Welcome to UNISON Monmouthshire
Branch latest news, archive news, updates, stories, information and branch representatives
UNISON Office, 1st Floor Community Education Centre
18 Maryport Street, Usk, Monmouthshire, NP15 8AE
Telephone: 01291 675502
The largest town is Abergavenny. Other towns and large villages are Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth, Magor and Usk. The region boosts more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the UK. Nestled between the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s not just the stunning landscape that’ll take your breath away for it is known for its mountain walks, public houses, restaurants, fabulous food and company.
UNISON USEFUL LINKS TO SAVE YOU MONEY
Please inform us if you see an outdated link, thank you.
April / May 2024
SOLIDARITY WITH TATA STEEL WORKERS
Caerphilly Trades Council is with Swansea Trades Council.
May Day march and rally organised by Cardiff Trades Council
Assemble 12 noon, top of Churchill Way at Queen Street CF10 2GR. Bring your banners!
Speakers include Unite Port Talbot Tata; Shavanah Taj, Wales TUC, Solidarity with Gaza #TUC #TUCWales #MayDay #Gaza
April 2024
COUNCIL AND SCHOOL PAY
We've submitted our local government pay claim for 2024. We've asked for:
- £3,000 or 10%, whichever is greater
- Review of equality pay gaps
- Reduction of the working week
- Additional annual leave
More information link click here
March 2024
REGIONAL COUNCIL
Today we're at Venue Cymru in Llandudno for the start of our Unison Wales regional council.
#WalesTUCCymru #UNISON #UNISONWales
March 2024
UNISON 2024 YEAR OF THE LGBT+
Thanks to all who attended the launch of the UNISON 2024 Year of the LGBT+ Worker at the Golden Cross in Cardiff.
#WalesTUCCymru #TradesUnionCongress #TUC
March 2024
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
On International Women’s Day we celebrate women's achievement and all global activism committed to forging equality.
We are a union of over a million women members in the UK, through our collective efforts we aim to support and #InspireInclusion.
Read More #IWD24
March 2024
HAPPY ST DAVID'S DAY / DYDD GWYL DEWI HAPUS
Happy Saint David's Day
February 2024
AGM 2024
Our final AGM event, which will be held online via Microsoft Teams. Online joining instructions and papers/reports will be circulated by email in due course. Please download our Word document for details.
February 2024
APPRENTICE MEMBERS
Apprentices can join UNISON from £10 a year which gives you the support of a union - our reps, legal team, a helpline and more.
UNISON organises, protects and campaigns for apprentices #Unison #NationalApprenticeshipWeek #NAW2024
February 2024
Deadline: 
THE OPEN UNIVERSITY COURSES
We have teamed up with The Open University to offer members free access to university-level Microcredential courses & CPD Short Courses. Deadline for March start date is 9 Feb so get your applications in.
February 2024
SELF CATERING COTTAGE DEALS
DON’T MISS OUT ON OUR MOST POPULAR OFFER TO DATE!
Enjoy a discounted break in Croyde this year. Our 2 Bedroom self-catering cottages are the perfect base for family and friends sleeping up to 6 people.
#UnisonHolidayResort #CroydeBay #UnisonHolidayVillage #Holiday
January 2024
CHAMPIONS IN OUR COLLEGES
Support staff are the unsung heroes in further education, helping to keep colleges running smoothly everyday. Why not give them the recognition they deserve by entering the Nominate a Champion prize draw. #ChampionsInOurColleges
January 2024
KEEP WARM THIS WINTER
The new Unison Wales "Saving Energy in the Kitchen" webinar will now run on the evening of Wednesday 24 January.
Learners already booked on the original date have been informed, and we still have a few places remaining.
All other sessions in the "Good For Your Pocket, Good For the Planet" series are now fully booked, but waiting lists are open.
January 2024
GET HELP
UNISON's charity, There for You, is again helping members stay warm this winter with grants of up to £200 towards your fuel bills.
Set a reminder for Wednesday 24 January, as grants go live at 8.30am and 5pm and they go fast.
