Unite’s annual political school in Durham, in the week of the inspirational Miners’ Gala, was one of the best that I had attended. It’s an intense three days. This year was no different in…Read more…
The Taylor review: the yay, the meh, and the no way
The Taylor review is finally here, along with a pretty large sense of anti-climax. This isn’t the game changer those in insecure work were looking for. In assessing what it means, we’ve tried to keep in mind the people who told us about their experience of insecure work, of shifts being cancelled…Read more…
‘Failed spectacularly’
A much anticipated review into the gig economy has “spectacularly failed” to deliver protections for those in insecure work, Unite said today (July 11). The union said the review, by former…Read more…
The Taylor Review isn’t the ‘game-changer’ that gig economy workers need
I worry that many gig economy employers will be breathing a sigh of relief this morning. The Taylor Review into modern employment practices publishes today. And from what we’ve seen, it’s not the game-changer needed to end insecurity and exploitation at work. We’d welcome any nuggets of good news….Read more…
The Taylor Review: What do we know so far?
There’s been a flurry of pre-briefing over the weekend on the Taylor report. We’ve rounded up what we know so far, and added our thoughts on what that would mean for the 3.2 million people in insecure work. Of course we’ll have to wait till the actual report is published tomorrow to give our…Read more…
The Taylor review: what should it say?
The long-awaited Taylor Review into “modern employment” practices is just days away from publication. It’s been talked up a great deal by ministers and cited numerous times by the Prime Minister, so it’s fair to say that expectations are high. Matthew deserves credit for his willingness to…Read more…
We can afford to give public servants a pay rise. In fact, we can’t afford not to.
Boris Johnson has now u-turned on his own rebellion on public sector pay. On Monday, sources close to the foreign secretary said he supported a better pay deal for public sector workers, and “strongly believes the rises can be done in a responsible way and without causing fiscal…Read more…
Can increased public spending pay for itself?
Since the election, we have seen several proclamations of the ‘end of austerity’. As TUC post election polling (among others) has showed, there is now a clear majority in favour of ‘Maintaining decent public services even if that means my taxes go up’. This is a far cry from some of the rhetoric…Read more…
I’m committed to public service, but for seven years the government has been holding down my pay
Ashley, a medical clerk, writes about the real-life impacts of the public sector pay squeeze. Sign our petition to support workers like Ashley. I enjoy my job because I’m making a difference, even if…Read more…
Out at Work – More than one in three LGBT people have been harassed or bullied at work
Out at work? Those of us who hoped that homophobia at work was a thing of the past will be disappointed to read a new TUC report, ahead of the TUC’s LGBT conference and Pride in London this weekend. Earlier this year the TUC carried out an in-depth piece of research to find out whether…
The…Read more…
‘Ban zero hours’ call
Young zero-hour contract workers are more like to have worse mental and physical health than people of the same age in stable work, a study has found. The University College London study…Read more…
‘The world is watching’
Striking members of British Airways’ mixed fleet cabin crew today (July 5) protested outside the headquarters of Qatar Airways as Unite announced it had launched legal action over the ‘wet leasing’…Read more…
‘Until we get what we deserve’
More than 700 Unite members walked out of their jobs yesterday during the biggest NHS strike of the year. Hundreds of cleaners, porters and security guards began four days of industrial action…Read more…
‘No pick and mix’
Downing Street has been forced to clarify that it is not removing the 1 per cent public sector pay cap, after pressure from several Tory ministers to do so sparked chaos across the administration….Read more…
A ‘tribute to worker solidarity’
The long-running Woolwich Ferry ‘bullying culture’ dispute has been settled, following ‘a remarkable display of worker solidarity’, Unite announced today (Tuesday July 4). The deal hammered…Read more…
Justice must be done
Unite announced today (Tuesday July 4) that it was providing legal representation for a number of the families involved in the Grenfell Tower tragedy and would be applying for core participant status…Read more…
“The functions of the British Transport Police in Scotland will be a devolved matter”
That’s what the Smith Commission had to say about the future of railway policing in Scotland. The British Transport Police comes within the purview of the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish…Read more…
All public sector workers deserve a pay rise – including backroom staff
The cabinet may be divided, but public sector workers shouldn’t be. Having learned the hard way that cutting public sector pay is unpopular with voters, Conservative cabinet ministers are finally changing their tune. In the last few days, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Justine…Read more…
It’s not just the public sector that needs a pay rise – we all do.
The government’s unfair public sector pay cap is currently coming under criticism from all sides. Rightly so. Those in the public sector have now faced years of pay freezes and real wage cuts. Vital public sector workers are unfairly receiving less and less money for their hard work. Don’t forget…Read more…
How too much insecurity at work is bad for business
New research from Learning and Work Institute shows that insecure work grew between 2011 and 2016 and may be reducing productivity growth. Insecure work is one of the topics of our time. For some, increased flexibility over work can be a real benefit. …Read more…