAL DEMAND EQUAL TERMS FOR EQUAL WORK Porters, domestics, catering and security staff who work for AGH Solutions (AGHS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, are calling for parity across the workforce. AGHS uses its subsidiary status to not honour the NHS Agenda for Change terms and conditions, despite using the same status to avoid VAT on procurement and other purchasing rules. Frontline workers are missing out on NHS pensions, sick pay rates, annual leave and Sunday working enhancements. GMB are calling for NHS terms for everyone working across AGH Solutions. Joe Wheatley GMB Organiser said: 'These workers are essential to the smooth running of the Airedale hospital. Without them patients would not be safe or seen. It cannot be right that they are being treated as second class workers.  'The last thing our members want to do is strike and disrupt patients lives, but we've been left with no choice' 'Its time Airedale and AGHS recognise the skills of these vital staff and get back to serious pay negotiations.'

The Skills Academy provides a life-changing educational experience for young people in the Tees Valley who cannot thrive in mainstream education. For these learners, the Academy offers a safe, supportive environment with smaller class sizes and specialist staff who understand their needs. ETC’s proposal to close the site would: • Leave vulnerable students without appropriate education and support • Cut the number of specialist teaching roles from eight to just two • Place all eight current staff at risk of redundancy This is not just about jobs – it is about protecting the futures of young people who rely on the Skills Academy. The planned cuts will remove a vital pathway for learners who may otherwise disengage from education entirely. There has been a lack of transparency throughout this process. We are calling on ETC to listen to staff, students, and the wider community and urgently rethink this damaging decision. We must stand together to protect the Skills Academy, safeguard jobs, and ensure vulnerable young people in our region continue to have access to the specialist education they deserve.