A construction boss who played a pivotal role in orchestrating a blacklisting scandal that targeted union safety activists will face the courts, the union Unite has pledged. The union said it “is…Read more…
Blacklisting dispute looms at Crossrail
The Crossrail project could face industrial action over the firing of a well-regarded union safety activist. The looming dispute centres around Birmingham electrician Martin Overy, a former Unite…Read more…
Police staff now less representative of communities, says UNISON
The proportion of police staff from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BME) employed by police forces in England and Wales has fallen dramatically, says UNISON research published today…Read more…
VOTE John Gray & Denise Thomas for UNISON Community NEC seats
Many thanks for all the branches that have supported us. If all goes well and we are accepted as candidates voting will start on 15 April (ballot papers sent to home addresses of members). Read more…
‘Homelessness crisis’
Homeless deaths are more than nine times higher in the poorest areas of England than in the richest, new data shows. Fatalities of homeless people were recorded by 156 local authorities in…Read more…
‘Goodwill gesture’
Unite has rescheduled tomorrow’s (February 26) intended Birmingham bin strike as a ‘gesture of goodwill’ in a bid to break the deadlock. Three days of peace talks, hosted by the conciliation…Read more…
Doctors feel the pain
In today’s papers (February 26) we read about a single GP in Shropshire who is covering night-time home visits for a population of half a million – a workload that was shared by eight GPs ten years…Read more…
End Brexit uncertainty call
Tory Brexit tactics are destroying the UK’s world-class manufacturing base, workers’ representatives from leading companies have warned. Unite workplace representatives from factories…Read more…
No-deal Brexit ‘sheer folly’
A number of EU tariffs designed to block dumping of cheap, inferior goods from countries such as China will be maintained in the UK post-Brexit, the government announced this week. Cheap…Read more…
Survey shows NHS staff deserve some much-needed attention
Commenting on the annual NHS staff survey out today (Tuesday), UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “While the government is consumed with Brexit, ministers are paying scant attention to growing…Read more…
Tech bros and ‘win win’
Another couple of snippets from Winners Take All. This first quote is from a tech writer called Greg Ferenstein who interviewed lots of technology founders and tried to distil their ideas into a *cough* philosophy.
“The basis of old government is the n…Read more…
The far-right is mobilising – trade unions must rally to defeat them
Unions should draw on their heritage of resisting racism and fascism in order to counter the rise of the far-right.Read more…
Newham Against the Arms Fair 2019
This picture collage is from the protest last Saturday 16 Feb at the Excel Centre against plans to hold the biannual DSEI (Defence & Security Equipment International) Arms fair in September.
The Newham Executive Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz and loca…Read more…
Winners Take All
This is a really interesting book (based on the first third, anyway) looking at philanthrocapitalism. It’s a long-overdue critique of the super-wealthy, such tech bros and venture capitalists who fund them, and their efforts to tackle social prob…Read more…
Blog: Northern Ireland must come first, no matter what else is in the Brexit deal
The impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland cannot be reduced to simplistic quotes about borders or considered only as an afterthought. For Unison – and for Parliament – it must be integral.
The…Read more…
Review: Transcription, by Kate Atkinson
Having just read a couple of non-fiction books about the British people who worked for a German victory in the Second World War, I thought it was time to read a work of fiction on…Read more…
Government must end private contracts before it’s too late, say probation unions
Monday 25 February 2019 For immediate release Government must end private contracts before it’s too late, say probation unions Unions have urged the Justice Secretary to end the failed system of…Read more…
The Economics of Arrival
Every month economists and commentators pour over the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures, and at budget times we worry about the projections published by the Fiscal Commission and the Office of…Read more…
‘Totally committed’ to justice
Unite is closing in on forcing Cullum McAlpine – one of the “key architects” behind the widespread blacklisting of construction workers by the infamous Consulting Association – to account for his…Read more…
Cleaners and caterers strike for fair pay at Liverpool Hospital
Members employed by private contractor at Liverpool Women’s Hospital take action for NHS rates after 100% vote
The article Cleaners and caterers strike for fair pay at Liverpool Hospital first…Read more…