“Conditionality” in the benefits system – the idea that claimants must meet certain conditions in order to receive their benefits, or face the consequences—has been taken to absurd levels by the…Read more…
Public sector net debt reaches £1½ trillion, nearly £200bn more than planned, and stuck for years at over 75% of GDP
In May 2015 public sector net debt (excluding public sector banks) rose above £1,500 billion or £1½ trillion for the first time. Over the past four years, government borrowing has moved further and further above the original plans (see). Spending cuts have harmed the economy more than expected,…Read more…
Cridland’s comprehensive demolition job on Tory education policy
And another thing… A weekly blog by ATL general secretary Mary Bousted John Cridland, director general of the CBI, cannot remotely be named or shamed as a member of the education ‘blob’. And yet his…Read more…
Pakistan: one of the terrible ten worst countries for workers’ rights
Pakistani workers face large-scale exclusions from labour law, arrests and violence. Last year protests were held condemning the murder of eight labourers in Balochistan. Earlier this year, trainee…Read more…
Call for justice
In response to the disappointing decision of the Independent Police Complaint’s Commission (IPCC) not to fully investigate criminal wrongdoings by police at Orgreave during the miners’ strike, Louise…Read more…
Balanced energy policy call
The announcement that new subsidies for onshore wind farms will end from April next year is ‘misguided’, Unite warned today (June 18) “The UK faces a serious energy supply problem in…Read more…
‘Fresh attack’
Cutting child tax credits to axe £5 billion from the welfare bill would hit far more people in work than out of work, according to a new briefing from the Resolution Foundation. The Tories…Read more…
Have your say
You’ll have no doubt heard by now that there’s election on the horizon. An election you can take part in. An election where your voice really matters. From August 14 you…Read more…
Guatemala: one of the terrible ten worst countries for workers’ rights
Murder, armed attacks and a lack of due process is the reality for Guatemalan unionists and their leaders. Throughout the last 12 months, leaders of the country’s various transport, municipal…Read more…
Public sector jobs – the regional dimension
Earlier today the Office for National Statistics published the quarterly Public Sector Employment figures. I suppose the headline was the fact that the number working in public sector jobs has fallen another 43,000 over the past year, but I was just as…Read more…
Defending community hospitals
Unite Community members from across Devon will be starting a summer long campaign tomorrow (June 18), to highlight cuts to community hospital beds with a protest outside County Hall in Exeter. …Read more…
Squeezing every last drop
As the UK oil and gas industry meets in Aberdeen today (June 17) for its industry conference, Unite has delivered a stark warning to the industry that squeezing every last drop out of the workforce…Read more…
No to ‘regressive’ austerity policies
As the Northern Ireland power-sharing government faces a £600m black hole in its budget, the Treasury has offered to plug the gap with a loan in exchange for cuts to welfare and the public sector….Read more…
Two simple messages for David Cameron on Europe
Today I’m meeting Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament. Tomorrow, he’s meeting David Cameron to talk about Britain’s future in the EU. I’m asking Martin to make two clear points to David Cameron: 1. Cutting workers’ rights won’t win…Read more…
Egypt: one of the terrible ten worst countries for workers’ rights
Egypt can be a tough place for workers with its cases of police brutality, mass arrests, abductions and attempted assassinations. In June last year, 500 workers of a national steel company protested…Read more…
Kicking the trade agreements can down the road
Trade deals are stalled due to popular pressure In both the European Parliament and Congress. What’s going on? When the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations were launched in 2013, veteran Tory politician Ken Clarke MP was at his most avuncular when he said that…Read more…
Triumph in solidarity
Following a two-day strike in April, Unite bus drivers in Bradford prepared for further strike action against their employer First Group last week over jobs losses and attacks to terms and…Read more…
Great British sell-off
Axing £12bn from the welfare bill was a prime Tory election pledge – one that’s proving so impossible that even senior officials within the party’s ranks itself are now pressuring chancellor George…Read more…
Wages growth mirage
Wages are expected to grow at the fastest rate since before the crash, many newspapers reported earlier this week. It’s good news on the surface, but read further down their columns and the reason…Read more…
CPI inflation: no surprises, not out of woods.
When the inflation numbers are moving from positive to negative territory it is difficult to avoid excitement about ultimately small changes, driven to some extent by erratic and exceptional factors. Today Britain moved out of deflation, alternatively …Read more…