All the union news that's fit to blog...
Unite Community members today held protests against grotesque benefit sanctions outside over 75 job centres across the United Kingdom. Millions of claimants have faced sanctions varying in length between four weeks and three years. Many are often imposed for the most trivial reasons that are beyond the claimant’s control. The unemployed, sick, disabled, […]
The post Fighting ‘grotesque’ sanctions appeared first on UNITElive.org.
‘Iain Duncan Smith’ has today ‘been jailed for crimes against humanity’ by Unite community members in Southampton over the government’s widespread use of benefit sanctions. As part of a national day of action against the sanctions – which lead to a cut or loss of benefits for the most trivial reasons – Unite […]
The post IDS ‘verdict’: Guilty appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Among the few winners in yesterday’s budget was the North Sea oil industry, which was handed over a £1.3bn tax cut to combat a slump in oil prices. The industry responded to the initial New Year slump, which saw the global price of crude plummet to below $50 a barrel, by attacking workers’ pay […]
The post Stop attacking workers appeared first on UNITElive.org.
An inspiring tale of worker solidarity and canny campaigning had women on their feet and clapping on the first day (March 18) of the Unite women’s conference in the Floral Hall, Eastbourne. They rose from their chairs after delegate Sara Kasab told how worker solidarity triumphed over zero hours contracts – when Unite […]
The post We’re not a soft option appeared first on UNITElive.org.
That Hinchingbrooke Hospital – the first privately run NHS hospital in history—was a complete disaster was further proved today (March 18) after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) concluded the experiment put the taxpayer at grave risk. Private operator Circle won a contract to run the hospital for 10 years, but pulled out in January, […]
The post Hinchingbrooke: Stark warning appeared first on UNITElive.org.
This year’s budget showed the two faces of George Osborne. Within three months he’s come up with two different sets of figures for public spending plans over the next five years. The autumn statement in December showed a true Tory Chancellor wanting to force through colossal cuts. It was a bleak future of near-permanent […]
The post Don’t mention the cuts appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Chancellor George Osborne today (March 18) unveiled the government’s pre-election budget, calling it a triumph for working people. In an obvious attempt to pander to the electorate, with the general election being less than seven weeks away, Osborne has raised the tax-free personal allowance threshold to £10,800 to go into effect next year after […]
The post Wages still won’t last the month appeared first on UNITElive.org.
New research shows deep unease among employers over controversial tribunal fees brought in by the government just over a year ago. In the face of trade union protests ministers pressed ahead with prohibitive employment tribunal fees, effectively denying workplace justice to millions. The fees are set at £250 to issue a claim and £950 […]
The post Good bosses want justice access appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Fears have been expressed that sign language interpreting services for the UK’s 100,000 deaf population could plummet, if further privatisation takes place, Unite has warned. The union is concerned that downward pressure on costs and standards could mean that staff with fewer – or even no – qualifications could make mistakes when a […]
The post Don’t ignore danger signs appeared first on UNITElive.org.
“Mr Speaker, I have failed”, Chancellor George Osborne will tell the Commons on budget day. “Because I have failed we need five more years of austerity and massive cuts across public services.” That’s what Osborne would say if he was telling the unvarnished truth. Instead of having seen off the austerity measures brought on […]
The post Half a job George appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Asseem Allam, millionaire owner of Hull City AFC, wants to completely sever the link between Labour and the organisations that founded the party—trade unions. As the Sunday Times reported on March 15, Allam said he would offer a future one-off donation to Labour if it weakened its trade union ties, and pledged an […]
The post Union link not for sale appeared first on UNITElive.org.
For years he said he never had a second job while an MP. For how long did Shapps carry on his double life as Tory MP and online marketer Michael Green? Tory Party chairman Grant Shapps, alias Michael Green, faced calls to resign after failing to record his second job as an online marketer […]
The post Double-life of Tory MP appeared first on UNITElive.org.
In the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, the coalition government still insists that the NHS is not set for higher and higher doses of privatisation. But revelations over the last week have once and for all lain to rest any remaining doubts. In what’s being called the biggest NHS leak in history, […]
The post NHS privatisation: no more doubts appeared first on UNITElive.org.
News that no high street chains are prepared to pay living wage seen has been condemned by Unite as “a bleak day for hard working Britain”. Millions will now “earn their own poverty” on our High Streets, as not a single major high street chain is prepared to commit to paying staff even the living […]
The post Pay workers fairly plea appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Attempts by the management of the Dulwich Picture Gallery to water down the visitor experience by axing 19 of the 36 gallery assistants have been brushed away. Unite said that attempts to get rid of the knowledgeable assistants at the world’s first purpose-built public art gallery and replacing them with apprentices on training […]
The post ‘A masterpiece of solidarity’ appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Veteran anti-austerity campaigner and author Harry Leslie Smith speaks exclusively to UNITElive, following his address to a packed crowd at the University of Manchester NoVoteNoVoice event last week (March 11). It was the summer of 1945 and Harry Leslie Smith, then only 22, cast his first ballot in a general election. The Second World […]
The post Before it’s too late appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Workers across Northern Ireland engaged in a one-day strike to say ‘enough is enough – hands off our public services’. The strike on Friday (March 13) called in response to the Stormont ‘austerity budget’, saw an unprecedented mobilisation of public sector workers across a wide range of workplaces. “From our soundings over the […]
The post Unprecedented mobilisation appeared first on UNITElive.org.
As UNITElive has reported before, young people are among the groups least likely to vote. Many young people say they feel that politics simply doesn’t speak to them. But a new Ipsos Mori poll suggests that social media may be the key to engaging young voters, who are becoming increasingly reliant on platforms such […]
The post Does politics speak to the young? appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Unite’s public sector workers in Northern Ireland have had enough, writes Unite Ireland region secretary, Jimmy Kelly Unite is joining forces with other unions to take mass strike action today (March 13) in defence of Northern Irish public services. Workers across the health, education, public transport, housing and wider public sector will be taking part in […]
The post Pushed to the wire appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Alarming numbers across the north east have dropped off the electoral roll which has prompted the #NoVoteNoVoice campaign to head to Newcastle on the final day of its whistlestop trip around England and Wales. Just 53 days from the 2015 general election the roadshow will hold a ‘mini carnival’ between 10am and 5pm with […]
The post Final stop reached in search for missing voters appeared first on UNITElive.org.