The rise in self – employment is well documented, the surge is extraordinary as self-employment is a relatively small part of the UK jobs market. More striking is that whilst women account for just under a third of all the self- employed, they have made up over half (53 per cent) of the increase…Read more…
The Fourth Industrial Revolution: a breakthrough that must be ‘humanised’
The fourth industrial revolution, otherwise known as digital manufacturing, is upon us. The concept of digital manufacturing has been around for about five years. Perhaps the easiest way to describe it is this: in the 1980s, when I first came into cont…Read more…
“Mayor facing a challenge for leadership”
Front page news (and page 5) in this week’s Newham Recorder about the challenge by Cllr Dr John Whitworth to Robin Wales about who should be the next Labour candidate for Newham Mayor.
Tonight East Ham North ward voted NO in the trigger for an open an…Read more…
Brexit means bigotry and attacks on workers’ rights – Labour should oppose this
I have supported the Shadow Chancellor as a comrade for many years, but I could not disagree more with his risible claim that Labour should be more positive about “Brexit.”Positive about the threat of deporation hanging over the head of millions of fellow workers?Positive about the threat to our…Read more…
UNISON and the future of our trade union movement?
It was good to catch up with old friends and colleagues today at the UNISON Centre (a.k.a. “the Great White Elephant of the Euston Road”) for a meeting of the Development and Organisation (D&O) Committee of the UNISON National Executive Council (NEC). It’s always good to catch up, and to see…Read more…
Awareness is all
Unite member Paddy Cunningham, a transport worker, suffered from depression which adversely affected his job. He believes awareness of mental health conditions is the most crucial first step in…Read more…
Women in work: has the progress come to an end?
Welcome to the first in a series of five blogposts on gender and the labour market. I’m going to kick us off by putting today’s labour market statistics in their historical context. Then I’ll worry a bit about whether progress on employment gaps between men and women is coming to an end….Read more…
Punished – for depression
Paddy Cunningham, a rail signal-box worker, fell seriously ill and, like any of us would, he took time off from work. He eventually recovered and was eager to return to the job. But his…Read more…
Productivity puzzle? Financialization, inequality, investment
16 November 2016
By Özlem Onaran, Professor of Economics and Director of Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre, University of Greenwich
Productivity in Britain is lower than other developed…Read more…
‘Truly regressive’
Employers in Northern Ireland have been instructed by the department of communities to act as benefit debt collectors with the power to deduct up to 40 per cent of people’s net earnings, Unite has…Read more…
New vision for policing strategy fails to deal with declining workforce, says UNISON
A ten-year strategy launched today (Wednesday) to transform policing does not address the serious decline in staff numbers, according to UNISON. Police Vision 2025, drawn up by police chiefs and…Read more…
Wrong and misguided
Struggling families in Nottinghamshire will suffer the most from plans to axe up to 60 health visitors in the area because of the government’s pressure on the NHS to make savings. Garry Guye,…Read more…
Havana Glasgow Film Festival – final four days have many jewels. HGFF preview 2
The Havana Glasgow Film Festival enters its final four days with the arrival of Cuban film and videoArturo Santanadirector, Arturo Santana. Flying in from Havana yesterday – thanks to sponsorship…Read more…
What would an #AutumnStatement for everyone look like?
The Prime Minister says she wants ‘an economy that works for everyone’. The Autumn Statement – or mini budget – on the 23rd of November, will be the first test of her commitment, and that of the Chancellor, to put that into practice. Here’s the actions we believe would show she’s serious about that…Read more…
UK languishing near bottom of OECD rankings for investment in vital infrastructure
New TUC analysis shows the UK ranking towards the bottom of OECD countries across a number of categories of investment vital for economic development. The analysis has been issued to support our submission to the Treasury on the Autumn Statement which is published today (see Kate’ Bell’s blog…Read more…
The Chancellor should use £2.4bn in unallocated business rates to ease the social care funding crisis, says UNISON
The government could ease the social care crisis by handing councils back billions in surplus cash raised from business rates, says a report published today (Wednesday) by UNISON. The government…Read more…
Newham Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday 2016 :Remembering Quadrilateral
Picture collage incorporating last Friday’s moving 11/11 Armistice Day service at the Central Park Cenotaph and the following Sunday Remembrance Day service at the historic West Ham All Saints Church.
Top left of collage is a picture of Cllr Winston V…Read more…
#Respect16 campaign: Usdaw demand an end to abuse of shopworkers
“I was attacked at work when I caught a customer stealing – they tried to strangle me.” This is the story of an Usdaw member in Northwich, and it’s not an isolated incident. Life on the frontline of…Read more…
Beautiful Trouble
Dear Colleagues,
As life has been particularly frantic over the past few weeks I’ve had no chance to write a blog post – despite there being much to write about.
So, just a quick post to give a plug for a new activist resource (including a fantastic …Read more…
Reverse austerity call
Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner agreed with shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, today (November 15) when McDonnell urged the government to take concrete steps to bring shared prosperity…Read more…