I was inspired recently by an article in the Washington Post, which asked “what’s behind the revolt against global integration?” Partly because the policy prescriptions for getting…Read more…
Clinton & Sanders show the way on ‘trade’ agreements
While the current Democratic President of the USA, Barack Obama, tours Europe to raise support for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the two candidates scrapping to be his successor back home are setting out markedly different …Read more…
Rana Plaza: Three years on
This weekend marks the third anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy, which shocked the world and jolted consumers, unions, activists and – eventually – brands into action over conditions faced by…Read more…
Turkish workers under further attacks
Sadly and as I have repeatedly reported on in my blogs, Turkish workers, their unions and wider civil society are under constant attack from their ever autocratic government. The latest example of…Read more…
Colombia’s bloody peace process
It is a bitter irony that given Colombia is engaged in a peace process the number of politically motivated killings has increased of late In the period 21 February 2016 to 18 March 2016 a total of 30…Read more…
‘Thumbs-up’ Tory shame
Gloating Tory councillors have shamelessly posed for a ‘thumbs up photo’ right in front of a children’s centre they’ve axed to save cash. Portsmouth council leader Donna Jones, children and…Read more…
‘Stuck in the bowels of hell’
Two hero miners saved the lives of nine of their comrades earlier this month, after the group were trapped by a huge fire 1.1km underground in a Teesside potash mine. The miners, all Unite…Read more…
‘Most pressing priorities’
The Scottish TUC (STUC) conference began this week on Monday (April 18 to 20), when delegates from Unite moved motions on a range of issues from the government’s controversial trade union Bill to…Read more…
New Immigration Bill clauses could give workers whistle to blow on abusive employers
On Monday the Immigration Bill will return to the House of Commons. In the House of Lords amendments have been added to give rights and protections to asylum seekers and overseas domestic workers which provide an important counterbalance to the nasty t…Read more…
Metal tops bill at Glastonbury?
This year’s Glastonbury festival has a new addition to the bill, and it’s metal but not as you know it. For festival goers used to standard hippy fare, the good news is not that British heavy…Read more…
The FT’s Tim Harford not Labour is misrepresenting the earnings crisis
Since the financial crisis, it is beyond doubt that wages and incomes have been exceptionally weak. Yet in the weekend Financial Times, the Labour Party’s use of real earnings figures was heavily criticised by Tim Harford (here). In the company of Donald Trump’s use of crime statistics and Jeremy…Read more…
Steel: support at last
Unite welcomed today’s (April 21) announcement by the UK and Welsh governments to provide a support package worth hundreds of millions of pounds to potential buyers of Tata Steel UK and to take a…Read more…
British Gas jobs axe
British Gas’ decision to axe 684 office jobs, including the company’s Oldbury operation in the West Midlands, has been met with dismay by Unite which called for the site to remain open. …Read more…
‘Disastrous’ race to the bottom
Lloyds bank has today announced cuts to 625 jobs across several divisions. This includes the offshoring of IT workers to India in a dangerous ‘race to the bottom’ warned Unite. Cuts include…Read more…
Why Sajid Javid is right – and the Adam Smith Institute is wrong – on support for steel
Earlier today, the UK and Welsh Governments announced a financial support package worth hundreds of millions of pounds, on commercial terms, to ensure a new buyer comes forward for Tata Steel. A main part, perhaps all, of the support will be in the for…Read more…
As reviled as Thatcher?
Desperate David Cameron is terrified that he will be as reviled as Margaret Thatcher in the history books because of the Conservative’s bungling of the steel crisis and has ordered his…Read more…
Don’t overdo the rise in unemployment, but labour market gains have clearly moderated
The focus of the coverage of the labour market statistics today is on a small rise in the unemployment figures (+21K, with unemployment rate unchanged at 5.1%). Perhaps commentators are on the lookout for the negative given wider conditions in financia…Read more…
‘Severe blow’
Last night’s (April 19) announcement that Monarch Airlines is due to close its maintenance hangar at Manchester airport with the loss of more than 120 engineering jobs was branded ‘a severe blow’ by…Read more…
Lords say no to govt again
In yet another defeat against the government’s trade union Bill, peers passed an amendment yesterday (April 19) reversing a ban on a method for paying union subscriptions in the public sector. …Read more…
Rescue plan agreed
Steelworkers have agreed to accept a temporary three per cent pay cut and changes to terms and conditions as part of a rescue plan by Greybull Capital, the company buying Tata’s Long Products…Read more…