January 2024
HELP BORROWING AND BUDGETING
Unison College webinars can help you to deal with the financial strains of the cost of living crisis this New Year. Your union has organised free lunchtime sessions on Borrowing and Budgeting.
December 2023
CHRISTMAS REWARDS
As a UNISON member you can save £££’s on discounted gift vouchers and shopping cards and get cashback from top retailers such as M&S, Very, Comet, Thorntons and more.
#ChristmasRewards #SaveMoney View website detail link here
November 2023
STARS IN OUR SCHOOLS
Stars in Our Schools is an annual celebration of school support staff. This year the event will take place on Friday 24 November 2023 – but we encourage schools to join in whenever suits them!
#StarsInOurSchools #EarlyYearsStars View Stars In Our Schools website link here
November 2023
PAY UP IMPORTANT UPDATE
Following our 2023 pay ballet results in the summer, UNISON’s NJC Committee made the decision not to pursue industrial action. UNISON met with the other local government unions, GMB and Unite, on Wednesday 1 November, and the joint decision is to accept the pay offer for 2023 of an increase of £1,925 on all NJC pay points {pro rata’d for part-time and term time only staff). The pay award will be backdated to 1 April 2023.
We want to thank you for your patience while we have worked to resolve this year's pay dispute. The local government employers have been informed and our immediate priority is to get the money into the pay packets of our hardworking members as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact your local branch.
The NJC Committee will be meeting in November, and we are starting preparations for the 2024 pay campaign as a matter of urgency, starting with consulting on and submitting a joint pay claim. The fight to restore local government pay will continue and we plan to be stronger than ever to get fair pay for councils and school workers.
November 2023
MONMOUTHSHIRE UNISON SMALL TALK
Update on the 2023 Pay Offer.
Don't forget to join via TEAMS on Wednesday 8th November.
We'll be runniung the sessions at 12 to 12.30pm and again at 5 to 5:30pm
October 2023
TUC CONFERENCE
Attending the Wales TUC Organising Now Conference.
The Wales TUC is the voice of Wales at work. With 48 member unions, the Wales TUC represents around 400,000 workers. We campaign for a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad.
October 2023
STARS IN OUR SCHOOLS
Twinkle, twinkle: Stars in Our Schools is back!
Stars in Our Schools is back, and this year there’s a special focus on early years education. But hurry – the deadline for ordering all your fantastic Stars merch is 6 October.
October 2023
SALUTING OUR SISTERS
This year’s Black History Month, in October, is themed ‘Saluting our Sisters’. UNISON is using the month to celebrate exceptional women working in health
September 2023
BRON AFON SUPPORT
Sending support and solidarity to our colleagues at Torfaen Unison for their demonstration 4pm - 6pm today, 28th September.
September 2023
TAX OIL AND GAS GIANTS
Oil and gas companies that fuel climate change are making record profits and giving billions to their execs. Meanwhile, people like you and me get record (and wallet!) breaking energy bills.
All because Chancellor Jeremy Hunt isn't taxing oil and gas giants fairly.
Sign the petition and tell the Chancellor to make oil and gas giants - not ordinary households - pay the price.
September 2023
CABINET STATEMENT
Written Statement: Education update on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
August 2023
9/10 - More Plants - Simple, planet friendly #food swaps
23/10 - How to reduce your online climate footprint
6/11 - Climate Resilient #gardening
20/11 - Not Buying it - Detecting & Rejecting #greenwashing
27/11 - How to have great #climate conversations at work
AUTUMN COURSES
Unison Cymru Wales Learning is with Green Squirrel and Unison Wales.
Learn fun, practical and useful environmental skills on Monday lunchtimes this autumn with our new webinar series created and delivered by the wonderful people at Green Squirrel.
These sessions are the perfect build-up to #COP28 and great for anyone who wants to take the important actions - big and small, individual and collective - that will make a difference to the #ClimateChange and #Biodiversity emergencies.
August 2023
AUTUMN COURSES
Our exclusive UNISON member-only courses for schools staff this autumn will help you to deal with some of the most the challenging and rewarding parts of your job - working with children with autism, ADAD and low-level behaviour issues.
