Martina Vrajitoru's relationship to her union is similar to a match to a kerosene tank - she is a massive source of energy, determination and laser focus that just needed a platform and network to activate her natural capacity for leadership.
Her first experience of a union was when she went to work at Hinkley Point. Prior to that, she had worked in hospitality, and hadn't known that she could join a union. "It was exciting to learn that the union exists and works in workplaces. It gave me a concrete avenue to change the workplace for the better."
Her start at Hinkley wasn't only good surprises. When she first tried on her PPE (personal protective equipment), nothing fit - the shoes were too wide, the clothes didn't adjust properly; everything was optimised for men's bodies and the women's equivalent were just smaller versions of the same. "I felt like a penguin in the shoes." To make matters worse, the toilets onsite were just portaloos in horrible states, and if workers needed a clean toilet they had to walk for half an hour; this put women at an extra disadvantage for hopefully obvious reasons.
It took her two months to secure an initial meeting; with the help of union colleagues and the women in construction group, she ended up going straight to the project director of the entire site. With his support secured, doors started to open. Since then, they have negotiated and won a suite of tangible improvements - women's specific shoes, trousers, new material and more comfortable colours. New toilet blocks were delivered and the EDF now provide tampons on the site.
Meanwhile, she and her union colleagues started a new Women in Construction group, which includes women from different companies and covers a wide range of key topics at their monthly meetings. They are working on learning and development for reps at Hinkley Point, and extending their reach from civil to mechanical workers. They were central to the consultation process for new menopause policies that were introduced this month. Martina sees it as the beginning of a process, which puts the foundation for the site and sets a benchmark for women in the entire construction industry. "If it works on a site like this, with 12,000 people, why wouldn't it work elsewhere?"
Her next goal is to make a legal change, amending the law to mandate gender inclusive PPE. She is seeking testimony and videos from other workers who are required to wear unisex PPE; building up a repertoire and relevant case studies to make the case. (If this is you, or you know someone in this situation, please reach out!)
Martina encourages all reps to lean into training - it makes a huge difference and opens doors you wouldn't have expected, so get as much training as you can. She found training in topics such as building confidence, how to present, etc, which made negotiations easier and more effective, and overall enhanced her campaigns immeasurably.
It was exciting to learn that the union exists and works in workplaces. It gave me a concrete avenue to change the workplace for the better.
"I've been able to work with people who others couldn't reach. Helping someone reconnect with their own power and their own value is the best feeling in the world. It keeps me going."
Sharon has been a rep for almost 39 years. Hailing from a trade unionist family, and most specifically influenced by her grandmother - a Jamaican trade unionist - Sharon arrived in the UK at age 17 to join her Windrush generation parents.
On joining the workforce Sharon immediately saw discrimination against people both along race and gender lines. She secured a role in Bristol City Council's equality department, from where she jumped headfirst into the race equality group - working with management and spotlighting the inequality she found; unfair treatment, people being picked on and passed over for promotion - systemic and implicit unfairness was rife.
Sharon got to work, pairing her seat on the Black Employees Working Group with her role as a shop steward for NALGO (now UNISON). "I did my stewards work while representing the whole workforce on the task group. We would have an additional union meeting, and I would promote the union to the wider group by feeding back everything the union did to address the issues. I was able to recruit and retain members for the union through the process." She has dedicated her life to engaging with an eye-watering amount of committees, action groups, dialogues with community and political leaders - stressing how the different groups and roles strengthen each other.
Sharon has led on work ranging from being a magistrate and presiding chair in the Bristol adult court, a governor, a trustee for Bristol's twin cities with Beira (which is an amazing partnership-based mutual growth project that supports Mozambique from a mutually empowering starting point of solidarity), and more recently became High Sheriff for Bristol. She was the first Caribbean Black woman to be appointed to the post. "Previous post holders couldn't work with the community the way I was able to," she explains. "It allowed me to bring significant insight into the value and contributions of the community." She has helped promote the Grand Iftar, the 60th anniversary of the Bristol Bus Boycott, worked with communities across the city and beyond - all from the theme of inclusion, not exclusion.
