Unite has accused Birmingham city council waste service bosses of ‘playing games’ and being more interested in ‘conflict’ than finding a negotiated settlement to an ongoing dispute over plans to axe…Read more…
Boris: Stop ignoring human rights in Turkey
Since the failed coup a year ago, Turkey has experienced an unprecedented erosion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The article Boris: Stop ignoring human rights in Turkey first…Read more…
‘Fearless campaigner’
The spirit of GMB legend Mary Turner will shine on through the many men and women she inspired to join the trade union movement, said Len McCluskey, Unite general secretary. Speaking on the…Read more…
Government must stop cutting police force jobs, says UNISON
In response to new figures published today (Thursday) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealing a sharp rise in violent crime, UNISON national officer for police staff Ben Priestley said:…Read more…
Our enforcement system isn’t working. What’s the Taylor Review going to do about it?
The Taylor Review includes a section on “fairer enforcement”, which concludes with the statement: “The two-tier enforcement framework in the UK works”. No it doesn’t. Two things immediately spring to mind that show this statement isn’t true: Employment tribunal fees price people out of justice….Read more…
Action on energy prices is another damp squib
As widely predicted, UK government action on energy bills has turned out to be another damp squib. Ministers passed the buck yet again to Ofgem who have published plans for a ‘fairer and more…Read more…
The BBC can afford millions for the talent, but other staff are denied a fair wage
Over the last two days, we’ve seen wall-to-wall coverage of what the BBC’s leading lights get paid. That’s not surprising. Few stories offer such a perfect mix of celebrity gossip, financial drama and political intrigue. Of course journalists are going to jump on this one. But…Read more…
Greater London UNISON Housing Association Branch Executive 2017/2018
Picture from tonight’s Executive meeting held at L&Q office in Stratford. It is really great that lay activists turn up and participate after a full day’s work to such meetings. One of our Executive members went off afterwards to go on a night shif…Read more…
Public sector worker wages down
Public sector workers’ real wages in 2017 are down thousands of pounds a year compared to 2010, the TUC has found. Prison officers, paramedics and NHS dieticians are all down over £3,800 a year….Read more…
Higher education: Government urged to get a grip on vice chancellor salaries
UNISON has written to universities minister Jo Johnson to call for more transparency in decision-making over pay in the higher education sector.
The article Higher education: Government urged to get…Read more…
Is there really a public sector pay premium?
Over the weekend Chancellor Philip Hammond was reported as saying that public sector workers are overpaid. On the Andrew Marr show on Sunday he was given multiple opportunities to deny the accusation. But while he did not repeat the tone-deaf claim, ne…Read more…
‘Last resort’
Unite theatre staff members employed by Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Warrington Hospital, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action over changes to their…Read more…
Boost mental health care call
Unite is calling on the government to reverse the cuts to mental health nursing as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, published (July 20), finds that 25 per cent of core mental health services…Read more…
Workers stranded in diplomatic stand-off as Qatar and Saudi Arabia square up
As wealthy Gulf states face off over long simmering diplomatic differences, foreign workers in both countries are at risk of bearing the brunt of the dispute. An ongoing row in the Gulf over Qatar’s…Read more…
‘Roaring’ forties
Millions of workers in their forties will be forced to work an extra year before retiring, after the Tories announced they are raising the state pension age seven years earlier than planned. …Read more…
Govt ‘scramble’ for medics
Thousands of patients have had to move doctors in the last year due to the widespread closure of GP practices in England, shocking new statistics reveal. Some 202 practices were closed or…Read more…
‘Bribing’ crew attempts slammed
Members of Unite working for British Airways’ mixed fleet yesterday (July 19) announced a further 14 days of strike action amid warnings that the airline’s attempts to bribe people into not striking…Read more…
5 reasons why a “dependent contractor” test is a bad idea
One of the more curious suggestions to emerge from the Taylor Review is the proposal to replace the concept of “worker” in employment law with that of “dependent contractor”. This proposal might sound interesting, but here’s 5 reasons why it may not be such a good idea. All working people…Read more…
Follow the money: How do the tax and social security proposals in the Taylor Review measure up?
The rise of insecure work has had real consequences for both personal budgets and the national exchequer. The lower earnings and lower tax paid by the self-employed and those on zero hours contracts means the rise in insecure work has come with a £5bn price tag for the exchequer. But the cost of…Read more…
UNISON “There for You” appeal (collective self help for workers by workers)
Show your support for UNISON There for You by doing something magnificent today!
I am delighted to attach our review for 2016 illustrating just how, There for You, UNISON’s own charity, helped members and what we achieved.
Many of those …Read more…