The threat of strike action by refuse workers in the London borough of Bromley has led to a ‘double your money’ pay offer which sets an example for other firms providing outsourced local government…Read more…
A beacon for freedom
The Woodland Trust is asking people to vote for England’s first Tree of the Year from a list of 10 unique English trees that have significant cultural or ecological value. Unite is urging…Read more…
Call for energy blueprint
Chinese investment in the Hinkley Point nuclear power station has “laid the financial building blocks” for the project to go-ahead according to Unite. But the country’s largest…Read more…
“National Living Wage” – business can cope
The TUC had mixed feelings about the new higher National Minimum Wage (NMW) rate for workers aged 25 and above announced in the July Budget. This will effectively create a new NMW band for older adults – £7.20 from April 2016, rising to more than £9.00 by 2020. We were of course pleased that…Read more…
TUC 2015 – Unite highlights
This year’s TUC saw members of Unite’s delegation speak on the gender pension’s gap, blacklisting, discrimination against pregnant women, the EU referendum, the NHS and the Trade Union Bill to name a…Read more…
Support trades councils call
Unite delegate Pat Stuart spoke on the last day of the TUC conference (Wednesday September 16) in support of trades councils. Pat called trades councils, which bring together unions to work…Read more…
Making the change
This week we look at the work of Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) together with Unite in fighting racism. Today we start with how it all began. At Newcastle’s St James Park in 1995 it…Read more…
Unions face increasing harassment in Iran
Despite the recent thaw in relations between the Iranian regime and western countries, the situation facing trade unionists in the country has worsened alarmingly this month. While we were in…Read more…
Developing the expertise of vocational teachers and trainers
By Lorna Unwin, Institute of Education. How can vocational teachers and trainers (VTTs) develop and their subject and pedagogical expertise? How much CPD goes on ‘under the radar’ as VTTs seek their…Read more…
Lidl: wages pledge exclusion anger
As supermarket chain Lidl announced today (September 18) that it would introduce a Living Wage of £8.20 an hour for workers in England, Wales and Scotland, Unite members demand to know why workers in…Read more…
Crisis point
Britain’s steel industry is at ‘crisis point’ warned Unite as it urged the government to step up its support for the troubled industry. The call follows today’s (September 18) decision by SSI…Read more…
Porton Down secret move
Public Health England (PHE) has been accused of ‘acting in bad faith’ by not informing the trade unions before the announcement that its facilities will be moved from Porton Down to Harlow in Essex….Read more…
Why are so many children so unhappy at school?
The 2015 Good Childhood Report comes to some chilling conclusions. Children in England were found to be among the most unhappy with their school life in the world. And their dissatisfaction…Read more…
The Chancellor drops his guard at the House of Lords – continued cuts are about the next financial crisis (and he moves the public debt goalposts to 100% GDP)
There was a significant exchange last week (Tuesday 8 September) ago in the House of Lords Treasury Select Committee. Sir Andrew Turnbull, head of the Civil Service (2002-2005), head of the Treasury (1998-2002) challenged the Chancellor on the real pur…Read more…
Millions say no to TTIP
Set to be one of the largest bilateral trade agreements every negotiated, TTIP – the mammoth EU-US deal currently being negotiated in secret – has also garnered mammoth media attention. The…Read more…
White Rose: Helping CCS to bloom
Carbon Capture and Storage is critical to meeting climate change targets. Without it decarbonising the economy would cost £32 billion more a year by 2050.
The post White Rose: Helping CCS to bloom appeared first on ToUChstone blog.Read more…
‘Paltry’ pay offer
Workers at a Leeds printing plate firm are going on a 48-hour strike over a ‘paltry’ pay offer from Sunday morning (September 20). About 50 Unite members at AGFA Graphics, Coal Road, Seacroft…Read more…
High cost of right to buy
More than one hundred thousand council homes across England will have to be sold to fund the Tories’ extension of right to buy, according to a new report released today (September 17) from housing…Read more…
David, David, David, boy!
The government says a key objective of the feed in tariff “is to give people a direct stake in moving to a low carbon economy.” A new video from the Banister House community solar project makes this appeal to the Prime Minister to stop the proposed tariff cuts: “David, David, David, boy!” an intern…Read more…
Guatemala: joker in the pack holds cards in election run-off
Guatemala has dodged the bullet of a ‘gangster President’, but will those remaining in the contest be willing and able to heal a country tearing itself apart? Guatemala has been gripped by protests…Read more…