Up to 300 workers, members of Unite are continuing to take strike action today (January 13). But in a goodwill gesture, Unite is suspending the strike action scheduled for Thursday (January…Read more…
Anti-austerity’s frontline fighters
Volunteer benefits adviser John Kelly has got used to seeing people on the breadline in distress because their welfare has been stopped or sanctioned, but that doesn’t make it any easier in the heart…Read more…
Globalisation isn’t a ‘given’
Thanks to Geoff Tily, who co-authored this blog. The impact of globalisation on working people’s wages, jobs and prospects emerged as one of the key themes of 2016, following the seismic political developments in both Europe and the US. 2017 sees no sign of the debate going away. The policymaking…Read more…
Members fight on for pay justice
British Airways’ ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew working on long and short haul flights out of Heathrow Airport will be taking part in a three day strike next week in their dispute over poverty pay, Unite…Read more…
‘Get a grip’
The Prime Minister shrugged off the mounting NHS crisis yesterday (January 11) as a “small number” of incidents, even as 20 hospitals across England declared that they could no longer guarantee…Read more…
‘Sigh of relief’
Hundreds of jobs were saved after a sale was secured this week (January 11) of Coventry-based automotive parts supplier CovPress, one of the largest employers in the area. The nearly…Read more…
Globalisation’s strength is through domestic demand – that’s why it’s in crisis
The current debate on globalization is characterised by the idea that trade is becoming more and more important to prosperity. A very standard illustration shows trade growth as a share of GDP progressively increasing over the last 50 years – see Annex. (NB this post is background to…Read more…
Gov’t has ‘moral duty’
The Berkshire towns of Aldermaston and Burghfield are not normally associated with strikes – but that is exactly what is going to happen again next week in an increasingly bitter dispute over…Read more…
‘A strong sector in a strong union’
If there is any sector where workers certainly need a union it is construction – and now these workers will have even stronger protection at work. The merger of UCATT (the union for…Read more…
We are more equal (because we are all worse off)
Normally figures (here) showing the income distribution had narrowed to the lowest point for thirty years – since 1986, the height of Thatcherism – would be reason for celebration. But these are not normal times. The country may be less unequal, but everybody is poorer. Thatcherites used to boast…Read more…
Inequality is falling, but that doesn’t mean we can stop worrying
I was struck by the coincidence of two news items yesterday. On the one hand, the World Economic Forum highlighted rising income inequality as one of four “global risks in 2017” because it threatens social cohesion and democratic societies’ ability to take action on other problems. On the other,…Read more…
Cap top bosses pay call
For years there has been an increasing level of anger about ‘fat cat’ pay. The wages of top bosses keep increasing while those of workers are at best stagnating. Twenty years ago the average…Read more…
‘Fantastic’ BA strike support
Unite hailed support for a 48-hour strike by British Airways’ ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew as ‘fantastic’ today (January 11). It has emerged that the stoppage, which started yesterday (January…Read more…
Sleeping in their cars
When British Airways first introduced its Mixed Fleet in 2010, the airline advertised wages of £17,000 to £20,000 each year on its website. But by the time Rachel* was hired and received her…Read more…
Uphold union rights call
Scotland’s biggest construction union has hit out after the First Minister failed to back union rights during a visit to a new hospital in Dumfries. The hospital is being built by a consortium…Read more…
Liverpool port protest
Dock workers working for Peel Ports, one of the UK’s largest port operators, are to protest on Friday (January 13) over the lack of decent welfare facilities for workers and drivers visiting the port…Read more…
Commission says no to stronger protection on health and safety
The European Commission have finally released details of what they are proposing to do on health and safety regulation in the coming years. Yesterday they released a communication which contained…Read more…
‘Slap in the face’
Argos’ plans to transfer nearly 500 workers from its Lutterworth distribution hub in Leicestershire to Kettering, Northamptonshire are ‘a slap in the face’ for a loyal workforce. Unite said…Read more…
‘Modern feudalism’
Four workers at the ancient Port Eliot Estate in Cornwall, with a total of 70 years’ service, are set to lose their jobs by the end of March in a move branded as ‘modern feudalism’ by Unite. …Read more…
M&S: Happy with BA pay injustice?
Pictured are Unite British Airways ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew members and supporters handing in a letter to Marks and Spencer at its headquarters today (January 11), calling on the retailer to demand…Read more…