"We have a lot of work to do to increase inclusivity in schools," she explains. "The recent stabbings in Bristol can be traced to school exclusion." She led an event to shine a light on the talents of young people who've been excluded, gave a certificate to a young man who had been embroiled in that scene and nearly lost his life before turning everything around. "He had been stabbed three times and almost died. When in hospital something clicked in his head - he couldn't stay on that journey. His speech moved everyone, and being in the position of High Sheriff let me have that engagement with people like him."
Going forward, she plans to continue engaging at the heart of issues of inequality plaguing our communities - focusing on stopping violence against women and girls, race inequality, and social and economic dynamics which hold people back. And at every turn, her union membership and community guides her forward while she guides us in exchange. She sets the tone for how the role of a union steward can uplift everyone across a wide range of issues and civic engagement channels; she is willing to pursue every avenue she can find in her pursuit of equality and justice.
This year, Sharon won the Women's Gold Badge award at TUC Congress in recognition of her incredible legacy and ongoing work.
"You can speak out, and you should speak out. There are laws that are there to protect you - you just need to find the right person or people. There are people there to guide and help you. Never give up on what you believe in."
"The biggest deal was to convince people that it was worth joining. Early care workers, for example - the idea of being able to organise and being able to improve your pay and conditions collectively by fighting, was very alien to these people. The first job was to convince them that it was even a viable route. It's not like you can join and it'll be great straight away. If you want to see change here and see this place improve, then you have to get involved."
Duncan Moore is the kind of "everyday hero" on whose back our movement is built. Combining his deep commitment to trade union principles with an eye watering amount of tenacity and persistence, he managed to build his workplace up from absolute greenfield - not a single union member in sight - to now this summer winning union recognition.
Coming from a family of trade union activists, the first thing he did on starting his new job was to join his union, UCU. He then found out that none of his colleagues were union members, and that consequentially his mother, also working in FE, benefitted from significantly better terms and conditions at work than he or his colleagues did.
He got to work, starting with ordering union merchandise and leaving it around his workplace. "I became really boring about it, I wouldn't stop talking to my workmates about it. It was just persistence." Despite only managing to recruit one colleague his first year, he stuck with it - and the turning point ended up being the national strike wave in 2022. "The national profile of unions really helped the local campaign," he explains. "Suddenly people were reading about us, watching on the television, everyone knew who Mick Lynch was. Then people started coming up to me, asking, I hear you're the rep around here, how do I join?"
Once the union started getting traction, the employer became hostile. A colleague's UCU hat was pulled off their head. The struggle was even harder because, like many non-union workplaces, worker turnover was extremely high, at 50% every six months; Duncan worked hard to convince colleagues that there was value in staying and organising rather than leaving for greener pastures. Nevertheless at this point momentum kept building, and Duncan held the line with his colleagues. "When you're a rep or identifiable you have to make sure you're doing your job really well, you don't give them any excuse." More colleagues were wearing the union lanyards, and others started seeing it as something they'd rather be in than not be in. As he built a team around him, Duncan made sure that there was someone identifiable in each department, despite the turnover. He also expressed his thanks to regional officer Alison, without whom none of this would have been possible.
Ultimately, they didn't have to go to the Central Arbitration Committee for union recognition. Bolstered by the urgency of having a voice in pay negotiations for the next year, 90% of the staff signed the supportive petition, and the union passed 60% density. The employer was smart enough to recognise that they had lost. They enter the 2024-5 school year with rep Sioned Freer (who nominated Duncan) leading in the negotiations, with dramatic improvements in both pay and terms and conditions on the table for the first time ever.
The first formal meeting, Duncan shares, was beyond inspiring - colleagues were keen to move into roles, so much so that there were more people wanting to get involved than roles to fill. Ultimately, he stepped aside from his local branch, allowing those who had come after him to take leadership roles. "It's really nice to see it functioning on its own, I don't feel like I'm needed anymore. When it can run without your constant involvement - that's success." Truly the words of a leader. He is now elected to the UCU NEC to support other activists wanting to follow their lead. "Now we've done this one, I may start leafletting outside other workplaces. I've been doing it for so long, I don't know what to do with myself now we've succeeded."
