Unite warned that the government’s Oil and Gas Workforce Plan, published today (July 6) was ‘woefully inadequate’ and fell short of arresting a decline in the industry which had led to over 120,000…Read more…
Piper Alpha victims remembered
Nearly three decades ago today, the deadliest offshore disaster in history unfolded as the Piper Alpha platform burst into flames, killing 167 of the 228 people either working on the rig or…Read more…
Fair tips: Stop scamming staff call
A new survey has revealed that nearly nine out of 10 people want the government to introduce legislation preventing rip-off restaurant bosses scamming staff out of their tips. Around 600…Read more…
Defend dockers’ rights
Liverpool dock workers at Seaforth container terminal will be taking part in an international day of action tomorrow (July 7). The day of action has been called by the International Transport…Read more…
Why cutting corporation tax would make things worse, not better
Before the Referendum – which seems like another era! – George Osborne said that post-Brexit he would introduce an emergency budget containing £30 billion of extra tax rises or spending cuts. Such a move would sharply escalate the austerity already shrouding much of the country, the impact of which…Read more…
Chilcot response
Responding to the publication of the Chilcot report into the Iraq invasion, issued today (July 6) after seven years of deliberations, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said, “Chilcot confirms…Read more…
Brexit and social security – we need a debate on the trade union response
What will leaving the European Union mean for social security policy in the UK? In this post I’m going to explain why we should prepare for social security cuts as part of any move to introduce a new austerity. In a few days I hope to return to this subject and look at some of…
The post…Read more…
Orgreave justice fight
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign includes ex-miners, trades unionists, activists and others who are determined to get justice for miners who were victims of police lies and cover ups at…Read more…
Happy birthday to our NHS
Today marks the 68th birthday of our NHS. “Unite is proud of the NHS and the work our members do within in. We will continue to fight to protect our NHS, to ensure it can continue to care for…Read more…
How are the SATs expected standards set?
By Anne Heavey, ATL education policy adviser. The key stage 2 test results this year look very different to results in previous years. The curriculum being assessed is different, the tests are…Read more…
Union rights are good for all
Criminal penalties should be imposed on bosses who blacklist workers, according to a new Manifesto for labour law. The manifesto, written by the Institute of Employment Rights (IER)…Read more…
‘Battle of the books’ strike
The long-running ‘battle of the books’ in Greenwich opens a new chapter tomorrow (Tuesday July 5) when library workers strike for 48 hours to save the borough’s mobile library service from closure….Read more…
Give EU migrants already here an assurance they can stay
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady has co-signed a letter in the Sunday Telegraph today building on the joint statement that she made with CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn last week, calling on the government to guarantee that EU migrants already in the UK can stay no matter what…Read more…
Solid support
There was solid support on the final day of a 48-hour strike at Chester glass manufacturers Encirc Glass today (July 1), as messages of support flooded in from workers at some of the firm’s…Read more…
Power station must be built
The UK faces the very real threat of power shortages in the coming years – and that’s why following through with plans to build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is critical if Britain is to…Read more…
Will Brexit affect workers’ rights?
Most UK employment rights are guaranteed and therefore protected by EU law, which means the Government cannot remove or reduce those rights whilst we are part of the EU. Holiday pay and…Read more…
From Palestine to London: meet Bethlehem’s Lajee Community Centre
I had the good fortune to accompany the General Council’s delegation to Palestine and Israel at the beginning of the year. You can read the delegation’s report here. In little over three…Read more…
Hero Seacole honoured at last
Following a 12 year campaign, a statue of Jamaican-born nurse Mary Seacole – the first memorial statue of a named black woman in the UK – was unveiled yesterday (June 30) on the grounds of St. Thomas…Read more…
What the government must do right now to stop working people paying the price for the Leave vote
Still scarred by the effects of the 2008 financial crash, working people and their communities must not be asked to pay the price – again – of economic uncertainty following the vote to leave the EU. The TUC does not agree with the Chancellor that the fundamentals of the UK economy are sound. Only…Read more…
‘Endless’ job cuts
The relentless Lloyds jobs cull continued yesterday (June 29) as the bank announced it would slash another 640 jobs, mostly in IT, group operations and wealth management. IT sites affected…Read more…