A ministerial letter leaked to the Socialist Worker newspaper has revealed that the government are expecting the House of Lords to defeat “flagship” parts of the Trade Union Bill. The letter was sent on 26 January from BIS minister Nick Boles to Oliver Letwin and Chris Grayling, who…Read more…
‘Match the ambition of our young’
Unite’s ‘Rally for a future’ in Ballymena drew thousands on Saturday (February 6), as the community joined together to demand decent jobs and investment. World-renowned actor…Read more…
‘Management have to listen’
This week (February 8-14) is Heart Unions, a week that celebrates all that we love about our trade unions. Our Heart Unions series on UniteLive will feature one trade unionist’s story each day….Read more…
Dignity and respect
Unite Scotland community and young members have intensified their campaign against Sports Direct calling for decent work for all. Members recently marched through Fife, Dundee, Renfrewshire…Read more…
Steel commitment
Tata Steel is being urged to commit to the long-term future of UK steelmaking amid renewed calls for government action. Unite pointed out that quarterly results released to the Indian stock…Read more…
Speaking as one
A shadow is cast over Aberdeen, as one of the most prosperous cities in the UK now bears witness to queues outside the door at food banks, formed virtually overnight. The oil industry has been…Read more…
Equality victory
British Airways has been forced to lift a ban stopping some of its female cabin crew wearing trousers thanks to pressure from Unite. A successful campaign by the union means female cabin crew…Read more…
Wake-up call
Unite has backed the growing number of Conservative voices speaking out against the Government’s Trade Union Bill and planned changes to party funding. Concerns were expressed by members of…Read more…
EU Parliament votes for public service protections and labour rights in TiSA report
On Wednesday the European Parliament passed with an overwhelming majority a report on the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) that called for broad exemptions for public services and respect for labour standards. TiSA is a trade deal on services the EU is negotiating along with 22 other countries….Read more…
The Bank of England downgrade economic prospects, but over-egg demand and under-egg supply?
Only at the end of December, in the wake of the Federal Reserve interest rate rise, there was talk about starting the ‘normalisation’ of UK interest rates. As if there was any doubt, yesterday the Bank of England kicked any such notion into the ‘long grass’ (as the FT puts it). Even ahead of…Read more…
Think again
Ford has been told by Unite it must reconsider a cost-cutting programme which will slash around 200 hundred skilled staff jobs at its UK operations. The car giant – which recently revealed its…Read more…
Blow for ‘King Coal’
The closure of the coal-fired Fiddler’s Ferry power station near Warrington, with the loss of about 270 jobs, is the latest glaring example that the government has discarded ‘King Coal’ as part of…Read more…
We must unite
Actor James Nesbitt has added his voice to calls for investment and jobs in his home town Ballymena ahead of a rally there this coming Saturday (Feb 6). Almost 2,000 jobs in the town –…Read more…
‘Proud Ballymena man’
World-renowned actor and Ballymena native Liam Neeson has endorsed Unite’s Rally for a Future on Saturday, February 6, when the Ballymena community will band together demanding investment and…Read more…
Emergency measures
Unite has warned that billion-pound losses announced this week by oil industry super-majors could bring an end to meaningful production in the North Sea within years unless there’s serious…Read more…
Battling to save Europe’s steel and manufacturing industries from China’s unfair trade
The TUC and many others – unions in Britain and across Europe and manufacturing employers – are battling to defend jobs in Europe from unfair competition from China. The impact of underpriced steel flooding the UK market is well-known, but if the EU grants China ‘Market Economy…Read more…
‘Soft touch’ for electricity theft
EDF Energy will become ‘a soft touch’ for electricity theft if it cuts its revenue protection staff by 50 per cent, Unite has warned. EDF Energy is planning 6,000 staff cuts worldwide and, as…Read more…
Punished for working
One would be forgiven for thinking that Google’s recent tax deal with the HMRC, which held the tech giant liable for only £130m over the last decade, must be an anomaly. Surely, the UK’s…Read more…
Runaway pay
As NHS frontline workers barely eke out a living on meagre wages – a reality most recently reflected in the junior doctors dispute – NHS senior managers continue raking in increasingly larger…Read more…
Cameron’s renegotiation deal: tinkering, not tackling the real issues
There’s a lot of noise today about the proposals that European Council President Donald Tusk has sent to European leaders to address David Cameron’s call for a reformed European Union ahead of the UK’s referendum on EU membership. Eurosceptics are hostile, supporters of remaining…Read more…