His advice to other activists in greenfield sites:
"Be prepared for a long slog - don't expect everything to happen in a couple weeks. Know the value of being able to be patient, build up slowly. Don't get knocked back by the defeats if you lose someone who's a strong member. Stick with it."
Kacim describes himself as a human rights defender first and foremost.
Not long after starting work, Kacim worked with his colleagues to establish a union and federation at work in his home nation, directly challenging systemic injustices that traced all the way to the root of the government. They organised progressively longer strikes, culminating in an all-out stoppage in the sector for 25 days.
The bosses and the government retaliated hard, threatening workers individually; after about 25 days, most people were cajoled or bullied back into work. Kacim and a few of his colleagues were suspended for two years without pay; some of them went on hunger strike, while others staged sit-ins in front of government offices and press offices to make their stand.
The union sought support from the ILO and ITUC, and through their intervention were allowed to return to work, but without compensation. Eventually he moved back to the west of the country.
Shortly thereafter, Kacim became involved in protests that were brewing against the government. Over the course of two years, rallies and demonstrations were held to demand the resignation of all those in power. He was arrested several times, suspended from his job, and forced to stand trial – and was almost thrown in prison. He soon realised he had to flee his own country. To this day, the ruling elite continue to target and arrest prisoners of conscience.
Kacim’s wife and children weren’t able to leave with him. “My wife is my rock,” he says. “It would have been impossible to throw myself into all the campaigns I’ve done without her constant support.” Of course, he hopes to be able to bring his family to live with him soon.
Since then, Kacim had been living in the UK in temporary accommodation for five months before suddenly being re-located again although this time, it was onto the Bibby Stockholm - the controversial prison barge set up under the Conservatives to lodge refugees in crammed quarters. On this, Kacim says:
“They made us miserable on purpose because they don’t want people to come. But we are refugees; none of the refugees I’ve met could have stayed in their home countries, and some of them feel very afraid and depressed.”
Never one to back down from any challenge, Kacim joined a group to campaign for decent living conditions and to scrap the prison barge. Again he leaned on his skills as a trade unionist to join with other activists in a hunger strike.
He describes how some residents were reluctant to join in, leaving some in the group feeling let down by those who did not participate. Rather philosophically though, Kacim notes:
“If someone isn’t on your side, it is because you haven’t succeeded in communicating effectively with them. Activists aren’t aliens or superheroes. We are ordinary people with a strength of conviction and purpose. That vision and faith is something that can be spread. When your belief in an idea and your self confidence is strong, you’ll achieve any goal you set.”
His words ring so true. Just last week, the new Labour government announced that the Bibby Stockholm will be scrapped, and their asylum claims expedited – a very exciting victory for the refugees, and a welcome end to this shameful display of cruelty which was a blight on the UK’s reputation and humanity. We are lucky to be able to welcome someone with so much fortitude and courage to our shores; it’s now time for him to be allowed to work and integrate into society, to live a good life and be treated with the respect that he so clearly deserves. Without a doubt, trade unionists stand with all refugees like Kacim.
“British Trade Unionists should be very proud of their movement. Visiting Tolpuddle, I was moved by how you, too, have come through dark periods and severe struggle to get to where you are now; the festival warmed my heart. Without trade unions you wouldn’t have the rights you have, ones we are still fighting for back home. Never lose sight of how much you have won. You did that. It wasn’t just given to you.”
The TUC would also like to offer thanks to Portland Global Friendship Group and Stand Up to Racism Dorset for their ongoing work campaigning for, and welcoming, the people unjustly housed on the Bibby Stockholm – they’re the ones who put us in touch with Kacim and made us aware of his incredible story. They offer a vision for a more compassionate and more collaborative world.
Caroline immediately stood out through her nonchalant description of a tense working environment; it isn't hard to tell that she has gotten used to carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders with grace and precision. "If you had asked me ten years ago would I be doing what I'm doing now, I would have said no way." She works as a rep, branch organiser, branch treasurer and in a number of committee roles - continuously taking on more roles but also thinking strategically, bringing forward more activists, and keeping the core goals at the forefront of her activity at all times.
