Author: UOB

Nathan was on the floor for Thursday, and it was a day full of Motions and Rule Amendments.

The day started with a video recording from Shaher Saed, General Secretary of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions. He was scheduled to speak in person, but due to Israels border control he was not allowed to leave the country. As can be seen by the recording, the speech drew out the barbaric nature of life in Gaza and was an extremely harrowing listen:

An appropriate follow-up was Composite H Palestine (pages 30-36), which was almost unanimously voted for. This builds upon last years motions, with important emphasis on the boycott divestment and sanctions campaigns, ending arms sales and respecting international law. It also involves ensuring Unison itself is in order. There was a lively debate around an amendment that I and the overwhelming number of delegates rejected, as explained here by Tony Wilson of NEC (National Executive Council):

More motions discussed:

Motion 5 Industrial Action Better and Stronger in Unison  (page 7-8) was a helpful motion: it gives building-block development of Unison’s industrial action preparedness and could be timely for our branch.

Motion 7 Engagement, Education, and Retention of Apprentices (page 10-11) was useful in catering to members of Unison who are apprentices. Many of us at UoB will be aware of colleagues that are apprentices, and this motion did leave me pondering if we’re doing what we can to ensure they are aware of the benefits of being a Unison member.

After lunch we then moved on to rule amendments:

• Rule J: The Political Fund (pages 130-131) was about removing gendered language and passed unanimously.
• Rule F Regions (page 130) was about changing references to Wales, replacing it with ‘Cymru’, and passed unanimously.
• Rule C Ceasing to be a member (pages 129-101) was a robust debate about whether or not to get rid of a timeline to investigate complaints of certain types about Unison members. Whilst it’s important that a process shouldn’t be rushed, there were powerful testimonies about the importance of retaining an appropriate timeline – as we’d expect of our employers – so as not to leave complainants and respondents in the lurch too long. The rule change fell well short of the 2/3 supermajority needed to pass however.
• Rule Q Definitions (page 131) was an amendment to allow some flexibility around the pay rate requirements of low-paid female members electoral seats to ensure there are enough candidates to run for these important seats and to cater for the variability in shift work and how it can impact their pay slips in the short run. From my reading however, the amendment seemed misunderstood by a number of speakers against it, and those who spoke in favour gave a poor account in explaining the merits, and it was therefore heavily rejected. It was an important lesson that debate on the conference floor can win the day and influence delegates.

Even more motions discussed:

Motion 13 Kinship Care and Fostering(pages 15-16). Raised awareness of kinship carers and made me proud that Unison can be there to support members who need to take care of those in desperate need. There was some extremely poignant testimony’s from members about how important this 

Motion 14 Sexual Harassment 4. Unite for More Rights (page 16-18) 

Composite C The Biggest Wave of Insourcing in a Generation (pages 26-30) was an important motion to bring back previously privatized services in-house. It made me think about outsourced services at UoB and if there is any scope for campaigning and bringing this back to our university.  

The day is a reminder that whilst we are establishing evidence based policies, so many of these motions are so emotive and the empathy of internalising some delegates terrible lived experienced can be difficult on the conference floor.

Despite the Liverpool heat, Nathan had more evening energy than prior in the week and enjoyed having dinner and some drinks with HE delegates from across the country including Birmingham, Nottingham, Plymouth, Brighton and Manchester. It was especially beneficial for some delegates who went alone and didn’t know anyone.

Our branch secretaries, Vicky Redwood and Nathan Street, are currently in Liverpool for UNISON’s National Delegates Conference (NDC).

As she wanted to speak on some items, Vicky was on the conference floor for day 3.

The conference started today finishing our debate on motion 64 – Unite for More Rights (page 94) which was carried.

We then debated Composite G (pages 26-30) – Migrant Workers, followed by Motion 69 – Developing the Migrant Workers’ Network (page 102), both of which were carried.

It was moving to hear the stories of those who got up and shared their experiences of fear and abuse in their workplaces and the precarity many face due to these exploitative contracts and environments.

We then had a speech from the General Secretary, which disappointingly did not mention higher education or universities, but covered the work that has been done throughout the last year.

After the lunch break, we debated Composite F – Backing the Employment Rights Bill (pages 22-26), on which Vicky spoke. She tried to bring to light the struggle and crisis that the Higher Education sector is in, and urged conference to hold Labour to account and to not let the Employment Rights Bill be diluted any more than it already has been. This composite was carried.

