All the union news that's fit to blog...
The Department of Work Pensions—the epicentre of the coalition government’s destruction of the welfare state as we know it—was today (March 19) the scene of Unite’s national day of action against benefits sanctions. Hundreds gathered outside the DWP to protest the cruel sanctions, in which benefits claimants’ entitlements are suddenly cut for spurious reasons, […]
The post When a government just doesn’t care appeared first on UNITElive.org.
The personal tax allowance will increase to £10,800 pounds in the 2016/2017 tax year, George Osborne told parliament, up from the £10,600 announced for 2015/16. The allowance will rise again to £11,000 in 2017/2018. This year’s increase is a real one, but the rates announced for subsequent…Read more…
Unite activist and former Teeside charity boss, Jessie Jacobs speaks out against benefits sanctions Today at 12.30pm I was stood outside Middlesbrough job centre, speaking to a crowd of people about the benefit sanctions regime. I have been taking part in Unite’s national day of action #no2sanctions. Up until recently I was leading […]
The post No one deserves sanctions appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Unite Community members today held protests against grotesque benefit sanctions outside over 75 job centres across the United Kingdom. Millions of claimants have faced sanctions varying in length between four weeks and three years. Many are often imposed for the most trivial reasons that are beyond the claimant’s control. The unemployed, sick, disabled, […]
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The TUC’s economic and social affairs team has been working flat out to pick apart, scrutinise and analyse the final budget of this Parliament. Here are some of the most popular posts: 1. Welfare cutsThe Chancellor referred to £12 billion of welfare cuts. Nicola Smith crunches the numbers to…Read more…
‘Iain Duncan Smith’ has today ‘been jailed for crimes against humanity’ by Unite community members in Southampton over the government’s widespread use of benefit sanctions. As part of a national day of action against the sanctions – which lead to a cut or loss of benefits for the most trivial reasons – Unite […]
The post IDS ‘verdict’: Guilty appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Regional employment growth is a pretty simple statistic. The ONS helpfully publishes a clear analysis every month. In fact, they did this just yesterday morning. In his budget announcement yesterday afternoon, Mr. Osborne boldly proclaimed: “Today’s figures show that since 2010, 1000 more jobs have…Read more…
The somewhat dismayed reaction to the Budget from both sides of the steel industry – unions and employers alike – to the meagre £25m compensation for industrial energy costs reflects a harsh truth about the government’s manufacturing strategy. We are shedding jobs, plant and investment at an…Read more…
How could £12 billion of welfare cuts be achieved? We have previously looked at the sorts of changes that would be needed to raise the revenues the Chancellor has set out. These proposals make clear the enormity of changes being considered. For example (with all changes concerned with the position…Read more…
In Box 4.5 of their Economic and Fiscal forecast the OBR set out a few helpful home truths about the UK’s deficit reduction plan compared to competitor economies over 2009 to 2014. Their conclusions are striking: The UK was the only country where the deficit has not been reduced by having…Read more…
Among the few winners in yesterday’s budget was the North Sea oil industry, which was handed over a £1.3bn tax cut to combat a slump in oil prices. The industry responded to the initial New Year slump, which saw the global price of crude plummet to below $50 a barrel, by attacking workers’ pay […]
The post Stop attacking workers appeared first on UNITElive.org.
An inspiring tale of worker solidarity and canny campaigning had women on their feet and clapping on the first day (March 18) of the Unite women’s conference in the Floral Hall, Eastbourne. They rose from their chairs after delegate Sara Kasab told how worker solidarity triumphed over zero hours contracts – when Unite […]
The post We’re not a soft option appeared first on UNITElive.org.
That Hinchingbrooke Hospital – the first privately run NHS hospital in history—was a complete disaster was further proved today (March 18) after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) concluded the experiment put the taxpayer at grave risk. Private operator Circle won a contract to run the hospital for 10 years, but pulled out in January, […]
The post Hinchingbrooke: Stark warning appeared first on UNITElive.org.
My budget reaction has been published on Left Foot Forward. I take issue with the Chancellor’s statement: “This is a Budget that takes Britain one more big step on the road from austerity to prosperity” (Chancellor’s Budget Speech) Austerity has not led to prosperity; it has led only to more…Read more…
George Osborne concluded his Budget speech today with a crescendo: the Chancellor aims to create a “savings culture”, and announced four major new steps in “our savings revolution”. However this rhetoric will not mean much at all to so many of the population for whom the concept of saving is simply…Read more…
In his Budget Speech George Osborne repeated that he intends, if re-elected, to cut £12 billion in benefits (plans first announced in January of last year), but you’ll search the Budget documents in vain for any indication of just how he plans to go about this. These cuts have to be implemented,…Read more…
Hidden away in the OBR’s charts are some important figures on ‘Total Managed Expenditure’ – essentially all of the money government spends on services, pensions, help for low income workers and capital investment. These data show that in the years immediately after the…Read more…
“There continue to be signs of normalisation in the housing market” says the government (Budget Report 2015, 915, para 124). With home ownership in retreat, rents rising and 1.3 million on the social housing waiting lists, the situation seems much more like an entrenched crisis than…Read more…
When it comes to jobs growth figures, one would expect the Chancellor to, at minimum, get his speech to agree with his own analysis, better still for that analysis to be accurate. When presenting at the despatch box this afternoon, Mr Osborne stated: “Today’s figures show that since 2010, 1000 more…Read more…
A classic Osborne Budget: a further £1.3 billion in tax breaks for North Sea oil and gas (and presumably onshore shale) but precious little of substance for the green economy. Measures to welcome include the £25m compensation scheme for energy intensive industries, brought forward to this October….Read more…