Having been at the DVSA for 20 years, she remembers a time before working conditions and pay started deteriorating (a process beginning 15 years ago). Already a PCS member, her search for a genuine avenue towards resolving issues at work led her to union activism. She has worked tirelessly on strike ballots in an ongoing effort to organise for pay restoration; especially in coordinating get out the vote efforts through callhub, PCS digital, social media etc. She shares that the most rewarding moment is when the ballot makes it over the line.
"Caroline has been a star organiser," says PCS regional secretary James Davies, "delivering high turnouts in industrial action ballots and working hard to communicate with PCS members dispersed across the South West region. She has built power within her branch by inspiring and organising new union advocates and reps. She has led her branch in utilising the union’s latest digital tools such as the organising hub and Callhub."
"It's important to know there is a structure in place when you need to ask questions," Caroline stresses to newer reps. "If you've got the confidence and the backup, you'll be a better rep. You can also get a stronger network if you go on courses and training."
"The level of violence and frequency was ever increasing, leading to multiple broken bones and internal injuries. If not acted upon, more life changing injuries were going to happen...or worse."- Iona Miller
The NEU approached the TUC SW recently with the question, "can we nominate an entire group for Rep of the Month?" Once we heard their ground-breaking story, how could we have said no? This group of hard working, visionary teachers have completely transformed the culture of their school in under six months, and they are just warming up.
Last year, conditions at their school were unbearable. Issues included assaults on staff, bullying, health and safety, discrimination, lack of professionalism, mandatory unpaid training. "We had a lot of turnover of staff in the past year, a lot of which was due to staff injury. People couldn't cope and the only option was to leave. It was really hard to see people hurt and upset on a daily basis," says Sophie Way. It got to a point where the staff's only recourse was between mass resignation or unionisation; wanting to do right by the kids at the school was what made the difference and prevented the entire collapse of the school. "Our children are amazing and we didn't feel like we were giving them the best we could," shares Iona.
Leah Hopkinson led the charge. "I didn't want others to go through what I went through without having someone supportive by their side” she explains. “I knew things weren't right at the school and the group of us had to stand up and say, this is not okay." She came forward as a rep, and in November the campaign took off. The union held a members meeting with all NEU members with regional officers present. Sophie came forward as a Health and Safety rep at the first meeting; Iona stepped up at a second meeting. Between them, with the support of regional officers, they conducted a listening exercise with the members at the school and asked staff to email in issues and concerns. The exercise generated evidence with which they produced an eye-watering 55-page document (!!!) detailing all the evidence and concerns of the staff. They presented the document directly to the CEO with the backing of all the NEU members in the school.
This led to having regular informal meetings with the CEO, bypassing more obstructive elements amongst senior management. It took about a month for the culture of the school to start to transform, with some executive members submitting resignations. The three reps, backed by their wider union membership, were able to overturn an entrenched culture of obstruction, defensiveness and blame which had long been the status quo amongst the entrenched management - showing the power of collective action in overcoming systemic barriers.
The culture is more supportive now; staff feel significantly safer and more supported. "We're in a really strong position now," says Sophie. "It's not perfect, but it's a damn sight better than it was... I'm feeling hopeful that we will get to where we should be again." They promise to continue campaigning to ensure the best for staff and students alike - their ultimate goal is fairness, support, and to do right by the children in the school.
Their story overall shows how quickly and radically a collective outcry can transform a toxic workplace. They work synergistically as a trio, and advise reps on the importance of having a strong core group - offering reliable people to bounce around ideas and challenges, and ensuring mutual support and solidarity every step of the way. They also conveyed their thanks to their regional officer, Martin Menear, who has been a rock for their campaign.
