Jeremy Corbyn’s election, winning with a mandate which dwarfed anything previously given to any other leader of a British political party in a generation or more, will, I believe, be seen as a major…Read more…
Not a ‘political football’
Unite has warned UK government ministers against using defence workers as a ‘political football’ and jeopardising jobs. The move came as it emerged that a House of Commons vote on the…Read more…
SAVE THE ‘PINK BOOK’
Youth workers have lobbied the Local Government Association over threats to tear up their ‘pink book’ protecting pay, terms and conditions. Unite – which represents thousands of youth,…Read more…
Steel: tougher tarrifs call
The UK’s steel industry unions, Unite, Community and GMB along with steel companies, trade associations, politicians and ministers attended the first meeting of the government’s newly…Read more…
Brexit won’t raise wages: why Sir Stuart Rose is wrong
We got an object lesson yesterday in why workers and their representatives need to play a more prominent role in the EU referendum campaign. Sir Stuart Rose – former boss at non-union Marks & Spencer, and now chair of Britain Stronger in Europe – appeared to suggest that leaving the…Read more…
Fight to save youth workers’ future
Hundreds of youth workers are today (March 3) lobbying the Local Government Association in an effort to save the ‘pink book’ which protects their pay terms and conditions. Unite – which…Read more…
Cuts smash Northern towns
Tory claims of creating a “Northern Powerhouse” have been laid bare as rubbish by a new report which shows that 10 of the UK’s top 12 struggling cities are in the north. Instead the Conservatives…Read more…
‘Rotten apple’ employers
More bad news for Shepton Mallet Cider Mill came today (March 2) as C&C Group announced its first 40 redundancies, with workers’ last day set for May 25. Unite regional coordinating…Read more…
Bookies demand living wage
Sean Graham bookmakers have voted unanimously to take strike action over poverty pay, with initial strike dates to coincide with the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup. The mandate for strike action…Read more…
TU Bill : ‘Biased’ plans slammed by Lords
Buried within the trade union Bill are plans to choke Labour party funding by changing the way members sign up to contribute to unions’ political funds. It was an unabashedly partisan move…Read more…
Sports Direct falls from FTSE 100
After concerted campaigning from Unite and several media investigations revealing draconian working conditions at the retail giant’s Shirebrook warehouse, Sports Direct has fallen out of the FTSE 100…Read more…
Call off the cull plea
The Tories plan to cull another 50,000 badgers in an effort they claim will reduce the number of cases of bovine TB in cattle. But animal rights campaigners say evidence that culling badgers…Read more…
EU trade deal with Canada amended: not good enough
On Monday, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström trumpeted what she called a major step forward on trade – a revised version of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada. The main difference was that in place of the infamous Investor-State Dispute…Read more…
End ‘profits before patients’
Unite is calling on its 100,000 members in the health service to urge their MPs to support a parliamentary bill to restore public accountability to the running of the NHS. Unite is angry that…Read more…
Difficult battle – but plenty ready to fight
Steelworkers have continued their fight to save the industry, as a Unite delegation from steel communities across the UK travelled to London last night (February 29) to attend an opposition day…Read more…
Our pensions are still leaving many behind
The respected Pensions Policy Institute is today publishing a report, sponsored by the TUC and others, looking at those groups who remain under-pensioned. It shows that despite the remarkable success of automatic enrolment in bringing around six million more people into workplace pensions, those…Read more…
How ISDS undermines the global march to democracy
I’m halfway through an event about the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) at Wilton Park, the FCO’s conference centre, and it’s the usual stimulating mix of stakeholders (a handful of business and union representatives), senior civil servants from various…Read more…
Safety representatives – still all to play for
As the Trade Union Bill continues its passage through the House of Lords it is worth reminding ourselves about the potential implications for health and safety. As Frances O’Grady said in Hazards…Read more…
Working for free
Workers in the UK are being cheated of more than £30bn in unpaid labour over the course of a year, a new TUC analysis has found. More than five million people worked an average of 7.7 hours…Read more…
‘Never ending’ jobs fight
UNITElive caught up with a delegation of steelworkers on their way to attend an opposition day debate on the future of steel tonight (February 29) in Parliament. We spoke to Jason Bartlett…Read more…