Will robots take all the jobs? This dystopian question, prompted by the so-called ‘fourth industrial revolution’ – an umbrella term encompassing Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and the ‘Internet of Things’ – has prompted a lively debate in recent years. Digitisation is seen by some as simply the…Read more…
‘One common call’
Unite said today (Monday February 20), that it was ‘heartening’ that MPs from across the House of Commons spoke up to back Vauxhall workers, as business secretary Greg Clark addressed MPs about the…Read more…
BMW: pensions talks continue
Talks between Unite and BMW over the carmaker’s plans to close the defined benefit pension scheme are set to continue, but the threat of industrial action remains, Unite warned today (Monday February…Read more…
A greener shade of vague: where are defined benefit pensions headed?
If dog resemble their owners, do government documents resemble their Ministers? Since entering office less than a year ago Pensions Minister Richard Harrington has appeared to be non-dogmatic, willing to engage with a wide range of voices and generally…Read more…
One day without us: fairness for migrants & a better deal for all
Today, Monday 20 February, is UN world day of social justice, with the global theme of preventing conflict and sustaining peace through decent work. So it’s appropriate that grassroots…Read more…
Thieving bosses ‘named and shamed’
Retail giant Argos faces a £1.5m fine after it was revealed yesterday (February 16) that 37,000 of its current and former workers have been illegally denied the minimum wage. The revelation…Read more…
Can a workforce strategy solve the NHS’ staffing crisis?
Staff shortages in the NHS are nothing new. It has been a chronic issue affecting the NHS since cuts made to training budgets in 2010 and 2011; heightened by existing pay restraint, staff morale and workload issues. But recent events and detrimental go…Read more…
Flush with cash?
Pensioners earn more than working-age people for the first time ever, newspapers declared earlier this week (February 12). It’s a shocking headline to be sure, but just how true is it? The…Read more…
Recognise hard work call
Electricians, mechanical engineers and plumbers working on the new Whitechapel Crossrail station will receive productivity payments worth £867 a month thanks to their union Unite, the UK’s largest…Read more…
NHS cuts: turn down ‘the noise’
Expensive ‘guerrilla marketing’ tactics are to be used to persuade people in Yorkshire, Humber and north Lincolnshire that ‘the noise’ about NHS cuts needs to be ‘turned down’. Marketing and…Read more…
Resist ‘predatory’ takeover call
Unite said today (February 17) that it was seeking an urgent meeting with Unilever bosses and that the company should continue to resist takeover attempts by Kraft Heinz and its venture capital…Read more…
Assurances ‘not nearly enough’
A flurry of updates have come in quick succession after news broke suddenly on Tuesday night (February 14) that Peugeot owner PSA was in talks with GM over a potential sale of GM’s European Opel…Read more…
A day without migrants: 20/2
On 22nd Sept 2016, a social media campaign was launched in Egypt by the International Organization for migration: ‘A Day Without Migrants,’.
The aim was to highlight the real and positive…Read more…
Budget blog – an economy that works for nurses?
Our economy should work for everyone, but if your pay has stagnated for several years in a row and fixed items of spending keep going up, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you Theresa May, Conservative Party conference, October 2016 Yesterday our budget blog set out our case for investment in…Read more…
Am I really self-employed?
The company I work for have told me I am classed as self-employed and therefore have to pay my own tax and don’t get any holidays. I’ve read quite a bit about bogus self-employment recently. How do I…Read more…
‘A lot to answer for’
Misguided NHS bosses charged with reforming the health service are planning to close or downgrade 24 casualty departments because they believe that A&E units will see a 30 percent fall in visits…Read more…
Vauxhall latest: urgent talks call
Following the meeting between Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, the President of General Motors, Dan Ammann and the secretary of state Greg Clark, the union’s leader said, “My immediate…Read more…
Budget blogs – we need a budget for public services
In 2018/19, in real terms, NHS spending is going to go down – 10 years after Lehman brothers and austerity began Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, wasn’t pulling his punches at the Public Accounts Committee last month. “There are very clearly substantial pressures and it doesn’t…Read more…
‘Determined as ever’
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey spoke this morning (February 16) in a wide-ranging interview with business news network Bloomberg over the news that Peugeot may buy out General Motors’…Read more…
‘Completely unacceptable’
Unite assistant general secretary Steve Turner last night (February 15) spoke on the BBC One Show as it emerged that more than 300 companies have failed to pay the minimum wage, including retailer…Read more…