You're not on your own. If you feel alone, probably someone else does as well. If we didn't get together and share our experiences, we wouldn't be in the position we're in now – we'd still be back in a dark place. If it weren't for the support of my colleagues around me, I probably would have quit a long time ago. - Sophie Way
Don't ever think you can't do it, because you can. We didn't think we'd get to this point - this was beyond what we ever dreamt of. - Leah Hopkinson
Keep going, be patient, keep fighting the good fight, and never underestimate any individual member because they all have a huge, huge effect.” – Amanda Mills
Joint reps of the month Amanda Mills and Matt Senior show the power of a collective when empowered with strong leaders – though they are unassuming, it doesn’t take long to see how deeply driven and committed they are.
“I started working in schools in 2009,” recalls Matt, “and reading some of the things that then-education secretary, Michael Gove, was saying about my new profession and some of the slurs he was using against teachers, when they actually were doing their best under the threat of cuts – I felt the way they were setting the ground for turning off public support when teachers eventually resisted. It landed with me really hard; the more attention I paid, the angrier I got. He’s to thank for that. I realised we have no power unless we stand together.” His story shows the power of anger to inspire action, knowing that working people deserve dignity and respect.
Amanda, meanwhile, started her union activism through the FBU pensions’ strike; a crash course at the beginning of her now-15 years as a firefighter which showed her very quickly the power of collective action. “I didn’t understand what was going on, but I felt the energy around me and I just knew something awesome was happening.”
They were both established trade union figures when they read the fire authority papers and found out – through that means – that the authority intended to reduce the staffing on each fire truck from five firefighters down to four; there was no official consultation. “It had already been agreed before we started campaigning”, says Matt. They kicked into high gear – mobilising in every direction, bringing together a petition and rallying firefighters and community supporters (including the Bristol Trades Council, the NEU, and the TUC South West) in front of a key council meeting.
Ultimately their victory came through more quickly than expected when they were able to convince councillors that they couldn’t support the cuts to the fire service; whether through simple logic and concern for health and safety, community support for the firefighters and the electoral threat that posed to councillors, or the existence of another source of funding to support the current provision for a different year – most likely a combination of all three. They stress the need to ensure that the authority holds to their agreement of the alternate plan in order to maintain the victory won last week.
They also speak enthusiastically of the next goals for how they will continue to improve conditions for firefighters. Amanda highlights the FBU’s ongoing fight for 52 weeks maternity leave across every service, and the ongoing decontamination campaign which protects firefighters from excessive exposure to contaminated fire gear. “The fact that fire deaths are increasing in the UK at the moment isn’t something that should be taken lightly,” says Matt, “even though they’re increasing from thankfully much lower numbers than they used to be – and that’s due to the work the fire service has done over many years.” They demonstrate the true care and consideration trades unionists give to their vocations and professions – so often, we are the ones at the front line demanding proper provision and protection for working people in every walk of life, ensuring a decent standard of living across the board – as well as what can be achieved when working closely with trusted allies in a strong union branch.
"The power of being organised is in having members who are invested in what your union does; it doesn’t happen overnight, it’s something you have to build. I was going to use a fire analogy – I’m not going to do that. But it’s very powerful. People don’t realise the power they have unless they unite with other people. We achieved what we did simply by making noise, being seen, being counted in numbers, raising our arguments. People underestimate themselves in exactly what they can achieve if they stand next to each other." - Matt Senior
"I saw first-hand how important trades councils are. I saw it not being there, and then I saw what happened when it was running, and the kind of things it could support." - Rebecca Hillman
Nick Moore is the kind of trade unionist you want at the helm of the ship when the waters get rocky. Though he insists he isn’t a natural activist, nor “one for confrontation”, he shares that he simply saw the need for accountability in his workplace and decided to step forward as a representative in Sodexo four years ago.
His observation could be called prescient. In 2023, his employer made the shock decision not to pay their staff a lump-sum pay rise agreed in national negotiations. As outsourced workers in the NHS, Sodexo have been included in national pay agreements for over a decade – yet this time around, Sodexo in two trusts unilaterally declared they would not be paying the lump-sum component of the pay award. (It was paid in the other 22!)
Nick spearheaded a campaign to have the lump-sum payment paid to all Sodexo staff at his trust. He fires on all cylinders, launching: a collective grievance through appeal stage, a petition with 600+ signatures, a shocking survey on the impact to staff morale – which was a rude awakening to management. Nick then recruited 16 of his colleagues to form a committee for industrial action and launched a ballot, which consultation shows has 99.5% workplace support.
