Many UK workers could lose some or all of their paid holidays if Britain leaves the EU warned the TUC, after it published new research that showed that a quarter of British employees got extra…Read more…
BAME workers with all levels of qualifications still face high unemployment
When you are young there is an expectation that if you gain higher educational qualifications it will lead to a decent job and higher wages but this is not always the case, especially when you are a Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) young worker….Read more…
Black, qualified and unemployed: how the figures were found
Today the TUC released analysis showing that for each level of education, BAME adults are significantly more likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts. In this post, I hope to provide a technical discussion about how these figures were calculated. For an important discussion of the…Read more…
TTIP very real threat to NHS
On March 9 Rachel Reeves MP sponsored an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to ensure “that the retention of sovereignty for decisions concerning the NHS will be a red line for future TTIP…Read more…
On our side
Responding to the speech today (April 14) by the leader of the Labour party, Unite said that voters could put their trust in Jeremy Corbyn’s view of Europe. “Ordinary people heard…Read more…
Beginning of the end
The announcement that 61 Crown post offices will be transferred to high street newsagents WH Smith was branded as ‘the beginning of the death rattle’ for a national high-quality post office network….Read more…
European pensions regulator steps back from radical funding proposals
The European pensions regulator has stepped back from an attempt to standardise pension funding rules across the European Union. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has concluded, rather unsurprisingly, that the diversity of European pension schemes means that…Read more…
‘Cynical’ attack
Volkswagen bosses are opportunistically using changes to UK pension funds to hand down a total of £1.4m of costs to Bentley workers, said Unite the trade union for UK automotive workers. The German…Read more…
Repay our loyalty
Unite today (April 13) urged the Dublin-based drinks giant C&C to find a buyer for its Shepton Cider Mill in Somerset, which is set to close this summer with the loss of 120 jobs. The…Read more…
Did Nick Gibb tell teachers to teach to the test?
By Anne Heavey, Education Policy Adviser at ATL. Last Monday ATL welcomed School’s Minister Nick Gibb to our annual conference. He agreed to take part in a question and answer session with Gerard…Read more…
Asserting “Paid holidays will be safe after Brexit” fails “project reality” test
Yesterday we published figures showing that UK workers had gained 1.5 billion days more paid leave through our adoption of the EU minimum standard. Today I’ve been looking at some of the rather flimsy assertions made around our paid holiday rights by those who are keen to leave the European…Read more…
PFI: National scandal
The closure of 17 Edinburgh schools built by the same company under a private finance initiative (PFI) due to safety fears could be the “tip of the iceberg” of shoddy PFI work across Scotland, Unite…Read more…
The fight goes on
The alleged architect of the construction ‘blacklisting’ scandal, Cullum McAlpine, has declined to give evidence in the High Court case, due to start next month, to establish the extent of…Read more…
Cambodian bosses & politicians hope to get away with new labour law
After prolonged international pressure from both unions and multinational corporations, the Cambodian Parliament split on party lines to adopt a new labour law that falls far short of International…Read more…
Govt steel support shift?
The government hinted that part-nationalisation of Tata’s UK operations now up for sale could be a possibility as a buyer is being sought. Business secretary Sajid Javid said yesterday (April…Read more…
It’s a funny old world
It’s a funny old world when the Trades Union movement and the ancient House of Lords combine to defeat a reactionary Tory Government, not once, but three times!
But that is what we did on 16th….Read more…
‘All in this together’?
Questions remain over the tax affairs of the Prime Minister and Chancellor despite the publication of their tax returns, Labour MPs said yesterday (April 11) during explosive scenes in Parliament….Read more…
1.5 billion extra days paid holiday thanks to EU rights
UK workers have gained 96 million days paid holiday thanks to EU holiday rights (the Working Time Directive), totalling 1.5 million extra days paid leave since 1998. To look at it another way, 7.4 million UK employees, just over 1 in 4, have gained an average of 13 extra days paid holiday from our…Read more…
Why are we waiting?
The heat is being turned up on business secretary Sajid Javid over the long delay in publishing his report into ‘tipping’ abuses that have seen waiters being short-changed by their bosses. …Read more…
Do we need a standard on health and safety?
Plans for a certifiable international standard on health and safety are well underway. It is called ISO45001. This is a really big development as most big employers are likely to try to achieve…Read more…