Scotland’s public services are living through a lost decade as a consequence of austerity economics and we can do more to protect public services.
Tomorrow (Tuesday 13 January 2015) the Scottish…Read more…
Mark Carney’s letter to George Osborne: What might it say?
When the British economy misses the inflation targets set by the Chancellor, the Governor of the Bank of England has to write him a letter explaining the reasons. It looks like we’re on course to miss tomorrow – for the first time below rather than above target. Here’s what I’ve imagined Mark…Read more…
Tory plans will put public service unions in a legal straitjacket
Tory manifesto proposals to impose a minimum turnout (50%) and a minimum threshold of support (40% of all those balloted) will make it impossible for unions to conduct ‘lawful’ industrial action in…Read more…
There is Power in a Union
Fantastic song. Let no one ever forget the power of the union. Moral, political and industrial.Read more…
First Ilford North canvass 2015
On Saturday my Council surgery went over by 30 minutes due to a queue of constituents wanting help about serious housing matters. It was very grim. We just desperately need to build more homes.
In the afternoon I went on a #labourdoorstep…Read more…
Risk
There’s an interesting article in the Economist about the ‘on-demand’ economy. As you would expect, they are very positive about the rise of things like Uber, but even they recognise that this isn’t a pain-free future. Here are the final few…Read more…
“…but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”
Great quote by Abraham Lincoln. Equally applies to women of course.Read more…
Celtic Connections – bringing the world together.
My preview of this year’s Celtic Connections festival is printed in today’s Morning Star, here. They have made some (entirely legitimate) editorial changes to my original article – mainly reordering…Read more…
Barnet UNISON response to latest privatisation proposal
Share: Facebook Twitter Google Plus LinkedIn
To view full report click hereRead more…
Tories throw down the gauntlet – how shall we pick it up?
http://m.campaignseries.co.uk/news/national/11715463.Tories_vow_to_toughen_strike_laws/
Whereas the Tory announcement about caps on public sector redundancy payments was simply an electioneering gimmick, their plans to toughen further anti-strike laws …Read more…
Hadi Saleh’s legacy, ten years on
Today is the tenth anniversary of martyrdom of Hadi Saleh, international officer of the Iraqi trade union movement and my close friend. The union centre he represented, now known as the GFITU, is…Read more…
More Conservative anti-strike laws to come if elected:
Conservatives pledge public sector strike curbs The Conservative Party says it will make it harder to call strikes in public services if it wins the general election. Under the plans, a strike…Read more…
Vigils for Charlie Hebdo victims in Bristol and Cardiff
VIGILS FOR CHARLIE HEBDO VICTIMS IN BRISTOL AND CARDIFF THIS WEEKEND Dear Colleagues, Bristol vigil There is a vigil in Bristol today Saturday 10 January to show support for the victims of the…Read more…
Help the people of Gaza: TUC Aid Appeal Gaza Plant Nursery
TUC Aid is appealing for donations to rebuild the Beit Lahia Plant Nursery in Gaza, which was badly damaged during the 2014 Israeli offensive. The majority of Gaza’s 1.6 million people are…Read more…
Underpaying the minimum wage & exploiting migrants
The shocking news that the number of bad bosses who underpay the minimum wage to young workers has risen dramatically in the last few years has implications for the continuing debate about migration in the UK: here’s why. One of the main concerns that working people have about immigration…Read more…
LGPS Pension Boards: Model UNISON Magna Carta
Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE There are about 4.6 million people in the UK who are members (active, deferred or retired) of the Local Government …Read more…
Circle: The first private firm to manage an NHS hospital says it wants to “withdraw from its contract”
Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Circle to withdraw from contract BBC Circle became the first private firm to manage an NHS hospital three years ago A company which became the first private firm to manage…Read more…
50 per cent more young people cheated out of minimum wage since 2010 – new government figures shock
The government today published new estimates for non-compliance with the national minimum wage*. These show a shocking increase in the number of employees aged 16-20 underpaid, up from 67,000 in 2010 to 102,000 now, which amounts to a 52 per cent rise. In itself, this figure shows that the TUC was…Read more…
Cameron’s NHS “crisis, what crisis?” moment
In response to the growing and widely reported crisis in A&E across the NHS in England, David Cameron dismissed trade union “scaremongering” and referred to the issue as “short-term pressure”. Let’s recap the issues that David Cameron describes as “short-term pressure”: A financial situation…Read more…
Saving Our Safety Net Fact of the Week: men in the richest areas live nine years longer than men in the poorest areas
If, like me, your New Year’s Resolution was to switch to a healthier lifestyle you may have been thinking a lot about life expectancy. (I wonder how many people had a look at the Death Clock at the start of the year!) And that’s what prompted me to think about poverty and inequality and life…Read more…