Motion passed at UoB UNISON branch committee meeting on 7th August 2025
This Branch Committee notes:
- That Julia Mwaluke was removed from her position as UNISON vice president a week before UNISON’s national conference, some of which she would have been chairing.
- That she was then prevented from taking up her newly elected position on UNISON’s National Executive Council (NEC).
- She was stopped from taking up these roles by union officials who claimed she had broken election rules regarding her low pay.
- Julia is a Black migrant worker who is employed by an agency and was elected to the National Black Members reserved (low pay) seat by a large majority.
- UNISON officials are claiming Julia changed employer and earnt more money as a result and that this disqualified her.
- That there was no formal process carried out to remove Julia from her elected positions.
- UNISON quite rightly champions the rights of migrant workers and how essential they are in public services.
- Julia campaigns tirelessly for low paid care workers like herself who get little choice about where they are sent to work. She is a vocal anti-racist, socialist activist and campaigner.
This Branch Committee believes:
- That Julia did not change employer, she remained with the same agency. For a few weeks the agency sent her to a higher paid role, before returning her back to a low paid role.
- That when applying for the election, and when elected, Julia qualified for the low paid seat and so should have been elected.
- That Julia is wrongly being prevented from taking up her rightfully elected position, and should be immediately reinstated.
- This is a massive injustice. If the UNISON leadership truly champions the rights of migrant workers, as it claims to, then Julia must be reinstated.
This Branch Committee resolves:
- To support the campaign for Julia to be reinstated and publicise her case and the campaign to members.
- To support, publicise and encourage attendance at events organised by the Reinstate Julia Mwaluke campaign.
- To circulate the petition calling for Julia’s reinstatement.
- To call on UNISON’s NEC to investigate Julia’s disbarring immediately and work quickly to resolve her situation.
- To write to UNISON’s General Secretary and Presidential Team expressing our concern that a low-paid migrant worker like Julia could be treated this way by UNISON and barred from taking up their elected office, and asking that they oversee a full investigation, with a published report that is shared to members. As well as officers, the investigation should be carried out by lay members from the National Black Members Committee, agreed by that body.