NEC celebrates organising and recruitment figures

At this week’s national executive council (NEC) meeting, general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Organising and recruitment figures were great last year. The first quarter of a year is often a difficult one, but 2025 has seen the bounce continuing.”

Moving her attention to Westminster, she added: “The world has changed, and the government needs to change its tight fiscal rules in order to help the UK face the situation.”

Her report stated clearly that UNISON “strongly opposes the government’s proposed benefit reforms, which could force disabled workers who rely on the personal independent payment to leave the labour market”.

Ms McAnea noted the amount of strike action currently taking place – mentioning some of the picket lines she had attended.

On the ongoing pay dispute at Livv Housing, in Merseyside, she noted that the union was talking to government sources about closing loopholes that allowed this situation to happen.

Speaking on the ongoing issues in Palestine and Gaza, and particularly about the murdered paramedics and first responders, she said: “If this isn’t a war crime, what is?”

In the presidential team report, UNISON president Steve North talked of bringing Livv Housing strikers and other workers in dispute to national delegate conference (NDC), in Liverpool in June, while also celebrating those who have taken action over the past 12 months.

Immediately after the last NEC meeting, the presidential team attended national women’s conference, with Mr North particularly wanting to thank the women’s committee, delegates to women’s conference and the women members of the NEC delegation for making him “feel so welcome” and for “teaching” him so much.

The report also congratulated health member Sophie Robinson for challenging Wes Streeting at health conference over his approach to trans rights, in a speech that was “incredibly powerful and a real example of speaking truth to power”.

It reported that the same conference sent solidarity to Palestinian health workers after “the horrific murder of Palestinian paramedics by the Israeli military”.

Much of the rest of the meeting revolved around planning for NDC, including:

• Provisional policy on amendments and motions

• Rule amendments

• Draft annual report

• Preliminary agenda and priorities

• National industrial action update

• A draft statement from the NEC on Palestine.

Beyond conference business, the council discussed the issue of government attacks on disabled people – not least on cuts to personal independent payments (PIP) – and how to campaign on it.