As Nicola shows in a new analysis, it will take a very long time for private sector jobs growth to make up for the jobs lost in the recession and the public sector jobs the coalition plans to scrap. As Connaught has shown, government cuts will hit private sector employment as well as public, and...

A few months ago the pro market OECD gave the thumbs up to austerity but now they are in retreat and yesterday said central banks must issue debt free electronic money to prevent slide into economic...

Hope not Hate flags up the ominous connection between BNP target areas and the BBC's research into the impact of the impending public sector cuts....

Today, as has been widely reported, we have published new analysis that looks at private sector jobs growth over the past decade (from the pre-recession peak in each region) and the future likely outlook for the jobs recovery. The findings are grim. Even if the next decade sees private sector jobs...

Twenty-five per cent cuts will reduce Hampshire’s police funding to 1997 levels, and could mean the loss of 1,400 jobs. Chief Constable Alex Marshall plans discussions with unions representing the civilian staff, SOCOs and officers about cuts that include sharing and selling facilities and...

In Book Business, Noelle Skodzinski talks to Tom Allen of On Demand Books/the Espresso Book Machine, the book-at-a-time manufacturing device. Perhaps counterintuitively, the growth of e-books is a net positive for us, as more digital content available to e-readers means more available to our...

Labour took the scalp of the former Tory leader as 13 seats went up for election yesterday at Norwich City Council. With this gain and holding its six seats that were up for election means Labour...

This morning I spoke to an angry and tearful Barnet UNISON rep for the former council workers contracted out to Connaught's. Late last night staff were sacked by Conference call. They are shocked...

A useful report from the TUC on a PensionWatch survey showing the yawning gap between pensions for top company directors and those of ordinary employees. They survey covered 329 directors from 102 top UK companies. Despite all the attacks company bosses have made on workers' pensions, most ...

Some good news for a change!  The Governments appears to have changed their mind on the plan to close NHS Direct.  Is the lesson that we should learn be that an immediate, sharp and vigorous response to plans to cut can mean they can be overturned? UNISON press release:...

As was reported in the News section as part of the YAC Climate Solidarity action group I have given up meat for September calling the project “Vegtember”.   I am blogging and...

Yes -  it’s  true.  Provision  of a national  high-speed broadband network, in what has been described as the  country’s largest ever  programme of public work, has  been the  key issue ...

Check out this post on "Stronger Unions" about Derby based Cranberry Foods (Poultry) hiring  USA "Union busters" the Burke Group and the intimidation of workers. Why on earth are Cranberry Foods hiring union busters?  It is an absolute human right to belong to a trade union...

This evening I received an automated telephone message from UNISON Labour Link. The message encouraged me to vote for Ed Miliband to be the next Labour Party leader as the person best to save services and protect jobs. It also asked my current voting intentions and asked if I was a...

The briefing on the last Executive Council meeting is now available. I will send it to UNITE members on request. My own report is here.

Most innovations promoted by politicians turn out to be a mistake - and the same may be true of the (deliberately?) headline grabbing plans of Camden and Islington Council's to share a Chief Executive and senior management team....

Larry Elliott points out that current economic indicators are so poor that Osborne has been presented with an opportunity to rethink bizarre and dangerous coalition strategy: "the world economy...

New ResPublica report calls for radical measures to boost equality by reviving savings culture among the disadvantaged Philip Blond – David Cameron’s favourite public intellectual – declares that the Child Trust Fund (scrapped by the coalition) was “the most successful...

In the latest issue of the Written By Magazine, Mary McNamara talks to WGGB member Emma Thompson.

The second issue of the joint newsletter of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG) and The Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE) is now online (pdf).