< News

18.09.2024 / News / Worker's Story /

Knowledge makes you free: Maria Angeles’ journey with UVW

“I feel that UVW is like my family because I go there, and I chat, I share… So what I would say to the members who have never attended our meetings is that they should do it for their own good, because we are all workers and we have the right to know what is going to happen to us and what we need to do. The more we know, the more we are aware, the more we find out, the fewer problems and difficult situations we will have at work. And we will be free.“

María Angeles, Ecuadorian cleaner, 28 years in the United Kingdom and a member since 2016, shares her experience attending for the first time the monthly meeting of the Voces Hispanas Unidas (VHU) sector of her union United Voices of the World (UVW), which took place on Saturday, 14 September 2024, at Casa UVW, our offices in Bethnal Green. A large group of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking members attended; there was information and debate, quizzes, prizes, and laughter. We finished the event with a solidarity meal, drinks, and Latin music to liven up the evening.

“For me, this was the first time attending the meeting of the United Hispanic Voices sector, and I really enjoyed it. It was wonderful to be together, I learned a lot, and I even won a prize! A lovely UVW coffee mug because I answered correctly in a quiz about workers’ rights. I feel happy and proud.

It was a very productive meeting. On this occasion, we gathered a lot of information from the union representatives present, and I learned many important things.

I loved how they explained how we, as workers, can face a problem at work and how we need to act. I learned so many things I didn’t know. Everything! I know it sounds strange because you expect to know things that affect you in the workplace, but for me, everything was new. For example, they told us that your boss cannot speak badly to you for being a woman or a man, or for being of a particular race. If they insult you by saying something like ‘you are ugly, fat, or stupid because you are a woman’ or ‘you are dumb or lazy because you are brown or black,’ then we have the right to file a complaint as workers for discrimination based on sex, race, or age (there are also other categories under the Equality Act of 2010). And I didn’t know these things so clearly, and it gives you peace of mind.

I’ve been in the union since 2016, but I didn’t get involved in this community’s life until recently when I had a problem at work and came to seek advice. It has been a phenomenal experience and has even motivated me to volunteer at the office. I love going to Casa UVW, where I help in the kitchen, or I make calls to members to invite them to events. They even gave me a bit of training on how to use the computer, and I really enjoy it. I want to learn more about computers, and I’m going to sign up for the union’s free digital skills course starting in September.

By going to the union regularly, I’ve not only learned many things but also discovered that there is a real and close-knit world behind the abstract idea of what a union is.

I feel that UVW is like my family because I go there, and I chat, I share…

I would tell fellow union members who don’t come to the meetings and activities (most of which are free, from dance to drumming, to English and maths classes, as well as parties) that they are missing out on a lot of things, just like I missed out. They are missing out on information, understanding of UK laws, and a place where they can go to talk and be heard. Like me, they could be getting help—everyone helps me. 

So what I would say to members who have never attended our meetings is to do it for their own good, because we are all workers, and we have the right to know what is going to happen to us and what we need to do. The more we know, the more aware we are, the more we find out, the fewer problems and difficult situations we will have at work. Therefore, we will be free—free at work, emotionally free, psychologically free. Freedom for ourselves.”

Join Maria Angeles at the next meeting of your Spanish-speaking sector. Follow us on Instagram to find out the new dates as they get published.

Check out our events on the website to stay up to date and sign up for free courses, activities, parties, and meetings.

SHARE