Tutors from expert provider 2Resolve will guide you though these important topics, with online sessions starting at 3pm in October and November.
August 2023
UNISON CYMRU WALES LEARNING
We're delighted to be able to offer UNISON members in Wales the opportunity to learn more about Autism with the wonderful Adjust Services - a provider we've trusted for many years.
The online session is a members-only event on Wednesday 22nd November 2023, starting at 12:45
July 2023
DURHAM MINERS GALA
Blaenau Gwent branch and Monmouth branch at the Durham Miners Gala
#DurhamMinersGala #NHS75
July 2023
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NHS
Staff are the backbone of our NHS, with over 1.5 million people working as one team to deliver safe patient care.
From wards to walk-ins, corridors to communities, offices to operating theatres, labs to laundries and everywhere in between, UNISON celebrates the dedicated and diverse team of staff who have steered our health service to its 75th birthday.
Happy birthday NHS! #75Today #NHS
June 2023
NATIONAL DELEGATES CONFERENCE 2023
It’s that time of year once again when the gang gets together for National Delegates Conference 2023!
#UNDC23 #NationalCareService #ShowRacismTheRedCard #UnisonWales
National Delegates Conference information link here
June 2023
HAVE YOU VOTED?
Back at the wonderful city of Liverpool for Unison Local Government Conference 2023.
First on the agenda is making 2023 The Year of The Black Worker.
Here we go!
#ULGC23 #UnisonWales
Rise Up to Get Pay Up!
LG Members can vote in the Pay Ballot 2023 until July 4th!
#PAYUP2023 #ULGC23 #UnisonWales
May 2023
NJC STRIKE BALLOT
UNISON has been campaigning for a decent pay rise for council and school workers, who receive little recognition for their hard work.
Over the past 12 years, council and school staff have lost on average 25% from the value of their pay when measured against the Retail Price Index (RPI).
UNISON has called for a pay increase of inflation plus 2%, but employers are only offering a flat-rate increase. In a cost-of-living crisis, it's not good enough.
Find out more and don't forget to vote.
May 2023
KEEP TIDY
Out with Keep Abergavenny Tidy on our first ever Community Litter Pick!
#KeepTidy #Abergavenny
May 2023
Opens June:
SCHOOL UNIFORM GRANT
School Uniform Grants opening 1st June 2023
Follow link below for full details
May 2023
NEC ELECTIONS
National Executive Council (NEC) elections are now in full swing, and your vote in it is crucial. As a UNISON member, you have the power to help shape the future of our union by electing the right leaders to represent you. Not got a ballot paper? Call us on 0800 0 857 857 from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.
More about the NEC and the election process
May 2023
Ballot closes:
USE YOUR VOTE
National Executive Council Ballot Papers and Election Statements have started to arrive through the post!! Make sure you return your voting paper in the pre-paid envelope provided.
The ballot closes on 19th May 2023.
The NEC is elected by members to do the following:
- Uphold the union’s aims, values and rules.
- Provide leadership and direction.
- Ensure the union’s income, property and funds are safeguarded.
- Maintain standards and quality.
You are entitled to vote in all elections on the ballot paper regardless of seat type.
If you have not yet received your pack, call the ballot helpline on 0800 0857 857. The textphone number is 0800 0967 968. Remember, it’s YOUR CHOICE, it only takes minutes and EVERY VOTE COUNTS, so please vote.
April 2023
WORKER'S MEMORIAL DAY
You are invited to attend Wales' National Workers' Memorial Day event.
Join us for refreshments followed by a short ceremony to lay wreaths at the National Workers' Memorial Stone. We will be joined by dignitaries including trade union leaders.
April 2023
PAY UP 2023
As we get closer to the opening of UNISON's industrial action ballot for council and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it's so important to make sure that you and your colleagues are ballot ready.
To make the local government employers see that you are serious about demanding a decent pay rise, every eligible member must post their ballot paper back to us with a YES vote when the time comes. The ballot opens in May.
