A nationwide lorry driver shortage continues unabated, with news stories every day highlighting the consequences of an estimated 100,000 HGV driver shortfall. From increasing reports of gaps on…Read more…
Edward (Ted) Nolan – socialist, soldier, trade unionist and tenant activist. RIP comrade
I was saddened to hear of the death of Ted. He was a good age (87) and had battled ill heath for decades but I have lost a good comrade. Ted was “old school” East End. He lived in West Ham ward but if you asked him if he was local, he would be ta…Read more…
UNISON Labour Link elections 2021 – ballot papers out from 7 Sept
Labour Link is the name of the UNISON political fund that supports the Labour Party. Elections for the National Labour Link Committee (where there are contested regional seats), starts this Wednesday (when ballot papers to start to drop at members home…Read more…
Solidarity with Paul Holmes
Paul Holmes is one of the most dedicated – and decent – trade unionists I have ever met. He is the long standing Branch Secretary of one of UNISON’s largest branches ( Kirklees large by virtue of a high UNISON density rather than the size of th…Read more…
Ministers must end jab compulsion to prevent care home catastrophe
Action needed immediately to stop staffing crisis
The article Ministers must end jab compulsion to prevent care home catastrophe first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
Adapting to the new normal for trade unions
The last 18 months have been a time of drastic change. Along with the rest of society, unions have had to adapt to the pandemic and the effects of the response to it. We had to work quickly to get…Read more…
Review: A Slow Fire Burning, by Paula Hawkins
I really liked The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins’ first best-selling thriller, and approached this book with caution. One should always be prepared for disappointment following blockbuster…Read more…
Bexley bins victory
Bin strikes in Bexley, South London, have officially ended following the ratification of a pay deal between refuse collectors and their employer Serco, Unite said today (September 2). The deal…Read more…
UNISON wins outsourcing battle at London medical university
UNISON members at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are celebrating after it was announced that they will be brought back in house
The article UNISON wins outsourcing battle at…Read more…
UniteLive’s stories of the year – Battle of Stockton remembered
Every day for the ‘twelve days of Christmas’ this year, UniteLive is running a different story from our top stories of 2021. Today, we look back at a story from September, when Unite members…Read more…
Review: The Invisible Land, by Hubert Mingarelli
Hubert Mingarelli was a brilliant writer of short fiction and this is the third novel of his I read this year. His previous books, set during the Russian Civil War and the Second World War,…Read more…
Late summer beer drought averted
The pay dispute by 1,000 GXO draymen, which had threatened a late summer beer drought, has been settled after they voted overwhelmingly to accept an improved pay offer. Unite the union said its…Read more…
Ministers must bring back safety measures in schools, say unions
Return of face coverings among precautions needed
The article Ministers must bring back safety measures in schools, say unions first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
Labour Party staff willing to strike over compulsory redundancies
Labour Party staff who are members of Unite and the GMB have indicated they are willing to strike over potential compulsory redundancies. Indicative ballots amongst both unions members recorded…Read more…
GKN Driveline workers vote for strike action
Workers at GKN Driveline in Birmingham have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action in the battle to prevent the closure of the factory on Chester Road. The closure would mean the transfer of…Read more…
Socialists in the age of Scylla and Charybdis
You will no doubt be familiar with the expression ‘between a rock and a hard place’. That phrase, apparently, has its origins in labour history. According to one online source, ‘the phrase originated…Read more…