A High Court judgement thwarting a further attempt by the retail giant Argos to stop a two-week strike was hailed as a ‘significant’ victory by Unite today (May 26), as it urged the company to stop…Read more…
Tax justice
During spring 2016 the country was rocked by a leak from the Mossack Fonseca legal firm in Panama that exposed the shadowy and complicated network used by the global super rich to avoid paying tax….Read more…
Paying to work
Kettering General Hospital staff struggling under seven years of public sector pay freezes will have to pay £20 a day for parking for fourth months as a new car park is built. The charges were…Read more…
Productivity: the long global view
We’re often told that the key to raising wages is to solve the ‘productivity puzzle’. Output per worker has stagnated since the financial crisis, leading economists to worry that the outlook for the economy is bleak. But a range of evidence across many countries suggests that the fall in…Read more…
Football’s cash cows?
In the first of our new series of features on equal access for sports, Adam Heppell asks are the ticket prices clubs charge their fans good value for money? Football fans everywhere, ask…Read more…
As real wages fall, household debt is set to reach record highs
This year, household debt is set to be higher than ever before. TUC analysis finds that unsecured debt per household is set to reach £13,900 in 2017. In 2016, unsecured debt per household was already £13,200 – higher than at any other point since the financial crisis and only marginally below…Read more…
‘Totally useless measure’
Unite has slammed suggestions that nearly a million zero-hour contract workers be given the “right to request” fixed hours as “useless”. Responding to reports that a government inquiry will…Read more…
Keeping workplace pensions working: responding to the government consultation on defined benefit pensions
While the General Election takes centre stage, within Whitehall a process is quietly going on that could affect the living standards of upwards of 11 million people. Last week, a government consultation on the future of defined benefit (DB) pensions – the type that pay an income based on our salary…Read more…
Modern work
What is happening in the world of work is understandably an issue in the general election. But it is worth remembering that last year the Conservative Government commissioned an Independent Review of…Read more…
‘Chaos and confusion’
Theresa May was forced into a humiliating U-turn today (May 22) over the Tories’ “dementia tax” manifesto pledge – just four days after she announced it. May rowed back after it became…Read more…
Organising music’s precarious workforce: What gigging workers can teach gig workers
The Musicians’ Union has 30,000 members the majority of whom are self-employed and have portfolio careers: gigging, teaching, working in freelance orchestras, session musicians or composers and…Read more…
Homeworking is up – now time for employers to speed up
Are you thinking “why wasn’t I at home today?” As we struggle home from work, we are often driven to wonder why we are making the journey in the first place. There is a lot that can upset us – delays, congestion, thoughtless road users, having to stand on public transport and a general…Read more…
‘Catastrophic consequences’
The Conservative’s plan to reduce immigration to the tens of thousands would cause “catastrophic economic consequences”, a study by an employer-backed think tank shows. The Global Future…Read more…
Raking it in
Among the Tory party’s top wealthy donors is a businessman who has been interviewed under caution by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over corruption, money laundering and bribery. The latest…Read more…
Pay your dues
Unite today (May 19) called on the new owners of Transline to break with the past by building a new constructive relationship with both its workers and Unite. As a first step, Unite urged…Read more…
Is this Tory mental health proposal going to help?
The Conservative Party election manifesto includes a commitment to amend health and safety regulations, and many readers will be surprised and delighted to learn that, on this occasion, they are not…Read more…
‘Crazy’ clamping threat
Unite has warned private housing building firm Mears and joint venture company Manchester Working that its “crazy” clamping threats have only strengthened the resolve of workers currently on their…Read more…
‘Fighting for Labour’
Unite has launched its campaign to persuade its members to play their part in the June 8 general election. According to Unite, its 1.4m members could make the difference especially in Labour…Read more…
No mercy May
Theresa May was described as a “dementia taxing” “lunch snatcher” today, as she launched a Tory manifesto that would see a continuation of damaging policies for ordinary families and increased tax…Read more…
Squeezed – again
Labour and the unions attacked the Tories’ economic record after new figures showed that workers have been hit with a renewed wage squeeze. Pay growth in early 2017 fell below inflation for…Read more…