By the time this is read Prime Minister Theresa May will be on her way with her begging bowl to Washington. Earlier ending months of speculation, and to acclaim in the right wing press, the Prime…Read more…
At risk
The UK auto sector has surged to a nearly two-decade high, with the latest figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showing an 8.5 per cent rise in the number…Read more…
Pregnancy discrimination: Government action is long overdue and misses the point
Today the government published its long overdue response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee report on pregnancy and maternity discrimination. Given that the EHRC estimate that some 54,000 women are forced out of their jobs per year due to pre…Read more…
Lost: £200bn of GDP
Today 2016 Q4 GDP figures showed growth of 0.6 %, and the economy continuing to survive the Brexit vote. But we should not lose the wood for the trees. The economy is still bearing serious scars of the financial crisis and the austerity which followed. Today’s figures also give us an annual figure…Read more…
Pregnant womens’ safety – Government gets it half right
Yesterday the Government published their response to a report from the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee into pregnancy and maternity discrimination. Quite a bit of that original report…Read more…
Putting working people first in the Brexit plans: we’re ready to talk
It’s a bit of a risk, writing a blog about where we are in the Brexit negotiations saga. Events often move with astonishing speed: so on top of last week’s Lancaster House speech by the Prime Minister, this week has already seen the Supreme Court’s decision on whether Parliament…Read more…
What impact are robots having on jobs?
The debate about technological change, and whether it could lead to widespread unemployment has been revived in recent years in several studies. The seminal 2013 paper by Frey and Osborne sparked much debate about the impact of digitisation. They claim…Read more…
High heel ‘probe’
After being sent home for not wearing high heels on the first day of her new job at accountancy firm PwC, Nicola Thorp started a petition which in days garnered more than 150,000 signatures, as…Read more…
‘Sort this now’
Communities in the Highlands are being left at high risk in emergencies as ambulance services are stretched to breaking point, with staff working long shifts leaving them dangerously exhausted….Read more…
How fast is technological change happening?
This is the first in a series of blogs considering the extent of robotisation and its impact. In a lecture at the TUC in November 2015, Andy Haldane, Chief Economist to the Bank of England said that “we may be on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution”. Clearly, the use of technology is…Read more…
‘Battling Betty’
In a tribute to lifelong Unite member and socialist activist, Betty Tebbs, who passed on Monday (January 23) at the age of 98, Unite relives a passionate speech she gave at last year’s Real…Read more…
Shining light
Dedicated trade union and socialist activist Betty Tebbs died peacefully with her family on Monday (January 23) at the age of 98 after having spent decades fighting for peace, justice and equality….Read more…
‘Dark day’ for workforce
Unite said yesterday (January 24) was a ‘dark day’ for the workforce of HSBC after the bank announced its decision to close 117 bank branches and cut a further 204 IT staff. 380 job…Read more…
The solution to sexist dress codes? Access to justice
Imagine that you’re applying for a mystery job and you’re told that all female applicants must adhere to the following dress code: Heel height normally a minimum of 2 inches and maximum of 4 inches, unless otherwise agreed by the client company. Make-up worn at all times and regularly re-applied,…Read more…
‘Tories attack trade union rights’
In a victory for the trade union movement, a motion to even further restrict the right to strike for workers in defined ‘critical national services’ was roundly defeated in the Commons today (January…Read more…
Welcome steel report
The country’s largest manufacturing union, Unite called on government ministers to adopt yesterday’s (January 23) special report published by the all-party parliamentary group on Steel and…Read more…
MPs management training call
Management training for MPs would help eradicate an epidemic of stress and cases of bullying experienced by parliamentary staff, Unite has said. A recent survey by Unite, which has about 500…Read more…
Helicopter production threat
Probing questions need to be asked about the future of UK helicopter production when MPs debate the industry today (January 24). Unite has been pressing MPs on the industry’s future, following…Read more…
The right decision
In a landmark ruling, Supreme Court judges today (January 24) upheld the view of the High Court that the government must consult Parliament before it triggers Article 50 in preparation to exit the UK…Read more…
‘Total breakdown’
More than 430 workers at the Oxford Bus Company are being balloted for strike action, following ‘a complete breakdown of industrial relations’, Unite said today (January 24). The union said…Read more…