Little more than a week ago, the steel community of Scunthorpe was devastated by the news that 1,200 jobs at Tata Steel would go, following a grim month for the industry as the SSI steel plant in…Read more…
Commitment please
A national commission on infrastructure, which will oversee spending on major projects such as road, rail and flood defence improvements, was launched by chancellor George Osborne today (October 30)…Read more…
Vote no to CETA – TUC takes citizens’ petition to Brussels
This week, as TUC spokesperson on Europe, I handed in a petition to MEPs in the European Parliament from constituents asking them to reject the trade deal the EU is currently finalising with Canada, known as CETA. You may not have heard of CETA, but pe…Read more…
‘Degraded and ashamed’
Five years ago foodbanks were not something that everyone would necessarily have heard of and a decade ago they barely existed in the UK. Now there are over 1,000 foodbanks in the UK and in…Read more…
The Lone Chancellor
The tax credit cuts saga continued in Parliament yesterday (October 29) as Labour MP Frank Field urged the government through a cross-party motion to rethink its tax credit reforms that, if pushed…Read more…
Keep on fighting
In our final installment to celebrate Black History Month this week on UNITElive, we meet Unite members Nikita Uddin and Joe Welch The slave trade is inextricably linked to Britain’s history. While…Read more…
Episode 14: ‘I’m in big trouble, Hughie’
Sounds familiar? If you work in the hospitality industry you can join www.unitetheunion.org – if you earn less than the Living Wage (£9.15ph in London, £7.85 outside) for just £2.10 per week….Read more…
‘Blatant disenfranchisement’
Millions risk losing their voice if they don’t sign up to register to vote in the next three weeks, after the House of Lords failed to approve a motion on Tuesday (October 27) that would halt the…Read more…
Steel future snubbed
The steel crisis is so important that fewer than two dozen Tory MPs bothered to attend the Parliamentary debate yesterday (October 28) demanding emergency government action. But then again secretary…Read more…
Steel crisis goes to the heart of UK industrial policy
The steel industry is not alone. Right across the energy intensive industries there are profound and well founded concerns over plant closures, jobs losses, higher energy costs than competitors face, and a lack of a common vision for UK manufacturing. …Read more…
Everyone’s history
To celebrate Black History Month this week on UNITElive, every day we meet a Unite member who tells us of their own experiences. Today we meet Majid Rahman Majid Rahman’s great grandfather,…Read more…
The productivity challenge: what goes on in the workplace and a strong employee voice
Earlier this week I participated in an ACAS seminar on ‘Building Productivity in the UK’. I have written previously on the so-called ‘productivity puzzle’ and the critical importance of investment, skills and an active industrial strategy. But I have also highlighted the importance of better work…Read more…
Episode 13: ‘But what about the money?’
Sounds familiar? If you work in the hospitality industry you can join www.unitetheunion.org – if you earn less than the Living Wage (£9.15ph in London, £7.85 outside) for just £2.10 per week….Read more…
Protect young workers’ right to strike
When you’re just starting out in a career, the idea you might one day be going out on strike is hardly likely to cross your mind. The right to strike is a last resort, and one you often don’t think…Read more…
Steely resolve
The post Steely resolve appeared first on UNITElive.org.Read more…
As long as it takes
As the UK steel industry is set to crumble under the weight of the Tory government’s negligence, steelworkers and their communities, trade unions and Labour MPs have launched an all-out offensive to…Read more…
Winter blackouts, industry knockouts
The National Grid is advising manufacturers to make plans for electricity blackouts. Hardly helpful to our energy intensive industries like steel and paper making already under pressure, and with manufacturing output falling for its third consecutive quarter. The grid’s 2015/16 Winter Outlook…Read more…
‘Not an easy thing to do’
To celebrate Black History Month this week on UNITElive, every day we meet a Unite member who tells us of their own experiences. Today we meet Polline Palo Imagine you meet a new person for…Read more…
‘Not rocket science’
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is pictured here addressing steel workers on how the steel industry can be saved. He said “We can invest in steel by investing in modernising our…Read more…
‘Feet to the furnace’
Our neglected steel industry is bleeding out and is now on life support industry, leaders and unions told the business select committee yesterday. As steelworkers gather today to lobby their MPs…Read more…