Thanks to trade union campaigning, led by Unite, a slew of companies have dropped the use of zero-hours contracts in a matter of days. It all started with Sports Direct, which earlier this…Read more…
Newspaper delivery threat
Newspaper deliveries to newsagents across the UK will be hit as staff at Menzies Distribution prepare to hold two 24-hour strikes on September 23 and 26 for the first time ever over a ‘pitiful’ pay…Read more…
Strike called off
Two 24-hours strikes by Prudential employees based in Reading, have been suspended, Unite announced today (September 15). The first of the stoppages was due to start at just past…Read more…
‘Deplorable’ job losses
The threat to 82 jobs at Aviva in Leicester, after the insurance giant said that it was closing its office in the city, has been strongly deplored by Unite today (September 15). The…Read more…
TUC highlights — on film
This year’s TUC Congress, held this week, featured a wide variety of Unite delegates speaking passionately on subjects as varied as the plight of the Kurdish people to fighting the Trade Union…Read more…
Stop the cuts
Swingeing cuts to the funding to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which will decimate services to some of the most disadvantaged in the UK, has prompted two trade unions to ballot…Read more…
Tackling teacher shortages is not only about migration policy
The TUC has submitted evidence to the Migration Advisory Committee’s review of teacher shortages, highlighting that shortages that are currently being experienced in primary and secondary schools across the country require urgent action by the government. Migrant workers play an important role as…Read more…
Ending QTS will damage morale and push people away from teaching
If you were following the coverage of TUC Congress earlier this week, you could be forgiven for thinking only one education issue was on the agenda: grammar schools. In the four days I spent at the…Read more…
Vital for world democracy
As democracy in Turkey has violently deteriorated over the last year, Congress agreed in an emergency motion on the last day of conference (September 14) to support progressive forces in Turkey, and…Read more…
Orgreave: Inquiry at last?
Orgreave miners and supporting campaigners welcomed reports today (September 15) that a public inquiry into the Orgreave miners’ picket in 1984 would be given the green light. The news, which…Read more…
Total bonuses reach record high
Government figures out today show that total bonuses across the economy have reached the highest level ever, surpassing the previous high seen just before the financial crash in 2007-8. While the financial sector accounts for nearly one third of the to…Read more…
‘Historic’ decision
Today’s (September 15) decision by Theresa May to approve the go-ahead for the Hinkley Point nuclear power station has been hailed as ‘historic’ by Unite. Unite said that the announcement by…Read more…
‘Their fight is our fight’
The trade union movement affirmed its continued solidarity with junior doctors in their on-going dispute with the government, which has sought to impose a contract that the doctors say is unfair to…Read more…
More in common
The Immigration Act 2016 went through Parliament with little fanfare in May — but its consequences are dire for not only recent migrants but also black communities who have settled here for decades…Read more…
Support refugee children
What’s often forgotten in discussions of the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe is that a large swath of these refugees are mere children, with many of them starting their new lives away from…Read more…
Accessible transport for all
Congress hailed the announcement by London mayor Sadiq Khan last week that London TravelWatch would undertake a review of ticket office closures, a move that was the subject of an emergency motion on…Read more…
Our humanity
Speaking in support of a motion calling on the trade union movement to defend the Human Rights Act, Unite director of legal services Howard Beckett highlighted today (September 14) just how important…Read more…
Action not words
How many more emergency motions on Colombia do we need before the tragedy in Colombia is resolved? This was the unsettling question Unite delegate and cab driver Jim Kelly posed to Congress on…Read more…
No room to crow
Unite cautioned against complacency over today’s (Wednesday September 14) labour market figures warning that for millions the nature of work was becoming increasingly insecure. Pointing to a…Read more…
Culture of fear
Amid rising patient complaints in the NHS – the number now exceeds 4,000 a week – Congress highlighted concern over legal action being taken against health staff. While Congress recognised…Read more…