Strength in difficult times

Opening UNISON's water, environment and transport (WET) service group conference in Brighton on Sunday, service group executive chair Pam Sian spoke of the significant changes facing workers in all three sectors. 

The water industry and the Environment Agency are facing “some of biggest shake ups in a generation, a fundamental overhaul of the system with a new regulator and major restructuring.” 

Pam also spoke about how pay continues to be behind expectations and how this has been a “flashpoint” in transport. “Last year we saw sustained industrial action over pay at Yorkshire and Greater Manchester combined authorities. Those disputes lasted months and were not taken lightly. But in both, settlements were reached.

“Our strength is in organising. When we work together, we are a powerful collective organisation. We should be proud. We’ve delivered membership growth for third year in row exceeding our targets with 2.9% growth, This is built by activists, reps like yourselves and branches recruiting and standing up for members.” 

General secretary 

Speaking for the first time at the WET conference since being elected general secretary, Andrea Egan said that it was “genuinely a privilege to speak in this role. You are the vital workers who keep our water flowing, protect our environment and keep our transport systems running. 

“The carving up of the water industry and the Environment Agency, are all putting more pressure on staff, increasing workloads and risking safety and wellbeing, at a time when the impact of climate change is being felt by workers daily. 

“We all know that the current water system is not working. UNISON’s clean water report sets out the scale of its failure, from rising bills and entrenched water poverty to chronic underinvestment, environmental damage and the extraction of tens of billions in shareholder payouts. Water shouldn’t be treated as an asset to be bought and sold. It is a fundamental human right.

“And whilst we all applaud transport workers, who keep our country running, they cannot deliver when councils face a £4 billion shortfall and funding is tied up in a really complex system. We have to lead on these issues, not just respond. We need collective strength and collective action in tackling the challenges ahead.”

No ‘carve up’ of Environment Agency 

A key issue at the WET conference was UNISON’s opposition to the government’s white paper on water sector reform, A new vision for water, published in January 2026. It contains plans to potentially carve up the Environment Agency, seeking to merge a substantial number of jobs into a new water regulator. 

“This is the biggest issue facing WET in our trade union,” said Greg Marshall, chair of EA sector committee. “Doing things differently, doesn’t mean doing things better. This new vision for water is more of a damp squib. There can’t be anyone who thinks the Government’s vision, which is so heavily reliant on more private investment will radically shift us away from current situation.” 

“We don’t know yet if the proposed changes will affect 400 or 4,000 jobs, but there is clear intent to carry this forward,” said Sarah Peet, from the North West region. 

A number of motions were passed in support, which included: 

• opposing any proposals to fragment, dismantle or carve up the EA;
• challenging the shortcomings of the white paper;
• demanding the Government commits to meaningful consultation with recognised trade unions;
• protecting members’ employment and putting in place a programme so that any members transferred to other agencies under the proposals will continue to be represented by UNISON. 

Protecting our workers

Workers are facing alarming increases in incidents of violence at work. These include threats and harassment from members of the public and anti-social behaviour on remote worksites. 

Support is patchy and a motion was brought to survey all workers in the sector to get a true picture of the extent of risk facing our members. It was also agreed to work with all employers across the sector to minimise risk and to challenge the culture of acceptability around violence at work. 

Kevan Rushton of the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Humberside region, also brought a motion to address the unsafe and unpredictable temperatures workers now face due to climate change, stating that no worker should be expected to work in conditions that place their health, safety or well-being at risk. 

“Our workers reported unsafe and intolerable conditions during the summer 2025. Members are working outdoors on incident responses or construction sites with inadequate shade and inadequate access to hydration or rest facilities. Extreme temperatures are a serious health and safety issue.”

Both motions were carried unanimously. 

Recruitment and organising

Recognising the ‘brilliant progress’ of increased membership, Tom Bruce of the WET service group executive and Yorkshire/Humberside region, brought a motion to introduce new measures to build new member recruitment further.

“The Employment Rights Act 2025 has new provisions which provide real opportunities with new members,” he said.

The motion included further training for reps and activists to address the recent updates in the law and a one-day seminar to explore, develop and share best practice across the sector. 

Elen Williamson of Cymru region also brought a motion to focus upon recruiting young workers. The motion proposed a mapping of young members and working with the National Young Members’ Forum to develop a strategy to increase the number of activists through mentoring and buddy schemes. 

Both measures were passed unanimously.

Good public transport for all

“We need good transport services to access education, employment, volunteering and social opportunities,” said Elen Williamson, National Young Members’ Forum, Cymru. “High quality public transport is also essential for older people and disabled people, for rural communities and for those who don’t own a car.”

A UNISON survey last year revealed that over 50% of young members use public transport to get to work. 

Two motions on public transport were passed, which included continuing to campaign for safe, sustainable and affordable public transport for all and continuing to bargain for improved terms and conditions for transport workers.