I started doing this because I saw people being treated unfairly, discriminated against – it felt like someone needed to step up. That shouldn’t be happening. Before I started, they didn’t really have a rep – so the company could do whatever they wanted.
Unless Sodexo and the trust agree to pay the lump sum before then, UNISON expect to take strike action in mid to late February. Over the course of the campaign, there has been a shift towards perception of the union; people have come to him proudly declaring "I joined, and I got my mate to join". Union membership and activism snowballed; membership rose by approximately 45%. “I’ve never known so many people joining in such a small time - people want to be in on it and part of it,” says Nick.
When asked what every worker needs to keep in mind, Nick stressed that a lot of managers aren’t aware of workplace policy or legal requirements and that workers shouldn’t necessarily believe what they’re told. Also, avoid conversations off the record – there should not be any reason for these to take place.
Truly, the campaign has shown that when times get rough, there is power in a union. There can be no justice without accountability, and true accountability can only come from collective action with competent leaders like Nick at the helm.
If there were 20 members saying they're going to go on strike next month, it wouldn't bother them. 85% of the work force - then they're in trouble. But the more people that join and the more people that take a stand, the more chance you've got of winning.
Nick Johnson has a warm energy which is noticeable right away; he is convivial, easy to talk to, and personable.
Like many train drivers, he joined the union from the moment he started on the job 24 years ago; but Nick expressed that it wasn't until he needed the union's help that he really started to understand its value, as well as the value he could add. "I saw the power of trade unions at their best", he explains. Four years ago, Nick took on the role of assistant branch secretary.
Before getting involved with ASLEF, when working spare (the train driver's equivalent of being on-call, where they sit in the break room until a train needs a new driver), Nick realised he could make use of the time to cook for the others and thereby increase staff morale, which had been low. "I enjoy doing things for other people," he explains. This set the tone for his ongoing role as a steadfast, supportive member of the workplace and its union, which later informed his strategy for building morale at the picket lines.
Seb Michnowicz, ASLEF Branch Secretary, highlights the value of Nick's generous and diligent approach, and how it has been transformative to the industrial action over the past years: "There was the mammoth task of checking the accuracy of branch membership records so that our strike ballots complied with draconian anti-union laws, where Nick identified and carried out dozens of corrections that needed to be made. When it was time to go out on the picket line, Nick took it upon himself to go and buy food, cook it at home and bring it to the picket line to ensure everyone was well-fed throughout the day. This turned out to be immensely popular and gave our picket line at Temple Meads a welcoming atmosphere that encouraged many supporters to join it.
"We were proud to be able to share the food with striking workers from other unions (particularly the CWU whose action often coincided with ours) as well as the homeless who passed our picket line and it was all thanks to Nick’s initiative. He also began cooking food for RMT pickets lines which has helped encourage stronger collaboration between our unions and a closer working relationship between reps which can be hard to achieve given the random and unsociable hours worked by railway staff." -Seb Michnowicz, Branch Secretary
Nick is a true 'unsung hero' of our movement, willing to identify and take on the least glamourous drudgework to ensure the effectiveness of the action and the wellbeing of his comrades. He reminds workers to always stay true to their beliefs and remember the power of the union - none of us are in this by ourselves. You can find him on the picket line on Thursday (7 December 2023) at Bristol Temple Meads - or pop by another ASLEF picket line this week (Great Western and Cross Country are out on Thursday, while South Western Rail are out on Wednesday).
"When there's a table there, and food, it brings people together around it, like a family. The table forms the centrepiece of the picket line. Without it, the only thing we'd have to put our drinks etc on would be the lid of the council bin! Also, we have been gifted boxes of sweets, biscuits, and other food items by supportive members of the public and other unions & the table literally provides a platform for it all." -Nick Johnson
Zoe Layland has been a trade unionist since before she can remember; daughter of a health and safety officer who secured proper footwear for his workplace, she always had the instinct and understanding of the power of trades unionism.
