The future of the UK’s power supply is being threatened by Brexit and urgent government action is needed to resolve the problem, an influential group of MPs warned on Tuesday (May 2). The…Read more…
Vote Labour – Local Council & Mayoral Elections 4 May 2017
Good luck to all Labour Party candidates standing today for election in local Council & Mayoral contests! Polls shut at 10pm and results due around 2am. Read more…
The strength of the economy matters for the public finances
Summary: It makes no sense to think about the deficit without thinking about the size and strength of the economy. A Newsnight report on the public finances last night was illustrated with a chart seemingly showing high spending causing the deficit. It…Read more…
‘Respect my union’ demo
Hotel workers, members of Unite, will stage a ‘respect my rights, respect my union’ protest outside the flagship Premier Inn in London’s Leicester Square tomorrow (Thursday, May 4) over attempts to…Read more…
Fog in the channel conceals sneaky Eurocrats…?
We appear to have – in Theresa May – a Tory leader prepared to stoke wild, if not paranoid, xenophobia in order both to rally her troops for a so-called “hard Brexit” and to prepare her alibi when she fails to negotiate any sort of satisfactory agreement with the EU 27.
The Grauniad is reporting…Read more…
The rail franchise needs more than just a reboot
The current system of rail franchising leaves much to be desired. Passenger satisfaction is very uneven, and the system is not well aligned with the needs of the economy. Today, Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) published a report on the state of Rail Franchising in the UK. Since 1998 range of…Read more…
Bedroom tax victory
Charlotte and Jayson Carmichael have for years been fighting the bedroom tax, a government policy introduced in 2013 that penalises people in social housing for having an ‘under-occupied’ home….Read more…
Back to blogging – for Labour victories
Regular readers (Sid and Doris Blogger) will have noticed the dust gathering on this blog recently.
In the last fortnight I have attended my last meeting of the UNISON Greater London Regional Committee and my last negotiating meeting with my employer as Secretary of Lambeth’s Joint Trade Unions (a…Read more…
Too little too late on teacher retention
Yesterday saw the last minute publication of the government response to the inquiry into teacher recruitment and retention undertaken by the House of Commons education select committee earlier this year. The committee’s original report, published in February, highlighted a number of key issues,…Read more…
Personal Protective Equipment: the right fit for women?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is there to protect workers from potential hazards to their health and safety; it must be used properly. However, the experiences of hundreds of women tells us…Read more…
Bus Bill now law
Unite has slammed a new law that prevents local authorities in England from creating publicly owned bus services as “outrageous”. Despite the controversial Bus Services Bill being given royal…Read more…
‘Safety, not union-busting’
Unite the union on Tuesday (May 2) said that the gas leak at the Grangemouth petrochemical reaffirms the need for the site’s owners’ INEOS to work constructively on its industrial and community…Read more…
New guidelines for assessing company behaviour on labour issues
The Committee on Workers’ Capital (CWC) has just published an important new document – the CWC Guidelines for the Evaluation of Workers’ Human Rights and Labour Standards.
Its the product of a couple of years’ work by a global group of trade union exp…Read more…
5 weeks to the General Election – West Ham Labour Grid
Dear John
There’s only 5 weeks left to tell Theresa May we want teachers and police officers for the many, not grammar schools and cuts to capital gains tax for the few.
Please co…Read more…
Why insecurity at work doesn’t need to be the new normal
New research we’ve published today, commissioned from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research, shows that insecure work isn’t inevitable. The rise and rise of insecure work in the UK is sometimes treated as a natural consequence of technological and social change. The development of…Read more…
UNISON “there for you” Pyrenean Charity Challenge
“Members experiencing financial and emotional difficulties can contact our welfare charity, There for You, which provides a confidential advice and support service for members and their dependants”.
UNISON “There for You” is something that many of its…Read more…
Why a General Election Now?
Many people have asked, “Why has Teresa May decided to call a general election on June 8th?” .What does Prime Minister May think these elections will accomplish? Will they “secure the strong and…Read more…
Colombia justice fight goes on
On May Day yesterday (May 1) also known as International Workers’ Day, demonstrations were yesterday held right across the world including in London. May 1 commemorates events in Chicago…Read more…
Apprenticeships – coming soon to a school near you
Schools across the UK see an increase in apprentices after the government introduced new schemes, and a levy to fund them, which came into effect last month
The article Apprenticeships – coming soon…Read more…
Showroom protest
Car workers, who make engines, the Mini and Rolls-Royce motorcars for BMW,protested outside the German carmaker’s flagship showroom on Park Lane in Mayfair, London on Saturday (April 29) over the…Read more…