Last week I wrote a blog about the health effects of working shifts, in particular nights. Well today the TUC has followed up on that with a report on night working and “work-life balance”….Read more…
#TubeStrike: Why I’ll be striking over compulsory all-night shifts
I’m a ticket officer and station assistant on London Underground, and I’ll be taking 24 hour strike action this evening alongside members of my union, TSSA, and unions representing other tube staff,…Read more…
Amnesty makes jailed Iranian teacher union leader a prisoner of conscience
I blogged about the arrest of Iranian teacher union leader Ismail Abdi a month ago, and the bad news is that he’s still in jail (although no longer in solitary confinement for interrogation)….Read more…
Government fails to address BIS Select Committee’s concerns on TTIP
Last week the Government slipped out its response to the previous BIS Select Committee report on TTIP released last March. In light of the fact that one of the criticisms the BIS Committee’s report raised was the lack of engagement by the government with stakeholders concerned by TTIP,…Read more…
RBS sell off: ‘It’s a disgrace’
Unite national officer for finance, Rob MacGregor summed up the union’s reaction to Osborne’s RBS sell off by saying, “It’s a disgrace.” His comments came in an…Read more…
Stressed and overworked
Health visitors, who are critical in supporting young families, received a big boost following a largely successful implementation plan that saw their numbers swell by almost 4,000 over the past five…Read more…
Something to sign up for
As part of our series on the Labour leadership election, UNITElive spoke to National Union of Students vice president Shelly Asquith, who is also a proud Unite member, on why voting in this election…Read more…
The madness of sell-off king George
They say that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same action and expect a different result. If that’s true then George Osborne’s Mansion House speech presented a particularly…Read more…
Reckless Osborne will cost us all
Tory plans to sell off nearly £2bn Royal Bank of Scotland shares could cost the taxpayer millions and be a bonus for share speculators. The shares were bought for 502 pence each to bail out…Read more…
Government’s own polls show rising opposition to shale gas fracking
Public support for fracking in the UK has fallen to an all-time low, according to the government’s latest survey of public attitudes towards energy of various kinds – ranging from shale gas and new nuclear to renewables. A clear majority support investment in carbon capture technology. DECC Energy…Read more…
Unite, Pride of Leeds
Unite lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members along with friends and family helped form part of the largest turnout ever – around 40,000 – at the annual Leeds Pride festival…Read more…
Tube strike on
Over 400 Unite members, working as electrical and maintenance technicians, linesmen and signallers on London’s tube network will be taking part in a 24-hour strike from 6.30pm on Wednesday (August 5)…Read more…
Wake-up call
The revised pay deal that 2,000 easyJet cabin crew, members of Unite, accepted today (August 3) is also a wake-up call for the company’s bosses regarding future pay talks. The UK cabin crew…Read more…
Uncertain futures
Retail giant Sainsbury’s announced last week (July 29) that it has sold its chain of pharmacies to Celesio, the German drugs wholesaler owning LloydsPharmacy, in a deal worth £125m. The sale…Read more…
Ten charities challenge Cameron’s pre-election green promise
Leaders of ten leading UK charities concerned with protection of the environment have written to the Prime Minister, alarmed that: “early policy choices being made are running counter to the strong intentions you outlined in your pre-election climate pledges and in your manifesto, to…Read more…
Different vote, same old myths
As the last day to sign up to vote in the Labour leadership election quickly approaches next week (August 12), the anti-union media frenzy is now in full swing. It’s set to be the most…Read more…
Stop pinching our tips
Pizza Express waiting staff are to stage a series of demonstrations outside selected restaurants in protest at the multi-million-pound business stealing their tips. Staff have estimated that…Read more…
Community action celebrated
On the August 5, 1874 the people of Portsmouth rose up and took back a piece of Southsea Common that had been fenced off by the Pier Company preventing local people from accessing the beach. …Read more…
Crude caps on public servants’ redundancy payments are not value for money
Despite a settlement on redundancy terms agreed with the last Minister for the Cabinet Office, Matt Hancock’s Cabinet colleague, Francis Maude, which he described at the time as “for the longer term” the government seems intent to rush yet another change less than five years after the…Read more…
Still easily the slowest recovery of GDP per head on record
In the coverage of the GDP figures last week, some attention was paid to the ONS observation that on a per head basis GDP in 2015 Q2 is likely to be back to the pre-crisis level. This may be all well and good, but is hardly a measure of economic performance. The relevant measure is…
The post…Read more…