Opinion: This week is our chance to show what we can achieve

By UNISON general secretary Andrea Egan

I am so proud that this is my first Heart Unions week as the general secretary of the UK’s biggest and best union.

UNISON’s 1.3 million members are the backbone of this country, keeping our public services running.

UNISON supports and represents so many different workers, doing so many different jobs. We are the whole working class.

It’s not just the massive health and local government sectors. It’s the people fighting floods in the Environment Agency, the police support staff keeping our communities safe, the teaching assistants looking after our children in schools, the engineers and technicians keeping the lights on, and the legends keeping our buses running.

We have tremendous strength – but only when we know our rights, organise together in the workplace and are always ready to take collective action.

I’m proud when we stand with migrant workers in the face of racism and attacks by the media, politicians, and exploitative employers.

I’m proud when we stand with our trans brothers and sisters in workplaces, supporting them against transphobic discrimination.

And I am proud when we refuse to settle for anything less than the changes from the government that we, the workers, genuinely deserve.

So that’s why I am supporting this Heart Unions week – not because everything we do is perfect, but because this is a chance to highlight our great potential, to show how much more we can achieve.

It’s a chance to recruit, recruit, recruit, because the more workers that join us, the greater our power to win the pay, conditions, and dignity we deserve, together, as public sector workers.

So, if you’re not in a trade union already, it’s never been more important to join one. If you work in public services, join UNISON.

And if you’re already one of us, shout about it this week, more than ever. That means talking to colleagues, raising issues, signing up new members, and never being afraid to fight back.

The post Opinion: This week is our chance to show what we can achieve appeared first on UNISON National.