All the union news that's fit to blog...
Activists dressed as tax collectors and doctors, accompanied by a giant piggy bank, presented a tax bill to Virgin Care on Wednesday (March 25), following the revelation that the firm continues to bid for NHS contracts despite extensive use of tax havens. Protesters from The Peoples NHS have joined forces with UKUncut following […]
The post Pay your tax appeared first on UNITElive.org.
How many column inches, hours of air time and rage in one hundred and forty five characters have we had this last week over a kitchenette? Too many to mention, and I know I’m adding to it all. I do so because the kitchenette saga is symptomatic of what passes for political discussion. Tune […]
The post Kitchen sink soap opera appeared first on UNITElive.org.
The first live TV action of this general election was a bruising encounter. But Ed Miliband boosted Labour’s hopes and morale with a focused and passionate performance. Hell, yes, he has truly arrived on the political stage. And hell yes, he’s shown he is capable of winning this election. Miliband looked as if he is […]
The post HELL, YES appeared first on UNITElive.org.
That the Tory donor list is dominated by hedge funds may come as no surprise, but did you know that many of the businesses bankrolling the Conservative party sell items you might yourself have at home? As the Mirror reported yesterday (March 25), some of the most everyday products fuel an ideology that’s determined […]
The post Hidden cash appeared first on UNITElive.org.
A report launched today (Thursday 26 March) reveals that London NHS’s crisis has moved into intensive care. London’s NHS – into the unknown outlines a further unravelling of services as the NHS becomes more fragmented and financially squeezed. Roy Lilley is the chair of the inquiries that formed the basis for the reports. […]
The post London’s NHS in crisis appeared first on UNITElive.org.
The growing connection between Unite’s community and industrial members saw the unveiling of the world’s first dual-purpose trade union banner by the Derby Unite Community branch last week (March 19). Historical images of a Derby strike pre-dating the Tolpuddle Martyrs have been combined with a 21st century communication Quick Response (QR) code. When scanned […]
The post Keeping the fight alive appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Reassurances about future UK job security are being sought by Unite, following today’s (March 25) announcement that US food giant Heinz is to merge with Kraft Foods Group. Unite national officer for the food sector Julia Long said that in addition to discussing job security, the union also wants to know the combined […]
The post Merger is a bolt from the blue appeared first on UNITElive.org.
A group of MPs have raised serious concerns about the risks of TTIP—the EU-US trade deal currently being negotiated in secret. The Business, Innovations and Skills committee issued a sharply critical report of the trade deal, saying that the government needed more evidence to substantiate claims that TTIP will boost the economy by £100bn a year. […]
The post Growing opposition appeared first on UNITElive.org.
As part of a national day of action against benefit sanctions (March 19) Unite Community members in Southampton paraded ‘Iain Duncan Smith’ through the streets of the city before ‘jailing’ the work and pensions secretary for ‘crimes against humanity.’ Pretty strong stuff and with good reason. Unite believes the sanctions – which have seen […]
The post Guilty: ‘verdict’ on IDS appeared first on UNITElive.org.
A huge corporate power grab of health care and public services would have a devastating impact on UK citizens. But that’s just what could happen if the “Trojan Horse” – an EU-US trade deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)–now being drawn up behind closed doors, goes ahead. By removing “regulatory […]
The post TTIP must be opposed appeared first on UNITElive.org.
A community and 270 people’s livelihoods have been put on 12 months’ notice as Scottish Power announced yesterday (Monday 23 March) that it will be forced to bring Longannet’s closure forward to March 2016. Unite had previously called for both Scottish and UK government interventions to resolve a dispute between the company and the […]
The post The struggle for power appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Two years ago, the coalition government, vowing to tackle tax avoidance, introduced new legislation that would bar tax-shy companies from procuring government contracts. Not one company has been stopped from bidding on a contract for this reason since. Now, Unite research published on Sunday (March 23) shows that the one state service most in […]
The post NHS – national health scandal appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Saturday, March 21 marked UN Anti-Racism Day, which inspired marches and rallies all over the world.
A strong Unite contingent (pictured) joined the thousands at the rally in London, where protestors assembled in front of the BBC and marched to …Read more…
X-factor judge and former girls aloud singer, Cheryl Fernadez-Versini has joined the Unite backed campaign No Vote No Voice (NVNV) to urge young people to use their vote. Cheryl has come out in support of the campaign after ending speculation that she was considering turning her back on her Labour roots over the […]
The post Cheryl’s plea to young voters appeared first on UNITElive.org.
As part of a national day of action (March 19) opposing benefit sanctions, which are now being used on an industrial scale, Unite held a demonstration outside the Department for Work and Pensions in London demanding these sanctions end.
P…Read more…
Unite’s rule book sounds just the sort of dusty tome to give employment lawyers headaches. Last week our governing body, Unite’s executive, unanimously agreed to make it shorter. It recommended the deletion from our rules of six little words that have governed our union’s actions: “so far as may be lawful”. So far, so […]
The post We will fight for workers appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Rolls-Royce, the iconic luxury car manufacturer which now predominantly builds aircraft engines, owes much of its success to the thousands of highly skilled UK workers who’ve made the business the bastion of world-class engineering it is today. In a short-term bid to cut costs amid profit losses, however, Rolls-Royce announced a global restructuring exercise […]
The post Offshoring via the backdoor appeared first on UNITElive.org.
It’s that time of year again—the government announces a minimum wage hike, as it did on Tuesday (March 17), and pats itself on the back for how much it’s improved the lot of the lowest paid and hardest working among us. The statutory minimum will go up to a grand total of £6.70 an […]
The post Nothing comes from nothing appeared first on UNITElive.org.
The Department of Work Pensions—the epicentre of the coalition government’s destruction of the welfare state as we know it—was today (March 19) the scene of Unite’s national day of action against benefits sanctions. Hundreds gathered outside the DWP to protest the cruel sanctions, in which benefits claimants’ entitlements are suddenly cut for spurious reasons, […]
The post When a government just doesn’t care appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Unite activist and former Teeside charity boss, Jessie Jacobs speaks out against benefits sanctions Today at 12.30pm I was stood outside Middlesbrough job centre, speaking to a crowd of people about the benefit sanctions regime. I have been taking part in Unite’s national day of action #no2sanctions. Up until recently I was leading […]
The post No one deserves sanctions appeared first on UNITElive.org.