Colleagues, the term activism is often used, especially by the press and media, to convey a negative message, often citing far left groups or extreme events.

This however, is not really the case at all and most people who might be described as activists, are in fact, just people who care, people like you and me!

Activism is about protecting our rights (and those of others), cherishing our democracy and holing our leaders to account, and basically just participating in a thriving democracy.

So what are you waiting for? As a branch of UNISON, we want to support and encourage as many of you as possible to become more active and to feel the power of collective action.

So here are some things that you can do:

• Sign the TUC petition to protect the right to strike.
• Lobby your MP, using a template form.
• Take part in a social media storm!

All of these things can be fun and only take minutes to do, but can be really effective in getting yours and our voice heard on issues that matter, so give it a try and even feel free to let us know what you did and how it made you feel.

Best regards

Mike

For EA Thames UNISON.