The 19-month dispute at packaging company, Crown Packaging in Canada is set to rock the boat at the annual meeting of Carnival Cruise Lines in London on Tuesday (April 14). The United…Read more…
‘Resilient and steadfast’
A four day strike at corrugated packaging company Smurfit Kappa in Northampton will start next Friday (April 17) over the sacking of two senior stewards, both members of Unite. The four-day…Read more…
Decisive Labour lead
As the nasty party showed its true colours again yesterday, following a blatant ad hominem attack of Labour leader Ed Miliband, polls show that the public will always choose substance over theatrics….Read more…
Use your voice
Get your voice heard on May 7. Go and vote! Sue Johnston, Ricky Tomlinson and others share their stories to inspire all of us to use our voice and vote in the video below. And…Read more…
Coalition court threat to the poorest
While the poorest are put through the mincing machine of council tax arrears, the Tories want to keep tax loopholes for the wealthy. Three million of the poorest people in England have been…Read more…
Sham consultation
A public consultation on train service cuts in Northern Ireland has been called a sham by Unite, with Translink providing only 12 days for the public to respond, well below the typical 12 week…Read more…
End non-dom status call
Ed Miliband and Ed Balls launched their policy on scrapping ‘non dom’ tax status (April 8) to ensure that super-wealthy individuals can no longer avoid paying tax in the UK. There has been…Read more…
Don’t let future be mean streets of my past
Lonely Planet/Mirrorpix It was in Bradford that I wounded my spirit in the Great Depression of almost 80 years ago. For me it is a city that contains both wonder and unimaginable…Read more…
Oil deal: jobs alert
As the announcement of a ‘mega merger’ between Royal Dutch Shell and exploration firm BG came yesterday (April 8), Unite has warned against crude cost cutting and job cuts. The merger might be…Read more…
Exports revolution
A beefed up role for a trade minister with a seat in the cabinet to coordinate and boost UK exports – a central plank of a new report on delivering an export-led recovery – has been welcomed by Unite. Unite echoes the call for a revolution in export culture to boost manufacturing outlined in […]
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‘Totemic’ tax move
As the general election nears, campaign promises are a dime a dozen. Elections are usually a flurry of predictably vague pledges, with politicians revealing just enough of one policy or another but conveniently omitting the fine print. This time round, however, is decidedly different. Labour has hit out with bold, clear policies, and their […]
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NHS squeezing laid bare by top docs
A group of the nation’s senior doctors have come together to deliver a damning indictment of the coalition’s record on the NHS. In a letter published in today’s Guardian, the health professionals conclude that this administration’s record is “characterised by broken promises, reductions in necessary funding and destructive legislation, which leaves health services […]
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Massive body blow
As AKD Engineering in Suffolk announced that it will shutter its doors yesterday (April 7) after 60 years in operation, more than 100 skilled jobs will be lost, delivering a “massive body blow” to the workforce and local economy. After several years of substantial losses, the oil and gas engineering firm has been particularly hard […]
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Less sotto voce – more loud-hailer
That’s it. The first five-year, fixed-term parliament is over, limping to an exhausted, shabby end. This cursed coalition has disbanded. Yet, with the official campaign finally underway, the voting public is not exactly thrilled at being pursued by the escapees from London SW1. The noisiest sound from the streets is that of millions of […]
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Spy in the cab
Angered over a tracker device measuring workloads inaccurately, more than 300 engineering service workers employed by lift firm Kone took strike action today (April 7). The vehicle tracker device, known as VAMS, has shown itself to be unreliable, Unite contends. For example, one driver was alleged to have driven 1,000 miles in one day […]
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Strong message
Unite kicked off its fight back against mass privatisation of Bromley council services today (April 7), in day one of a widely supported two-day strike. Unite members working in libraries, adult services and parks, among other areas, are participating in the walk-out as the Conservative-led Bromley council embarks on a privatisation programme which will […]
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Signing up to save NHS
“The NHS is one of the country’s most treasured institutions. But its future is under serious threat.” That is the warning of more than 40 signatories – including Unite’s Len McCluskey and Hollywood actor Michael Sheen – to a letter published in today’s Guardian to mark the launch of the People’s Convention for the NHS. […]
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Who does this country work for?
Nothing was more indicative of the Tories’ base of support than a letter published in the Telegraph yesterday, signed by 103 big business leaders, calling on the public to vote Conservative in May. Among the letter’s signatories were Bob Dudley, the American boss of BP, Tidjane Thiam, the chief executive of Prudential who received […]
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Supporting our reps
Pictured are some Unite Community members today (April 2) supporting Unite Smurfit Kappa members on their picket line. David Condliffe, Unite Community Co-ordinator for the East Midlands, said he was proud Community could be there in solidarity for our industrial members. “Community members from Leicester and Derby were supporting Smurfit Kappa comrades today. […]
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Workplace justice access hope
Unite has warmly welcomed an election pledge from Labour to scrap controversial employment tribunal fees brought in by the Tory-led government almost two years ago. The upfront fees – which have been heavily criticised by some bosses as well as trade unions – are believed to have denied millions their rightful access to justice. […]
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