Unite has expressed its ‘severe disappointment’ today (April 5) that Sainsbury’s is axing hundreds of staff – just days after it agreed to splash out £1.4bn to buy Argos owner, the Home Retail…Read more…
‘Good economic sense’
Airbus, one of the world’s biggest aerospace companies, has issued a statement to its workforce asking them to back a ‘remain’ vote in the upcoming European Union referendum for the business to stay…Read more…
Poll shows workers’ voices aren’t being heard in #EUreferendum debate
The new polling released by the Fabian Society at the weekend has some hard messages for both Remain and Leave campaigners in the EU referendum debate. There’s one over-riding message however, that echoes what the TUC (and a few others) have been saying: The campaigns aren’t currently addressing…Read more…
Debt remains a bigger burden for the lowest paid
On Monday, the ONS released the latest instalment of their data on household debt inequalities between July 2012 and June 2014. The data indicates that the absolute and relative burden still falls disproportionately heavily on the lowest paid. For instance: “Twice as many individuals living in…Read more…
‘Deliver our plan’
Steel unions emerged from today’s (April 4) meeting at TUC headquarters in London with specific steps the government can take now to save the steel industry. The meeting was attended by one…Read more…
“See us through this storm”
Steelworkers are continuing their campaign to save the industry today (April 4) as steel unions held emergency talks this afternoon. The talks come on the eve of the government’s woefully…Read more…
Join the fight for justice
For over 20 years there has been a virtually unreported war waged against trade unionists and the poor of Colombia. Unite is affiliated with Justice for Colombia and as the sister union of…Read more…
‘Sort this now’
Steel union leaders are set to meet today (April 4) to discuss the steel crisis in an effort to save thousands of jobs. “After a tumultuous few days this will be the first time representatives…Read more…
Amnesty International report finds abuse still rife as Qatar & FIFA make excuses
Amnesty International has poured cold water on Qatar’s claims to be protecting workers on FIFA World Cup projects, exposing a litany of abuses faced by people refitting the Khalifa International…Read more…
NMW increase welcome – but not to be confused with a living wage
I have been feeling a little conflicted about the new “national living wage” introduced today. On the one hand, it would clearly be churlish to do anything except welcome an increase in the national minimum wage to £7.20, as it will benefit about 1.5 million workers. We have quite…Read more…
More than ‘tea and sympathy’
Three days after news broke that Tata Steel would be selling its entire UK business, business secretary Sajid Javid has finally returned from his trip to Australia and today (April 1) faces Port…Read more…
‘So much for the Northern Powerhouse’
Trade unionists and MPs gathered in Manchester yesterday (March 31), to warn that state funding for northern England’s railways is set to fall by over 85 per cent during the next 10 years, with dire…Read more…
Buy cider mill call
Production of iconic Somerset cider brands ceased production this week at the Shepton Mallet Cider Mill, as Unite reiterated its call today (April 1) for the Irish owners to urgently find a buyer…Read more…
Bromley council ‘in dock’
A long-standing Unite branch secretary has been subject to an alleged sustained campaign of bullying and discrimination by Conservative-controlled Bromley council, says Unite. Papers were…Read more…
‘Scrambling’ for a solution
Tata Steel’s decision on Tuesday (March 29) to sell its entire UK operation shocked the nation, and now government ministers are scrambling to come up with a solution after stalling for more than a…Read more…
Sanctioned – for being in a coma
A woman whose benefits were sanctioned while she was in a life threatening coma claims she had to resort to stealing scrap metal when released from hospital – because she had no money to survive….Read more…
Tata steel crisis needs real action – not confusion and mixed messages
Tata Steel’s plans to sell its UK assets have plunged our steel industry into uncertainty. It’s not just the 4,000 steelworkers in Port Talbot who risk losing their jobs but also thousands more workers in Tata’s businesses elsewhere in the UK, and people working in Tata’s supply chains – which…Read more…
NLW: Not the answer
Unscrupulous employers across Britain are changing work contracts and slashing overtime, bonuses and staff perks for the lowest paid to mitigate the costs of the National Living Wage (NLW), which is…Read more…
Remain campaigners need a more ‘inclusive’ message
The House of Lords’ European Union Committee, chaired by Lord Boswell, issued a report yesterday arguing that the Government needed to “set out a positive, inclusive vision of the…Read more…
UK home to three quarters of all the €-millionaire bankers in Europe
In 2014 the UK was home to 2,926 €-millionaire bankers, according to new report published by the European Banking Authority. This is more than ten times as many as Germany, who come in second with 242. Moreover the UK figure is up 40% on last year, when there were 2,086 €-millionaire bankers. Note…Read more…