The Tory war on council and social housing has taken a sinister twist this week with Prime Minister David Cameron backing proposals to bulldoze entire council estates. Those evicted will not be…Read more…
A great leap forward: the Women and Equalities Committee report on transgender equality
The report of the parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into trans equality has now been published and its conclusions that trans people face serious prejudice and discrimination have attracted wide publicity. Trade unions views were amo…Read more…
Behind the Government’s tough talk on tackling worker exploitation
This week the Government published its response to the consultation on tackling labour market exploitation. It plans to give new powers to authorities to enforce basic work rights and it promises a new cross-government approach to enforcement. The BIS …Read more…
‘Driving force’ going off the road?
UK manufacturing is heading in the wrong direction, our balance of payments still on the critical list, exports are down, deflation is on the horizon and City pessimists warn of a another financial…Read more…
Time to care: Homecare workers speak out
Can you imagine having to have someone else help you brush your teeth? How about to get you out of bed, or even to wash you? What if it was a stranger each time? Over half a million adults in the UK…Read more…
Banner headline
Following the unfurling of the #SportsDirectShame banner at the Newcastle United versus Manchester United football match last night (January 12) Unite Community members continued to campaign…Read more…
Night tube nightmare
Work-life balance and an inadequate pay offer are the key issues in the long-running London Underground dispute over the introduction of the ‘night tube’. The 600 engineers and maintenance staff…Read more…
North Sea crisis not over
Oil giant BP yesterday (January 12) announced its intention to axe one in five North Sea jobs as part of a global workforce reduction. BP, one of the worlds’ ‘super-major’ oil and gas…Read more…
Steel industry warning
A new animated film warning that the clock is ticking on the UK’s crisis hit steel industry has been launched by Britain’s largest union, Unite. Urging the UK government to turn words into…Read more…
Sports Direct shame
Last night (January 12) Unite Community members and Newcastle United fans pulled off a mighty stunt together in protest over Sports Directs’ shameful treatment of its workforce. Fans unfurled…Read more…
Corporate and household debt hugely elevated on a (new) longer view on history
The financial and economic crisis is now widely understood as a consequence of excessive private sector debts. A more sustainable economic model into the future has been understood to involve a certain amount of so-called ‘deleveraging, so that debts are reduced as a share of income. Today the ONS…Read more…
Mind the disability gap
The employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people has hit 31 per cent, having remained stubbornly above 30 per cent since 2008. Progress in reducing the gap remains stuck, with less…Read more…
A radical new beginning
A new year always brings with it a sense of optimism and renewed hope and I’m determined 2016 should be no different. Yes, 2015 landed us with five years of Tory rule as David Cameron won a…Read more…
Brave new digital world
Phrases such as ‘Industry 4.0′, ‘Big Data’ and ‘The Internet Of Things’ are becoming common currency as the predictions of a new digital world and a new world of work in…Read more…
Lords second reading debate shows up the deep flaws in the #TUbill
Last night’s Trade Union Bill debate in the House of Lords exposed once again how ill-thought through and partisan the government’s Bill is. We heard concerns raised from right across the House about the threat this Bill poses to good industrial relations and fair treatment at work. Bishop of…Read more…
Carry on doctor
As the Tories and their tabloids ramped up attacks on junior hospital doctors, other health professionals rallied in support of the 24 hour strike action set to start tomorrow morning at 8am. NHS…Read more…
Wake up call to support manufacturing
Today’s (Monday January 11) annual survey by the manufacturers’ organisation EEF shows that Britain is becoming less competitive as a base for manufacturers. “The EEF’s survey is yet another wake…Read more…
Opposition Peers will do all we can to stop the #TUbill attack on our unions and our democracy
The Trade Union Bill is an unacceptable attack on Britain’s unions. Unions are a part of the body politic in this country and for Labour Party peers like myself, many of whom are lifelong trade unionists, it is an attack on us and the people we believe we should be supporting. Unions have…Read more…
Heads urged to support library fight
Head teachers in Greenwich are being urged to support the campaign to save the council’s mobile library service which deliveries at least 22,000 books a year to children and those with mobility…Read more…
Recycling strike over rubbish pay
Strike action by recycling collectors at Kier Ltd in Bath and North East Somerset will continue after Unite members rejected the company’s latest paltry pay offer in an ongoing £2 an hour pay…Read more…