We then had a speech from Lee Saunders, President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

We then returned to the remaining order of business, starting with Motion 9 – Support for Branch Activists (page 12-13). Vicky also managed to speak on this motion, asking for more support for branch activists, highlighting the struggles we face as volunteers in branches. This motion was carried, and we look forward to taking part as a review into our practices and work towards supporting our members more effectively.

Motion 11 – Neurodiversity Training for UNISON Activists (pages 14-15). This raised issues regarding an increase in casework involving members with a wide range of neurodiverse conditions. We heard from activists’ lived experience in the difficulties navigating workplaces and UNISON processes. The speakers highlighted experiences from members, and elected officers. The call for training in branches was carried, and we look forward to brining this to our branch once it is created.

Motion 12 – All We ask is to be treated with Dignity and Respect (page 15). This was a very tense debate regarding the treatment of Police Probation and CAFCASS staff at conference. This debate did not finish, so was paused for the day, and will continue on day 4 first thing in the morning.

After conference ended for the day, Vicky and Nathan attended a fringe event by Stop the War Coalition, Welfare not Warfare. We discussed the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and what we can do as a Trade Union to help the Palestinian people and halt the atrocities that Israel is committing. 

Our branch secretaries, Vicky Redwood and Nathan Street, are currently in Liverpool for UNISON’s National Delegates Conference (NDC).

Conference started today with Nathan on the delegate floor. 

It began with a tense atmosphere with a number of delegates unhappy at having their emergency motions omitted from the agenda. We then received and voted through Unison’s Annual Report and Financial Statements.

Nathan was the only delegate to ask a question relating to the financial statements, asking:

“On page 21 of the 2024 Financial Statements, it shows a total General Secretary salary and oncosts package of £197,937 for 2024. Given this will mean very large pay differentials between the General Secretary and our lowest paid UNISON members, should UNISON publish its pay differentials in the Financial Statements, like local authorities have to?”

We then started to discuss and vote through the substantive motions:

Composite A Organising to Win and Delivering a Decade of Growth (pages 2-4)

Composite B The Far Right (pages 4-13)

Motion 34. Campaigning for a Bailout for Public Services (pages 50-51).

Nathan was the very next person in the queue to speak in favour of motion 34, with the intent of highlighting the needed for a bailout of Universities when conference voted to move the motion.

We recorded a video of what Nathan would have said if he’d addressed the whole conference:

The day ended with us voting through Motion 30. Don’t Take Our Winter Fuel Allowance Away!(pages 40-44) and Motion 59. Pay Compensation to the WASPI Women Now! (pages 89-90). We then attended a evening rally featuring a candidate for the upcoming General Secretary election (Andrea Egan) speaking.

Our branch secretaries, Vicky Redwood and Nathan Street, are currently in Liverpool for UNISON’s National Delegates Conference (NDC).

Here’s an update from Vicky on the first day.

“We travelled to Liverpool today and had a South West delegates meeting. It was a briefing of what to expect at conference, and to let us know who our representatives are on standing orders committee and who we can go to for help. It was good to know where to go and have a good idea where the conference centre is, before the start tomorrow.

Nathan and I on the train up decided which sessions we wanted to attend, as we are a shared delegation – this means only one of us can be on the floor at a time to vote.”

From Vicky, our co-branch Secretary:

This past weekend, Nathan and I attended the National March Against Austerity in London, joining a large contingent from Bristol, including members of the Bristol Trades Council, Stop the War Coalition, and NHS campaigners.

Around 20,000 people gathered despite the rain to oppose cuts to the welfare state, with participants from local councils and other UNISON branches uniting under shared goals.

The colourfulness of our branch banner always attracts attention on a national march.

The march, vibrant and diverse, was filled with chants of “Welfare, not Warfare!” as attendees also showed strong support for Palestinian causes and received favourable press coverage.

We heard powerful speeches from figures like Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, Leanne Mohamed, the striking Birmingham bin workers, and John Rees of The People’s Assembly, all calling for an end to austerity and greater investment in public services.

The event highlighted a unified demand for justice and fairness in society. It underscored widespread dissatisfaction and defiance against austerity and a collective demand for a fairer, more compassionate society.

(As a follow up to our report from a few weeks ago, our Women’s Officer, Verity, shares her thoughts on UNISON South West’s recent Get Active event.)

