If you were told that more than 100,000 premature deaths in Europe each year could be prevented with a few policy changes, wouldn’t you think it was about time? Unfortunately not everyone agrees: this is the story of how industry is ducking its responsibility to protect workers from cancer-causing…Read more…
Overseas aid: definitely more about the politics than the money
I was discussing our local MP, Grant Shapps, with a neighbour on the train last week. What was he up to, we wondered, or rather, where had he disappeared to? Sadly, the question was answered in this morning’s Sunday Times (£) where he wrote a moving self-criticism of his failure as a Minister…Read more…
2017 will be a defining moment in unions’ fight against discrimination
The British people’s decision to leave the EU is set to dominate the TUC’s work over the next few years. And I believe that, alongside securing a deal which protects jobs, Brexit poses two central challenges. The first challenge is to fight racism. Since the referendum result, we’ve seen an upsurge…Read more…
Mrs May goes to Washington. Here’s what unions want to hear
Later today, Prime Minister Theresa May will meet with US President Donald Trump in the White House. Ahead of their meeting, the leaders of the UK and US trade union movements, Frances O’Grady from the TUC and Richard Trumka of the AFLCIO, have issued a joint statement setting out what…Read more…
Brexit is too important to be left to Westminster
The UK Supreme Court judgement has finally clarified the key role of parliament in triggering Article 50. That judgement reinforced the centrality of elected politicians to decisions that will shape the future of the UK, as opposed to the Prime Ministe…Read more…
What are robots for?
It would seem digitisation is occurring, at a greater or lesser pace in different countries. There are ever-more sophisticated computers, robots and advances in AI. Whether we are on the tipping point of a fourth industrial revolution, is a pertinent q…Read more…
Tackling fraudulent & abusive recruitment: ILO signs new anti-slavery pledge with UK
This afternoon I was at the Home Office to witness the signing of a ‘letter of intent’ between the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) about collaboration in the fight against fraudulent and abusive recruitment practices, forced…Read more…
Building our technical skills – the Industrial Strategy Green Paper
This week the Government has made a great deal of its proposals on skills in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper. A BEIS press release came out last weekend entitled Technical education at heart of modern industrial strategy and this echoed the longstanding refrain that the UK has world…Read more…
Pregnancy discrimination: Government action is long overdue and misses the point
Today the government published its long overdue response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee report on pregnancy and maternity discrimination. Given that the EHRC estimate that some 54,000 women are forced out of their jobs per year due to pre…Read more…
Lost: £200bn of GDP
Today 2016 Q4 GDP figures showed growth of 0.6 %, and the economy continuing to survive the Brexit vote. But we should not lose the wood for the trees. The economy is still bearing serious scars of the financial crisis and the austerity which followed. Today’s figures also give us an annual figure…Read more…
Putting working people first in the Brexit plans: we’re ready to talk
It’s a bit of a risk, writing a blog about where we are in the Brexit negotiations saga. Events often move with astonishing speed: so on top of last week’s Lancaster House speech by the Prime Minister, this week has already seen the Supreme Court’s decision on whether Parliament…Read more…
What impact are robots having on jobs?
The debate about technological change, and whether it could lead to widespread unemployment has been revived in recent years in several studies. The seminal 2013 paper by Frey and Osborne sparked much debate about the impact of digitisation. They claim…Read more…
How fast is technological change happening?
This is the first in a series of blogs considering the extent of robotisation and its impact. In a lecture at the TUC in November 2015, Andy Haldane, Chief Economist to the Bank of England said that “we may be on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution”. Clearly, the use of technology is…Read more…
The solution to sexist dress codes? Access to justice
Imagine that you’re applying for a mystery job and you’re told that all female applicants must adhere to the following dress code: Heel height normally a minimum of 2 inches and maximum of 4 inches, unless otherwise agreed by the client company. Make-up worn at all times and regularly re-applied,…Read more…
Green Paper on Industrial Strategy: a good start and more work to do
This afternoon, the Government has launched its long-awaited Green Paper on industrial strategy. This could turn out to be a significant moment in the fortunes of Theresa May’s Premiership: with Brexit placing, at the very least, a question mark over the UK’s economic prospects in the near future,…Read more…
Jobs & living standards no longer top priority for government
Although her speech on industrial strategy on Monday could redress the balance a bit, the Prime Minister’s speech on Brexit last week confirmed that her government is putting jobs and living standards lower down their agenda than exiting the European Union and reducing migration. Is the era…Read more…
6 steps to an industrial strategy for good jobs, a strong economy and a cleaner planet
Early this week the government is due to announce details of its long-awaited green paper on industrial strategy. This announcement would be important at any time, but in the context of Brexit, an active, intelligent, sustainable industrial strategy will be essential to the UK’s economic fortunes….Read more…
Xi Jinping is right: the Paris climate agreement must not be derailed
In an important week for global affairs, Chinese president Xi Jinping has given a major speech at the United Nations in Geneva, arguing that the world must not allow the Paris climate deal to be “derailed”. Demonstrating the neat turn of phrase associated with his predecessor, Deng…Read more…
Higher pay growth in lower paid industries
There are countless reasons to not get carried away by today’s pay growth figures – with regular pay in the private sector hitting 3 per cent in November. (To recap: with accelerating inflation, real pay growth has stalled at 1.7% and is likely to get worse. We’ve been here before: with nominal…Read more…
May’s Brexit: working people need more detail about what PM has planned for their rights
The Prime Minister’s speech on Brexit today has raised more questions than it has answered, and in particular, the TUC wants to know what exactly the Government has planned for working people before Parliament votes on the EU-UK deal she intends to negotiate. Her commitment to protect…Read more…