#payup2023
March 2023
COLLECTIVE THINKING
A union isn't an outside organisation that comes in to help you, a union is YOU and your colleagues coming together to empower each other as a COLLECTIVE. And trust me, that's way more powerful!
March 2023
CELEBRATING WORKING WOMEN: UNISON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Celebrating working women: UNISON prepares for IWD 2023
The union will celebrate International Women’s Day with an event in Glasgow in March 2023.
UNISON is organising an International Women’s Day event in Glasgow on 8 March next year to celebrate the contributions of care workers, cleaners, school workers, librarians, and administrators to their workplaces, communities and the union.
March 2023
BRANCH DEVELOPMENT
Branch Development Weekend for UNISON in Gwent Branches at Bryn Meadows Hotel and Golf Club.
Fantastic morning session with Esther, Stuart and Tony from Sight Cymru delivering Sight Loss Awareness Training to representatives from Monmouthshire, Torfaen, Caerphilly, Newport & Blaenau Gwent.
February 2023
AGM 2023
Tuesday 7th Feb 2023 at 12:30pm
Wednesday 8th Feb 2023 at 10am
Thursday 9th Feb 2023 at 5pm
Via Microsoft TEAMS.
Please click on the PDF icon for full details. Thank you.
February 2023
JOIN A UNION
Heart Unions - there's power in a union. When workers act and speak together, their employer has to listen. That’s how unions make things better at work.
Together, we’re stronger. So join a union today.
https://www.tuc.org.uk/join-a-union
#HeartUnions #CaruUndebau #HeartUnionsWeek #UnisonWales #JoinAUnion
January 2023
WINTER FUEL GRANT OPENS
UNISON’s welfare charity, There for You, opens its annual programme offering grants of £200 next week – find out if you’re eligible to apply
The winter fuel grant programme opens next week at 10am on Wednesday 25 January.
It offers a one-off, non-repayable grant of £200 to help UNIONS’s most vulnerable low-income members and to help ease the worry of paying for their next fuel bill during the coldest months of the year.
January 2023
SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF SEMINAR
Save the date for the Unison Wales Schools Seminar on Friday January 20, 2023. 9:00 - 16:30. Radisson Blu, Bute Terrace, Cardiff CF10 2FL.
This is a free event available to all UNISON members working in a schools support staff role in Wales.
We are really looking forward to welcoming as many schools support staff as possible at this very important event. This is an opportunity for you to raise issues affecting you and your school with the First Minister and the Minister for Education and Welsh Language as well as receive training in our afternoon workshops.
Spaces are limited so if you would like to attend this event please e-mail d.rees@unison.co.uk before Thursday December 15.
- Welcome from First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford MS
- Keynote speech from Minister For Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles MS
- Workshops include: Appropriate deployment of teaching assistants in Wales / Social prescribing / Violence and sexual harrassment in schools / Managing challenging behavior / Education Workforce Council and how we can support your professional development
- Sessions on violence towards school staff, whether the teaching assistant job description is fit for purpose, and making schools more LGBTQ+ friendly
- Exhibitor visits
January 2023
NEW YEAR'S HONOUR
Congratulations to Sian on her New Year’s Honour.
An Abergavenny women has been recognised for her political and public service in this year’s New Year’s Honours List.
67 year old Sian Stockham is the member of Wales on the National Executive Council of public services trade union UNISON and also worked as a carer throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
She has now been recognised for her hard work in the Abergavenny community by receiving an OBE.
CHECK YOUR BENEFITS
It can often be tricky to figure out which benefits you are eligible for and how to claim.
Check your support now with the UNISON Benefits Calculator.
BUDGET PLANNER
The first vital step in taking control of your finances is to create your own personal budget plan. Our user friendly budget planner is free to use and should only take minutes to complete if you have all your financial information to hand.
> Budget planner link here
WELLBEING MATTERS
Wellbeing breaks can provide welcome relief from stress and respite from difficult circumstances – this can include assisting with recovery from illness to help prepare for a return to work.
Contact Monmouthshire Branch