During the Covid lockdowns, Zoe kicked into action to protect her colleagues. At the time employed by a private, hostile employer, she campaigned for proper PPE on the back of her own diagnosis of Covid.
Shifting to work for the Council, as a GMB rep, Zoe saw firsthand how powerful collaborative working with a friendly employer is; unlike her prior employer, the Council were eager to benefit from the expertise of their union health and safety officers, and enthusiastically implemented many of the suggestions brought forward. This inspired Zoe to push for stronger workplace rights and supportive policy, paving the way for adjustments and accessibility which in turn protected the work life and livelihood of colleagues struggling with Long Covid.
Zoe has leaned into the power of Trade Union Education to soak up as much knowledge and understanding as she can to benefit her members and strengthen her voice. Above all she encourages other reps to take advantage of every avenue for training and development they can.
Helen Coley, GMB Regional Organiser, said Zoe "has approached representing and supporting members with passion and enthusiasm and has assisted members at some of the most challenging times in their working lives, including grievances, disciplinaries, sickness absence, conduct issues and equal pay issues. She is one in a million, has the most wicked laugh, kindest heart and incredible ability to stand up for members."
In October our Reps of the Month won jointly - Usdaw activists Kay Timbrell and Karen Linforth, the potent double-act who launched the region's newest Trades Council in Stroud.
"It's a bit hard to believe that we've actually achieved it. It was such a gradual process - and all of a sudden, we've got a trades council." -Karen Linforth
Karen and Kay demonstrate the incredible power that comes from trust and synergy; they have complementary skills and styles, and they delegate work strategically between them. Kay describes, "I'm the more sensitive one, I wear it on my face. Karen is more level-headed, when I need to be pulled back, she pulls me back; when she needs to step up I'm the one to agitate her. Between the two of us, it works beautifully... and we use what we're best at individually to decide who will lead on each meeting at work."
They were inspired to reach out to fellow trades unionists through networking at Tolpuddle, with support from Dave Chapple, then spent several months firing on all cylinders - reaching out through the local Labour networks, through the TUC South West networks, and even running stalls in town to make connections organically. They became unstoppable, finding that the people they brought in went on to recruit even more; their network grew to 20 people ready for the launch of the new Trades Council.
Usdaw Regional Secretary, Mike Walker, said, “Both Kay and Karen have been hardworking reps for many years both at Tesco Stroud and within the wider Usdaw family. The formation of the Stroud Trades Council is testament to their commitment and willingness to succeed. I am sure it will be a great success and wish all concerned the very best for the future”.
TUC Regional Secretary, Ines Lage, said, "Karen and Kay are such a great representation of our movement; so value-led, driven to support anyone who needs their help. They get their motivation from helping people."
Looking to the future, they plan to make the stalls a regular fixture in Stroud, to deepen connections between trades unionists and strengthen community outreach, and also to build and maintain effective working relationships with their neighbouring Trades Councils.
Kay and Karen's activism serves as a powerful reminder of the value of proactive solidarity and building human connections across the movement. They are both motivated by a sense of empowerment in being able to help others, accompanied by the comfort and security of knowing that others are there to support them, too. And ultimately, that's trades unionism at its finest.
Andy may be soft spoken, but it doesn’t take long to recognise that he is a true force of nature. Having weathered his own path through the inhumane benefits system, he became dedicated to campaigning for justice and reform, against wave after wave of attack on vulnerable people through the Universal Credit reforms and cuts. His journey took him to Unite Community.
"We need to be looking at our members holistically. If they have a problem with their benefits, that's going to have an impact on their working life. Benefits have become an essential income that so many families need to live on, and trade unions need to support those people."
It was Andy who sounded the alarm to Unite about draconian changes to Universal Credit. He has spearheaded “Unite Against Sanctions” and the slogan “Social Security is a Trade Union Issue”. Andy has successfully transformed his cause into a national campaign with the external goal of combatting injustice in the benefits system, and the internal goal of ensuring all Unite reps are able to signpost affected workers to the support they need.
Andy is at the front of fighting for basic dignity and the right to a decent life for all ordinary people; the value of his work will be felt by thousands of union members across the UK.
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