UNISON moves into the next stage of Together We Rise, the union’s cost of living campaign today. The campaign, which was launched to members at this year’s national delegate conference and at the TUC #DemandBetter rally in London in June, will now be seen by the wider public.
The launch comes on the back of 80,000 people (at the time of publication) signing the union’s petition calling on new Prime Minister Liz Truss to prioritise pay rises over tax cuts, with over 26,000 tweet actions asking the PM and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to #EndThePayCrisis ahead of the emergency budget held on 23 September.
Instead of ending the pay crisis, the chancellor’s budget seemed to focus on measures to benefit some of the highest earners in the country, including scrapping the cap on banker’s bonuses and removed the top tax band.
In response, UNISON’s general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The government has ditched levelling up for an all-out offensive to make the wealthiest even richer”, adding: “The country and its teetering public services deserve much better”.
The public launch of Together We Rise will feature a massive external-facing advertising campaign and social media push, with new campaign videos and social media graphics as well as a UK-wide billboard campaign, all featuring real UNISON members.
This will include bursts of press and digital advertising across various platforms, all of which have been planned and scheduled using in-depth data mapping to target areas and demographics where there is the greatest opportunity to maximise support, recruit members and increase the union’s activist base.
Advertising will also drive traffic to the new Together We Rise campaign hub, which launches today.
The hub presents a public face to the campaign outlining UNISON’s list of demands for more pay and greater support for public sector workers. It features:
- a dispute map – tracking UNISON’s actions in the face of the pay crisis;
- a cost of living impact calculator – allowing visitors to assess the effect of rising fuel prices, inflation costs and stagnating wages;
- member testimonies as well as UNISON’s workplace wins;
- links to our welfare services;
- member and activist recruitment information;
- the latest news, information and sign-up links.
