Unite has helped to launch the third edition of Show Racism the Red Card’s (SRtRC) ‘Wear Red’ day (WRD) – by hosting an event in a packed room at their HQ in Holborn (September 4). This year,…Read more…
Bank of England win
Unite declared victory after it announced an end to its pay dispute at the Bank of England earlier this week (September 5). In a victory for the workforce, Unite members at the bank have voted…Read more…
‘Landmark day’
Today’s (September 8) naming ceremony of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier, Prince of Wales, is a landmark in the history of UK shipbuilding that risks being the last unless the government widens…Read more…
How big is your union website in 2017?
A couple of years ago, I looked at the sizes of the websites of all the TUC affiliated unions, to see how they compared. I’ve found myself coming back to this analysis quite often. Various unions…Read more…
Fair testing plea
Attempts to force paramedics in Yorkshire to undergo random drug and alcohol tests are being questioned by Unite. The Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) is deliberating on whether to change…Read more…
State-run Postbank welcome
The creation of a state-run Postbank would help the flow of finance for small businesses and promote social inclusion as traditional bank branches close, Unite said on Thursday (September 7). …Read more…
Accept gov’t help call
Unite has expressed alarm that the management at Witter Towbars in Deeside is reluctant to receive assistance from the Welsh government in order to save jobs. The company is currently consulting on…Read more…
“We can’t feed the poor but we can fund a war”
Hat tip Banksy
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Why UNISON is signing the Anti-Slavery Charter
Slavery not only persists, it’s on the rise. It’s estimated that 10-13,000 people are enslaved across the UK which, according the National Crime Agency is just “the tip of the iceberg”.
The article…Read more…
Don’t ‘pit workers against workers’
Leaked government proposals to radically curb EU migration after Brexit ‘pits workers against workers’ and risks the country’s food security, Unite has said. A home office document leaked to…Read more…
Burger off!
Unite has warned today (September 6) that its members employed on the Norwegian airline baggage handling contract, will not accept ‘burgers instead of bucks’ in a pay dispute. The workers are…Read more…
‘Completely unacceptable’
Unite members at the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant are holding a ballot for strike action over a ‘completely unacceptable’ 1.5 per cent pay offer that has been imposed by management. …Read more…
Hellawell out call
Almost half of Sports Direct shareholders voted to oust controversial chairman Keith Hellawell over failures to improve working conditions, as Unite carried out nationwide protests yesterday…Read more…
Struggling workers are skipping meals to make ends meet
Imagine you get home from work today and something’s broken. It doesn’t really matter what it is. Something’s up with the car, or the fridge isn’t actually keeping anything cold, or maybe the ceiling’s leaking. Regardless, something needs sorting and it’s going to cost you £500. Do you reckon you’d…Read more…
UNISON welcomes government’s U-turn on selling off NHS Professionals
Commenting on the news that the government has backtracked over the selling off of NHS Professionals, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “The government has at last seen sense. NHS Professionals…Read more…
Sports Direct chairman scrapes through
Today was the Sports Direct AGM and, once again, chairman Keith Hellawell was in the firing line. He had previously said he would stand down if he failed to get the support of a majority of independent shareholders.
Ahead of the AGM Unite has flagged …Read more…
Against predetermination, trivialisation etc
I enjoyed this book recently. I won’t attempt to summarise any of it, but here are a couple of the many bits that I liked. May post up some more.
Bauman:
We are not predetermined. Nothing of what we do is inevitable and inescapable, lacking an alterna…Read more…
Michael’s story: Work, pay and childcare.
Michael is a shift worker on minimum wage trying to care for his wife and kids. “”work to live not survive”. Hat tip TUCRead more…
Government programme and a chinese meal
While the Scottish Government’s programme for 2017-18 has some very welcome elements, it also feels a bit like a chinese meal. Satisfying as it goes down, but leaves you wanting more later.
The most…Read more…
‘There’s a tide turning’
From the House of Commons – where Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn raised the plight of low-paid, insecure workers at PMQs – to the streets of London to the sports retailer’s warehouse in Shirebrook and…Read more…