International Workers Memorial Day, celebrated around the world and annually in Stirling; is held to remember those who have lost their lives at work, or from work-related injuries and diseases. This year’s theme is the climate crisis and workers’ health.
To mark the event the annual wreath-laying service will be held at the memorial tree in the grounds of Old Viewforth on Friday 26th April at 10:45.
The occasion is held to remember all those killed through work, at home and around the world, ensuring such tragedies are not repeated.
Timetable as follows:
10:45 Gather on the grounds of Old Viewforth, beside the memorial tree
welcome by Kate Hudson, Head of People and Community Wellbeing
For UNISON, LGBT+ History Month is a time to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible achievements and progress made by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) community.
Held every February, it serves as a reminder that the fight for equal rights and acceptance is ongoing, while also honouring the individuals who have paved the way for a more inclusive society.
In 2024, the theme is ‘Medicine – #UnderTheScope’. The theme for 2024 has been chosen to shine a light on the contributions to the field of medicine, including staff in the NHS and other healthcare settings.
Throughout the month we’ll be sharing posts of importance and significance. Did you know that this is the 19th year of celebrating LGBT History Month in the UK?
To participate in a survey and sign a petition related to severe weather, please fill in the survey and visit the petition page. Your input can help raise awareness and drive positive change.
We just need to be raising our voices to counter the dangerous narratives coming from Sunak and the right-wing media. We hope the petition will provide one simple accessible way of doing that.
We launched our Violence at Work campaign this year due to continual issues arising surrounding violence in our public services, it became clear that something had to change. Fundamentally every employee deserves a safe and secure environment, free from violence and aggression. The alarming rise in assaults on our fellow workers is a pressing issue that demands our collective action. It’s time to rewrite the safety narrative together. You work hard to provide key services to your community, its time for your employer to keep you safe!
Facing the Stark Reality: Violence and aggression have become a major concern in council workplaces. Shockingly, assaults by members of the public or clients are a growing issue. The numbers are soaring. For example, in 2022, 727 violent incidents were reported in our authority, Over 80% of these incidents occurred in Schools and Nurseries. Just in the start of 2023, there were already 644 incidents reported. It’s important to note that these are only the reported cases – there’s a troubling culture of underreporting abuse and assault.
The Ongoing Consequences: Workplace injuries and the stress from incidents lead to employee absence, which not only affects the injured but also places added pressure on our hardworking colleagues. This stress has a ripple effect, resulting in challenges in managing our work, increased instances of lone working, and heightened risks of further issues.
What we’re doing: We’ve kicked our campaign off with an opening survey to allow us to accurately assess the problems facing our members and see where we can make the most difference. We’ve also arranged a series of workplace meetings and will be communicating further on these soon.
The latest edition of UNISON’s Local Government podcast is out now. We’ve had a rebrand to ‘Behind the service: a UNISON insight into Local Government’ to encourage more engagement across the podcast world.
In this podcast, Ruth Levin and Paul Bell chat with Tony Wright and Abi Coombs from UNISON’s charity, There For You. UNISON’s welfare charity provides support to thousands of members in need.
The podcast covers: What ‘There For You’ is, and how it works The sheer range of support available Quantifying the charity’s huge impact across the year How UNISON members can access support and get involved with the charity Listen now on your favourite podcast platform via the links below!
Stirling UNISON 