The trade union movement asserted its commitment to developing an active energy and climate change strategy, but Congress agreed that this must not happen at the expense of jobs nor can any strategy…Read more…
Step up on steel
British voters are backing the country’s steel industry with a widespread call for action by the government to step up its support for the beleaguered sector. According to Unite, which…Read more…
Time for action
Steelworkers, members of Unite and other steel unions, received a rousing round of applause yesterday (September 12) at the TUC conference after a composite, which highlighted the trade union…Read more…
#MayMonitor: A new campaign to track progress of Theresa May’s government
Theresa May became Prime Minister promising ‘a country that works for everyone’. She committed to fight the ‘burning injustice of inequality’, to support those who are ‘just managing’ but find life hard and to prioritise ‘ordinary working class families’ over the wealthy few. As Parliament returns…Read more…
Tackling debt is about more than personal responsibility
In the latest edition of the ESRC’s Society Now journal, Victoria Boelman from the Young Foundation discusses the need for greater education in order to help households avoid becoming trapped in high-cost debt. Well-intentioned as such work may be, it ignores the role of structural forces on…Read more…
Dangers of excessive workloads
Shelagh Hirst, ATL president, places this issue under the spotlight at TUC Congress 2016. Excessive workloads, caused by the current educational system, are detrimental to the mental health and…Read more…
Pessimism of the intellect at the TUC
Yesterday I shared exclusively with regular readers of this blog (Sid and Doris Blogger) the meanderings with which I detained the loyal diehards who stayed to the end of this evening’s Labour Representation Committee fringe meeting at the TUC.I injected a little pessimism of the intellect (or…Read more…
Post Office has failed
Seconding a motion on the crisis in the Post Office, Unite EC member and delegate Ivan Monckton said that Unite was proud that, its post office managers had taken industrial action on pensions, job…Read more…
TUC Congress 2016: Day 1
On Sunday I travelled down to Brighton as part of the 60 strong UNISON delegation to the 148th Trade Union Congress. This is the annual Conference or Parliament of the British Trade Union movement. Congress started for me with a delegation meeting at 3…Read more…
The British people didn’t vote for more cuts on June 23rd
This week the labour movement comes together – as it has done so for almost a century and a half – at the Trades Union Congress. There can seldom have been a time when unions have been…Read more…
Last orders on zero hours?
Britain’s largest pub chain is the latest company to announce that it will offer permanent hours to staff working on zero-hour contracts, following pressure on businesses to end the practise by…Read more…
EU citizens’ right to remain & all workers’ right to respect
The TUC has submitted evidence to the British Future inquiry into the status of EU nationals in the UK. We are calling for the government to make a clear commitment to give citizens from all 27 EU countries living and working in the UK the right to remain. This is one of the five tests…Read more…
Does your employer have an ethical procurement policy?
Does your employer have an ethical procurement policy? Are the goods it buys as part of delivering key public services – whether that’s staff clothing or food, electronics, paper, or furnishings –…Read more…
UNISON congratulates Amy Marren
Medal-winning Paralympian with a connection to the union
The article UNISON congratulates Amy Marren first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
Don’t rule out basic income call
As rapid digitalisation and fragmented employment throws millions of workers into uncertainty, Unite is urging unions to consider a universal basic income as part of wider reforms to social security…Read more…
On the offensive
TUC Frances O’Grady highlighted today (September 12) the importance of reaching out to young workers in a revitalised movement which places the concerns of the next generation of trade unionists at…Read more…
Stop this anguish call
Trade unions affirmed their commitment to a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment following an emergency motion at the TUC conference yesterday (September 11) which was unanimously carried. …Read more…
How the Grunwick strikers changed the face of British trade unionism
The striking women at the Grunwick factory reminded me potently that trade unionists, and trade union leaders, come from all walks of life. As a south Asian women trade unionist myself, the story of…Read more…
Nothing ever handed to us on a plate, TUC president tells congress
‘Let’s use our fighting spirit to organise, to campaign and to win’ UNISON’s Liz Snape urges delegates
The article Nothing ever handed to us on a plate, TUC president tells congress first appeared…Read more…
Building a movement of young workers
The buzzword during Congress this year is young workers: where they work, what they need, and how unions can help them. What we do know is that young workers –those aged under 30 and usually outside…Read more…