As the digital revolution gathers at a rapidly increasing pace so is the growth of new forms of employment. One of these is ‘gig workers’ – a ‘one size fits all’ buzzword for anything from…Read more…
The National Living Wage: a defence
This morning’s labour market release told a similar story to what we’ve seen previously: insipid wage growth and slowly rising employment. Yet some commentators have assigned a special weight to today’s figures, take this piece in the Evening Standard on Monday for example. This is because that…Read more…
Trade Union Bill takes a battering in the Lords: What’s next in #TUbill campaign?
We’re nearing the end of the parliamentary process of the controversial Trade Union Bill. It has been a bruising experience for the government, lasting longer than they had hoped, and with a successions of embarrassments, defeats and concessions along the way. Much is still up for grabs, but…Read more…
Govt’s house of cards
First it was cuts to tax credits, then the raid on disability benefits – and now measures in the Housing Bill are facing defeat. The government’s proposed policies, all taking aim at those who are…Read more…
Tories: On the workers’ side?
The so-called National Living Wage, first announced last year, was offered up as proof that the Tory government was, in fact, on the side of working people. “We back work,” said prime minister…Read more…
A quick note on Leave.EU’s creative accounting
The Chancellor’s statement yesterday, on the costs of Brexit has provoked some creative accounting from the Brexit campaign. Their response is built on two highly questionable statistics combined with a statement of such devil-may-care chutzpah that it seems almost heroic. Let’s take their most…Read more…
TUC Dying to Work Campaign
Yesterday, in the Houses of Parliament the energy giant E-On will be the first UK company to sign up to the TUC’s Dying to Work Charter committing them, as an employer, to supporting workers…Read more…
Bursary or bust
On April 18 among the thousands who joined the People’s Assembly march against austerity were countless Unite NHS members. From their ranks, member and student nurse Danielle Tiplady was…Read more…
Shoulder to shoulder
Unite Port Talbot steel worker Mark ‘Pasty’ Turner was warmly received by the People’s Assembly marchers in Trafalgar Square on April 16 after addressing the packed throng . …Read more…
Owning the future: Public services for the 21st century
While attention is focussed on the growing financial crisis in the NHS, along comes another privatisation shambles to remind us all that the government’s funding squeeze is not the only threat to the future of our health service. The performance of non-emergency transport services since Coperforma…Read more…
Panama? Only this hat
Marching shoulder to shoulder with steel workers and anti-austerity campaigners from across the UK, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey made it clear Unite refused to accept there was no…Read more…
The power is in our hands
Tens of thousands of protestors descended on central London on Saturday (April 16) for the People’s Assembly March to demand better jobs, health, homes and education. A large delegation of…Read more…
Scottish Parliament elections – Grahame Smith’s speech to Congress
Congress, the election on 5 May is the most important to take place since the Scottish Parliament was re-established. The next Scottish Government will wield new powers on tax, welfare,…Read more…
Trade Union Bill – Pauline Rourke, CWU speech to Congress on behalf of STUC General Council
Congress, Scotland’s trade union movement meets this week here in my home city of Dundee to discuss and constructively debate a huge range of issues that affect the lives of ordinary working people….Read more…
Proud to protest
It seems that protest is out of fashion with some in our movement. It is not in keeping with a party fit for power, or so the argument from some in Labour goes. Well, I don’t agree. …Read more…
NHS Brexit bonanza fails to convince
Boris Johnson and Michael Gove have been hitting the Brexit campaign trail to claim that quitting the EU would free up the £350m a week they say we spend on the EU to give instead to the NHS. It’s hard to know which end of this one to doubt first. The BBC’s face checkers were…
The post NHS…Read more…
TUC backs Brazilian unions: no to the coup!
You may have seen some stories in the media about political developments in Brazil, where the forces who used to dominate the country while it was under military dictatorship and then in the years…Read more…
Austerity crisis
Food bank use has, for another year running, dramatically increased as more and more people – even those in work – bear the weight of government austerity that’s brought a crisis usually only…Read more…
Last chance to register
Less than a year after the general election, another set of elections are on the horizon – and the stakes this time are just as high. On May 5, the UK goes back to the polls in Scotland, Wales…Read more…
A perfect storm ahead
There is a global power elite that owe no loyalty to nation states. They owe no loyalty to our health service, our education system or even our industrial heartlands. They don’t use them and…Read more…