The benefits of being a union member may not be immediately obvious, but for many, it’s nothing short of life-changing. For one Unite member an accident in work meant that he would no longer…Read more…
Stormont jobs plea
Unite and other unions are calling for ministerial intervention at Stormont after Belfast engineering giant Harland and Wolff announced sixty job losses. The company is blaming the move –…Read more…
Actions, not words plea
Unite steelworkers in Wales took their fight to save steel at the Welsh Conservative spring conference today (March 11). Dozens descended to demonstrate against the UK government’s continued…Read more…
The unequal impact of the mental health crisis
Mental health problems will affect one person in four: a statistic repeatedly quoted these days. There are other numbers. People disabled by mental ill health have only a 20% employment rate in contrast to an overall disability employment rate of just …Read more…
A ‘fishy’ business?
The UK’s leading supplier of chilled fish has been accused of paying for the new ‘national living wage’ by slashing overtime rates. Unite believes Grimsby-based firm – Icelandic…Read more…
For fairness and progress
Unite has described Sadiq Khan’s manifesto setting out his London Mayoral bid as a “programme of fairness” which will be welcomed by millions in the capital. Labour’s candidate has put…Read more…
A million new jobs for disabled people on the road to full employment?
The Chancellor of the Exchequer wants the UK to achieve full employment by creating more than two million new jobs by 2020. The Resolution Foundation, in its welcome new report, “The road to full employment: what the journey looks like and how to make progress”, sets out how to achieve this by…Read more…
A boss’s ‘flexible friend’?
The number of people whose main job is on a zero hours contract may well soar to 1m by the end of the year if current trends continue, according to the latest figures released on Wednesday (March 9)….Read more…
Will area reviews fix the skills gap?
Janet Clark is an education policy adviser at ATL The government recently published the latest guidance for the Review of Post-16 Education and Training (known as the area reviews). At 60 pages…Read more…
Refugees Welcome demo: Saturday 19 March in London
Our Branch is supporting the Refugees Welcome demo in London, Saturday 19 March.
Stand Up to Racism!
Brighton People’s Assembly is running a coach to London for the Stand Up To Racism demonstration…Read more…
Decent housing for all – is that such an unrealistic demand?
UNISON is supporting the “Kill The Housing Bill” campaign, calling for significant investment in building more homes of all types to alleviate the housing crisis, and for improvements to the Bill to…Read more…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: A Warning for Our Libraries
Barnet Libraries are suffering major problems with IT.
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A Manifesto for all Londoners – Sadiq Khan our Future London Mayor
On Wednesday Sadiq launched his manifesto for all Londoners
“London is the greatest city in the world. But we are at a crossroads.
Our city gave me the opportunity to go from the council estate where I grew up helping to run a busines…Read more…
Harold Wilson – why my Dad was right about him
“There’s nowt wrong with Harold Wilson” is the only thing I remember my late Dad saying about politics. I recall that many other family members didn’t share this sentiment, but it was a view he stuck…Read more…
Women workers & the EU referendum
Frances O’Grady addressed the TUC Women’s Conference in London on Wednesday 9 March. Here is an edited version of the section of her speech that focused on the EU referendum, and the…Read more…
“Sick Children Need Safe Doctors” – Striking Junior Doctors outside Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel
Picture this morning from outside the Royal London Hospital in East London. Striking Junior Doctors were collecting signatures for their petition and “honks” of support from passing motorists. A well organised and well supported protest.
Check out #Ju…Read more…
Does Feminism need an upgrade? Sunday Night Live 20 March
“Women, intersectionality and the politics of gender equality todayAs celebrations for International Women’s Day 2016 come to an end, evoking struggles of the past, challenges of today and a renewed push for gender parity as women continue to lag behind men in economic participation and…Read more…
Save the BBC: Help show the Alternative
The union campaign to save the BBC is gathering pace as the Corporation’s charter renewal draws closer.Read more…
“Guten tag, pet!” Reforming the Posted Workers Directive
On Tuesday (8 March) the European Commission announced a long-waited revision of the twenty year-old Posted Workers Directive, which regulates the entitlements of workers sent by their employer to another EU country on a short-term project. Think of the characters in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet – they…Read more…
Train operating companies must be laughing all the way to the bank
A recent report by the Office for Road and Rail Regulation (ORR, 2014-15) shows that our privatised railways are still heavily dependent on taxpayers subsidies, while private train companies continue to pay out millions in shareholder dividends. In 2014-15, the government contributed £3.5bn to the…Read more…