In May I went to the UNISON South West Get Active Weekend in Croyde! It was a super weekend. I attended three workshops across the weekend: Campaigning on new issues and new workplace laws; Collective bargaining for beginners; and Embracing union values and tacking tough conversations.

As a complete newbie to union work and organising, I found the workshops to be a great introduction to different aspects of UNISON’s work and how I can get a campaign off the ground.

On the Friday evening they held the Get Active Awards, honouring UNISON activists for their work. It was a fun social event, allowing us to network with members from other branches across the South West. I found the award winners’ stories to be really inspiring ahead of the weekend!

The South West Regional Council was held on the Saturday afternoon – I attended as a delegate for our branch. It was interesting to see the process for voting in representatives and hearing about the different roles.

The Saturday evening entertainment was a fascinating performance by the Banner Theatre group – a musical celebration of industrial action over the years which was entertaining as well as informative and rousing!

We also had interesting plenary talks on topics such as stopping the far right and hearing from members currently undertaking strike action.

It was a fantastic weekend which I thoroughly recommend to all new members of UNISON who wish to learn more about how to Get Active! 

On 3rd June 2025, Vicky Redwood, Nathan Street and Elle Chilton-Knight, all members of the University of Bristol UNISON branch committee, travelled to London to take part in the national parliamentary lobby, representing the branch alongside dozens of other branches across the country.

Nathan Street, one of the branch’s co-secretaries, was able to meet his MP Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) and had what he considered to be a constructive conversation with Kerry and a member of her staff team.

They talked about the importance of UoB as an employer within the city of Bristol, how staff’s pay has not met inflation since 2008, and the possible impact of the upcoming immigration white paper on Bristol’s reliance on international student recruitment. They also talked about Temple Quarter Campus and local student housing, the number of restructures at UoB, and the future higher education white paper.

Kerry was open to talking to UoB staff living in Bristol East about higher education funding in the future.

Despite writing to her MP in advance, Vicky Redwood, the branch’s other co-secretary, was disappointingly unable to meet her MP Karin Smyth (Bristol South) but will continue to try to meet her in the upcoming weeks.

Elle Chilton-Knight, a branch chairperson, lives outside Bristol but also met her MP alongside a number of Unison members at that local University.

We thank the other members of the branch who have written to their MP too but were unable to agree a meeting.

We will continue to campaign by whatever mechanism possible to help fix Higher Education funding, including attending this Saturday’s No to Austerity 2.0 demonstration. 

We would also like to encourage members to continue to take part in the campaign and write to their local MPs about HE funding.

Dear comrades,

We hope you had a wonderful bank holiday (and solidarity with our members who still had to work!). We’re back with our May newsletter, including this month’s members meeting recap, other goings on and upcoming events.

May members meeting recording & minutes

Recording: Branch Meeting-20250520_130427-Meeting Recording.mp4 

Minutes: Branch Meeting Minutes 20.05.25.docx 

Please be aware we have changed the name of our ‘Branch Executive’ to ‘Branch Committee’: Branch Committee – University of Bristol UNISON

Vacant committee positions 

Keen to get involved with the branch committee? We have the following roles open: assistant branch secretary; recruitment officer; social secretary; retired members officer. For more info, email the branch unison-office@bristol.ac.uk. 

National Pay Offer Negotiations update

The latest national annual pay negotiations concluded with a percentage increase of 1.4% substantially below RPI inflation this past year of 4.47%, representing a fifteenth consecutive real terms pay cut!

There will be an email consultation on whether to take industrial action in the coming months, possibly as early as June (to be confirmed as we are coordinating with other higher education unions). 

Depending on the outcome, we may then be formally balloted on taking action (via post). It is crucial that your contact details are up to date to be able to take part.

A reminder to make sure your details are up to date, especially your primary email contact and address: https://my.unison.org.uk/

Help lobby your MP about the Higher Education funding crisis 

This is part of a coordinated advocacy campaign UNISON are undertaking across the country to help stand up for our jobs and save higher education funding.

We’re hoping members can write to their MP for the possibility to meet in parliament on Tuesday 3rd June, which UNISON will support you in attending.

Help Lobby your MP about the Higher Education funding crisis

Submit your questions for the CPO & CFO 

We have invited James Bigwood (Chief People Officer) and Peter Vermeulen (Chief Financial Officer) to attend our branch committee meeting in July – we want your questions to pass onto them. The form closes on Monday 2nd June.

