There was hopeful news for trade unions in East Africa last week as Tanzania and Uganda refused to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and East African Community countries —…Read more…
Protecting health and safety post-Brexit
Given the possibility that the UK may no longer be covered by EU regulations on health and safety in the near future, what protection will British workers have to a safe workplace? This is important…Read more…
Chinese sweatshops: they were the future, once
Once it was David Cameron’s jibe at Tony Blair. Then he used it self-deprecatingly to bid farewell to the Commons after the referendum. But it reflects an iron law that what was once seen as…Read more…
Turkish democracy’s nightmare
The deficiencies in Turkey’s democracy cannot be remedied by armed force. The fact that the attempted coup by a section of Turkey’s armed forces failed is to be welcomed; what is not is the death of…Read more…
Standing together against this rise in prejudice
Over 3,000 people reported hate crimes to the police in the weeks around the EU referendum. That’s an increase of nearly 60%. We can only assume that many more crimes went unreported. Racism in…Read more…
Mesothelioma statistics show need for action
The HSE have published their fatalities statistics. Provisional figures indicate that 144 people were killed while at work in 2015/2016 – up from 142 in 2014/2015. This is the second year running…Read more…
Europe’s trade unions come to London to show solidarity
This morning, the leaders of Europe’s trade unions met in the TUC General Council chamber – people like ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation) General Secretary Luca Visentini and…Read more…
South Korean assaults on trade unions continues
Unfortunately South Korea’s appalling record on the rights of workers and trade unions is being added to. Han Sang-gyun, the President of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has been…Read more…
From Palestine to London: meet Bethlehem’s Lajee Community Centre
I had the good fortune to accompany the General Council’s delegation to Palestine and Israel at the beginning of the year. You can read the delegation’s report here. In little over three…Read more…
After Brexit – Where now on health and safety and employment rights?
Before the referendum the TUC gave a strong warning that the rights of workers to a safe workplace could be threatened by a vote to leave the EU, as could many employment rights. Now that that has…Read more…
What next after the Brexit vote? Defend workers’ rights
Many people are asking what they can do next, after the UK voted by 52% to 48% to leave the European Union. The TUC doesn’t think that we can or should challenge the result of the referendum….Read more…
The Leave campaign’s 4 biggest euro-fibs
Leaders of the Leave campaigns have turned being economical with the truth into an art-form over the course of the EU referendum. To paraphrase legendary foreign correspondent Louis Heren, whenever…Read more…
Yet another trade unionist speaks out for Remain
Today, a long-time member of one of the TUC’s affiliated unions spoke out in favour of a Remain vote in Thursday’s referendum. The union is the Professional Footballers’ Association…Read more…
Will young people swing the vote of the European Referendum?
The debate around mobilising young voters in the EU Referendum was the topic of the live studio debate organised by visual think tank COVi in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) last…Read more…
Solidarity with those killed in the Orlando massacre
James Baldwin wrote: “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced”. We, as trade unionists, have always faced down bigotry, campaigning against…Read more…
Getting the work-football balance right
The 2016 European cup is already underway and a very sizable proportion of the country will be football fanciers for the next few weeks. So many people at work will want to watch the matches, so wise…Read more…
Don’t risk the NHS
Today, I and a group of members who all work in the NHS ‘unveiled’ UNISON’s official remain banner, ahead of the EU referendum the week after next. Well I say unveil, but I’m not…Read more…
UK government isolated at ILO on Trade Union Act
Not a single government spoke up in the UK government’s defence when the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards considered whether the Trade Union Act was out of line with ILO core…Read more…
The sort of company the UK shouldn’t want to keep at the ILO
The annual conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is taking place during the first half of June in Geneva, and the TUC’s delegate Stephen Russell has already blogged on the…Read more…
Young and LGBT – be out, be proud and be part of a trade union
Coming up to Pride season, you’d be forgiven for thinking that being young and LGBT has never been more acceptable. Young LGBT role models in the media? Check. Music and fashion icons pushing the…Read more…