Unison is Britain’s largest public-sector union, defending workers’ rights and pushing pay, conditions and equality in councils, NHS and beyond.
Maternity services at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple have been suspended due to staffing shortages, forcing expectant families to consider long journeys to Exeter or Taunton. Trust leaders say the move is temporary and focused on safety, with other maternity services continuing elsewhere at the Royal Devon site.
The UK and parts of England face an ongoing extreme heat event. Amber heat-health alerts are in place across much of the country, with health officials urging caution, travel adjustments, and cooling measures as temperatures reach near-38C and drought conditions worsen.
Scottish Labour candidates have pledged to rebuild and unite the party after its worst Holyrood defeat. Monica Lennon, Joe Fagan and Michael Marra are campaigning to become leader, promising to change the party’s culture, seek local coalitions, and place working people at the heart of budget decisions.
The Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador is expiring this week, but no firm end date has been announced. DHS has indicated it will decide at the appropriate time, with protections remaining in place until then. Officials note that TPS extensions could affect about 200,000 Salvadorans and broader policy changes.
The Scotsman reports growing strain on Scotland’s ASN provisions as specialist staffing falls and schools argue for sustainable inclusion and a national workforce strategy, while leaders stress the need for long-term funding and support.
Glasgow City Council has paused its plan to dismiss and rehire 23,000 non-teaching staff amid continuing talks with unions over a new pay and grading system designed to address previous gender pay disparities. About 11% face wage cuts, while most staff will see pay stay the same or rise. Talks with Unison, Unite and GMB are ongoing.
Labour MPs are pressuring Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood over proposed residency rules for migrants, with debates centring on care workers and retrospective changes. The proposals would raise wait times for permanent settlement and provoke questions about fairness to those already in the UK.
Glasgow City Council has moved to implement a phased pay-and-grading overhaul to address a long-running equal-pay dispute. Some staff still await job evaluations, with no timetable given. A council spokesman says the plan remains on track for next April, but workers face uncertainty as phased evaluations continue.
The Covid inquiry's sixth report says the care sector was treated as an afterthought, with a so-called protective ring around homes not present. It documents more than 43,000 Covid deaths in care settings between March 2020 and July 2022, and warns visiting bans caused lasting harm.