Submit your questions for our Chief Financial Officer & Chief People Officer

National Anti-Austerity Demonstration

A big national People’s Assembly Against Austerity demonstration is happening on Saturday 7th June in London.

This is supported by UNISON nationally and by our branch’s recent Anti-Austerity Demo resolution – University of Bristol UNISON.
It’s really important that as many people across the country attend as possible in order to put pressure on the Labour government not to escalate austerity and for us to ensure Higher Education funding and staff pay in particular is central to these demands.

As this image shows, our offer is the worst of all public sectors:

Coach tickets from Bristol & Weston Super Mare are available via Headfirst: https://hdfst.uk/e129422

Our branch donated to help subsidise these coaches, so if you are a UNISON member please contact the organisers if you require any discounted tickets.

Some of our Branch Committee will be there with our branch banners and we hope to see you there too!

ACT NOW: UNISON survey on PIPs 

The government has announced sweeping changes to how Personal Independent Payments (PIPs) are paid. The eligibility criteria for people claiming daily living support will be tightened. UNISON needs to hear from disabled members about how the proposed changes will affect them.

ACT NOW: UNISON survey on PIPs – University of Bristol UNISON 

LGBT+ officer update 

Some May updates from our LGBT+ officer Theo, including our response to the Supreme Court ruling, discussions with the EDI team and future plans.

LGBT+ Officer Update – May 2025 – University of Bristol UNISON 

Dispatches from Get Active weekend 

Our international officer Eleni and women’s officer Verity attended the South West Get Active weekend in Croyde Bay at the start of the month. Read Eleni’s summary.

Dispatches from Get Active Weekend – University of Bristol UNISON 

Bake sale successes! 

This month our branch held bake sales for Trans Aid Bristol and Palestinian causes.

Over £400 raised by Trans Aid bake sale – University of Bristol UNISON,

Over £450 raised on Workplace Day of Action for Palestine – University of Bristol UNISON 

Upcoming events of interest 

• Branch social! 🎉🍸Thursday 19th June, 5:30pm, Watershed cafe & bar 
• Next National Demonstration for Palestine on Saturday 21st June
  End the Genocide, Stop arming Israel, Stop starving Gaza.
  Coach tickets from Bristol & Weston Super Mare are available via Headfirst – https://hdfst.uk/e131187
• We Demand Change are organising a summit in Bristol Sunday 22nd June . Email wedemandchangebristol@gmail.com for any queries about the local summit or for ticket information when it’s released.
• South West Black Members leadership event: 25–27 July in Bristol (Delta Marriott hotel): South West Black Members leadership event: 25-27 July – University of Bristol UNISON

Join our WhatsApp groups 

We have two WhatsApp groups: ‘Conversation’ for informal chatting for the whole branch and ‘Announcement’ for announcements, where only admins can send messages. If you’d like to join either or both, email the branch unison-office@bristol.ac.uk. 

 
With very best wishes, 
The comms team (Mia & Alex T) 

2025 SW Black Members Leadership Event

Fri 25 – Sun 27 July in Bristol (Delta Marriott hotel)

Event programme and registration– deadline 23 June – please email unison-office@bristol.ac.uk to let us know if you’d like to attend, then sign up to register.

This is an opportunity for Black members to connect, learn, and lead. The programme includes workshops, guest speakers and lunch.

In UNISON, Black is used to indicate people with a shared history. Black with a capital ‘B’ is used in its broad political and inclusive sense to describe people in Britain who have suffered colonialism and enslavement in the past and continue to experience racism and diminished opportunities in today’s society.

We Demand Change is fighting back against Starmer’s Labour government: debating, organising and mobilising the collective actions we need. They work to make sure Labour’s betrayal doesn’t open the door for the far right.

See their full statement and actions here: We Demand Change | WE DEMAND CHANGE

The Bristol faction of We Demand Change is hosting a summit on the 22 June to assist with local organising – they’d love our direction and input to ensure the community gets the best out of the summit.

🗓️ Sunday 22 June

📍 Location: Malcolm X Centre

🎟️ Book tickets: bit.ly/BristolWDC

They are also hosting an planning meeting on the 27 May. The venue will now be Easton Community Centre, 6.45pm – 8.45pm. Please fill in this form to confirm your attendance.