There was a genuine sense of shock in parts of the business and manufacturing community that the Business Growth Service (BGS), which includes the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) and the Growth…Read more…
‘Big retrograde step’
A consultative ballot of a 1,000 Co-op drivers for industrial action will be held after the group announced today (January 28) that it was transferring about 50 drivers in the Midlands to…Read more…
Shrinking state
The present government has surpassed a record set by Margaret Thatcher after selling off public assets in 2015 worth 26.4bn, beating the previous highest figure sell-off year, 1987, by £6m. …Read more…
What is the future of monetary policy?
This morning I went to a Resolution Foundation event about the future of monetary policy. Although I cannot claim to be an expert, having listened to the views of the panel I thought I’d make some reflections. The story of recent monetary policy During the Global Financial Crisis, the Bank of…Read more…
Axe the Tax
A move by the Court of Appeal declaring the Bedroom tax unlawful has been greeted by Unite as a “significant step forward.” Judges in London ruled that in two separate cases – those of…Read more…
Migration Advisory Committee report calls for public sector pay rise – but there’s a few snags
Last week, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the independent body which advises the government on migration policy, released its report on skilled migration. This report was prompted by the government asking the MAC to recommend how it could reduce net migration in pursuit of its unachievable…Read more…
Divorced from reality
Chancellor George Osborne’s rhetoric to re-balance the economy has become divorced from reality warned Unite, as the latest GDP figures showed an increasing reliance on the service sector while…Read more…
No further delays
There can be no further delays by EDF in completing the financial agreement for the construction of the Hinkley Point nuclear power station, Unite said today (January 27). Unite was commenting…Read more…
GPs call ‘time’ on overwork
Doctors in Unite have warned that large-scale GP resignations are on the cards as crunch time looms for a diminishing number of overworked GPs grappling with soaring patient demand in a cash-strapped…Read more…
‘Sweetheart’ deal
Multinational tech giant Google cut a £130m back tax deal with HMRC last week on profits amounting to more than £6bn over the last decade, a settlement that has outraged the public, tax campaigners…Read more…
‘Respect Jeremy’s mandate’
When Ed Miliband won the leadership by just over 1 per cent the media had a field day – the wrong brother who had been backed by the unions won by just a fraction in a run off. MPs who…Read more…
Cruel and disastrous
The Tories plans to limit benefits to just £20,000 (£23,000 in London) a year could see vulnerable people lose their homes. Charities and housing associations yesterday (January 26) issued a…Read more…
The government is dodging proper scrutiny of the Trade Union Bill. Don’t be like #TUbill
This week saw the long overdue publication of the government’s impact assessment of the Trade Union Bill, which proposed £37m of new red tape for unions. The assessment, which is the government’s best guess at how much the the unfair, undemocratic and unnecessary Bill would cost, is the latest…Read more…
Euro-FTT gets a boost as Irish Robin Hood Tax campaign launches
The forces ranged against a European Financial Transactions Tax, popularly known as the Robin Hood Tax, often appear to be growing daily. Although progress is being made in the negotiations between ten EU countries, Estonia dropped out in December because of concerns that it wouldn’t receive…Read more…
Rally for a future
It’s the same story across the UK — job losses blight the country as austerity bites and big businesses make blinkered decisions for short-term gain. But one community in Northern…Read more…
Buy UK steel
Central to supporting the UK steel industry – which has seen more than 5,000 job losses since this summer – is a public procurement strategy. Simply put, if it’s made in Britain, it should be…Read more…
‘Cautious welcome’
Unite has called for urgent talks with the new owners of a boat firm to discuss implications for its members who work there. Fairline Boats, a luxury boat builder in Northampton has been taken…Read more…
Northern poorhouse
Last summer, chancellor George Osborne pledged that his government would create a “higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare” country; that the vaunted ‘Northern Powerhouse’ would, over the next few…Read more…
Tory mission impossible
Owning your own home is for many people their biggest aspiration. So why is the Tory party, who claim to be the party of aspiration, making it impossible for most people to ever realise this dream?…Read more…
Building a world-class bus system for Britain
Buses are a life-line for millions, providing access to employment, education and training, public services and leisure activities. But instead of a world-class bus service, bus deregulation has delivered higher fares and worsening services resulting in a drop in usage. The government’s austerity…Read more…