All the union news that's fit to blog...
Labour announced yesterday (April 1) that it would clamp down on exploitative zero-hours contracts, by guaranteeing people who work regular hours the right to a regular contract. The video below features the decisive moment in last week’s ‘Battle for Number 10’ programme, in which presenter Jeremy Paxman presses David Cameron to answer a very […]
The post Could you live on a zero-hours contract? appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Imagine being a single parent struggling on benefits. You look long and hard for some sort of stable job – anything that will pay the bills and feed your child. You’re finally hired. It’s on a zero hours contract, but no matter. At least it’s something. Kelly, this young woman’s father, recalls how overjoyed […]
The post Stop the suffering appeared first on UNITElive.org.
As the general election campaign heats up, prime minister David Cameron made a startling claim on Monday night (March 30) – under his watch, he says, 1,000 jobs were created every day, an accomplishment he pledges to continue if a Conservative government were to be elected in May. Sounds great, but just how much […]
The post The claim, the maths and the reality appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Workers at the Northampton plant of one of the world’s largest packaging firms have begun a 48-hour strike over the dismissal of two Unite shop stewards. Unite members at Smurfit Kappa, who had previously been working to rule, walked out at midnight (April 1) calling for their colleagues to be immediately reinstated. Speaking from […]
The post Resolute in purpose appeared first on UNITElive.org.
1 million people have fallen off the electoral roll since the government changed the way we register to vote back in September. Many won’t even know. If you’re a one in the million then you’ll miss out in the most important election in our times. But there’s still time to make sure that […]
The post 20 days to go. Are you one in a million? Don’t be appeared first on UNITElive.org.
The Tories are refusing to set out how they are going to cut £12 billion from the welfare budget. But documents leaked to the BBC show they are looking to hit carers, children and the disabled in the next round of cuts. Labour urged the Tories to ‘come clean’ about where the axe will […]
The post Where will the axe fall? appeared first on UNITElive.org.
As UNITElive reported today, most of us expect our pay to stay the same this year or rise ever-so-slightly. Drivers who transport disabled children to school for Hackney council, however, face something else entirely – an astounding 50 per cent slash in their wages as the local authority embarks on vicious cost-cutting measures. […]
The post Striking for a fair deal appeared first on UNITElive.org.
When chancellor George Osborne gave his speech to outline the government’s budget earlier this month, he hailed the UK’s supposedly growing economy, calling it the “Comeback Country”. He claimed living standards were rising and that the coalition government had created a labour market that “made work pay”. That Osborne’s speech was far from […]
The post Still waiting appeared first on UNITElive.org.
A damning new report by the Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC) published on Friday (March 27), found that construction companies involved in the blacklisting scandal have hardly atoned for their sins. It’s been six years since the Information Commissioner’s Office first discovered a database containing the names of more than 3,000 construction workers. Those […]
The post Blacklisting – still going on? appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Rolls-Royce is set to deliver a blow to the Scottish economy as it announced plans on Friday (March 27) to further axe over 200 jobs at two aircraft engine plants in Inchinnan and East Kilbride. An estimated 180 jobs will be cut at the Inchinnan site, which manufactures aircraft engines, and will entail slashing […]
The post Blow to Scottish economy appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Food banks are gearing up to address growing demand during the Easter school holidays. Hard-pressed parents have to step in with lunches normally provided free at a school and may rely on charitable food banks for the kids meals. As well as three-day food parcels, charity the Trussell Trust will provide Easter eggs as […]
The post Charities bring Easter cheer appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Most of us eat a meal without ever even really thinking about whether or not the food is safe – we simply assume it is. And most of the time, this is true. But the reason most of the food we consume is indeed safe is thanks to the thousands of men and women […]
The post Food safety at risk appeared first on UNITElive.org.
As Unite announces a further £1m donation to the Labour Party, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey explains why this is the right thing to do. Unite said that it would not stand by and see a one-side election fight against a Tory party made fat on the gifts from the shady and the […]
The post The fight of our lives appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Unite closed its consultative ballot of North Sea offshore members today (March 27), and the results were resoundingly clear. An almost unanimous 94 per cent voted in favour of proceeding to an industrial action ballot to stop the vicious attacks on jobs, pay and working time that North Sea offshore workers have suffered. […]
The post ‘Race to the bottom’ disease must stop appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Banks – who needs them? Well, actually, we all do. And news that thousands of local branches up and down the land could be set to close will not be taken lying down by campaigners and trade unions. “We need a civic fightback on this; it’s in all our interests,” said Unite national officer […]
The post Civic fightback call appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Are self-driving cars the future? Will connectivity and autonomous vehicles revolutionise the UK automotive industry? After attending the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders conference on connectivity and autonomous vehicles this week, I believe the answer is yes to both questions. A new report by KPMG for the SMMT says connectivity and autonomous […]
The post Self-driving cars — the way of the future appeared first on UNITElive.org.
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.