Prostate Cancer initiative in Hull

Unite NEYH today (28 March) launched a new prostate cancer guide in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK to help reps run campaigns and negotiate support measures with employers that will raise awareness of the disease.

However some reps have already been working hard to negotiate agreements with employers in the region. 

Unite member Karen Daniels is a librarian and senior Steward for Hull Culture and Leisure Ltd, and is aware of the issues that can result from Prostate Cancer, and its treatment.

Karen has been supporting male colleagues at work by negotiating sanitary provision in men’s toilets after attending a National Health and Safety committee meeting.

After hearing a speaker from Prostate Cancer UK explaining the challenges men were facing because of a lack of disposal facilities for soiled incontinence wear, Karen decided to do something about it in her workplace. 

Karen explained that it took a while to get things moving, but once she got the ball rolling she has been able to make a real change at work, she said, “Management responded positively to the information I gave them. This was most definitely a Unite / management collaboration, of which I’m proud.”

With Karen’s encouragement the management started to make necessary changes. Karen said, “They mapped the workplace, costed it all up, and had the disposal bins installed at most of our sites.”

The initiative has been well received by male colleagues and Karen said, “I’ve had really positive comments. I don’t think they expected a woman rep to be fighting their corner.”

The branch at the Library has only recently been established, and they are looking at taking the issues forward once everyone is in place, but Karen said she would encourage reps in other workplaces to look at pushing for similar facilities.

Karen said that any reps in other workplaces were thinking of doing something similar they should, “Just present the facts to management and ask the question, you may be surprised by the answer. 

“However, if the answer is no, use the structure of Unite to support you in your mission, our Equalities Committees are second to none.

“With all the training and committee structures Unite provides us with, we are more able to go into our workplaces and make a real difference.”

Find out more about the new guidance and how to support colleagues with Unite’s new Toolkit and resources here.

Take Prostate Cancer UK’s 30-second online Risk Checker to find out your risk and what you can do about it.

By Keith Hatch