They’ve been described as plans based on “political and class dogma, and not economic necessity” by Unite general secretary, Len McCluskey; part of an economic package that will worsen inequality, by…Read more…
Green Collar Nation – or industrial omnishambles?
The government must stop cutting renewable energy funding, and instead get behind the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy, say a new TUC/Greenpeace report. Green Collar Nation calls for “active support from government so the UK can become a world centre for low-carbon manufacturing, from solar…Read more…
Don’t tell me I have low expectations
By Mary Bousted (first published in Schools Week) Teachers care passionately about their pupils and strive to close the education achievement gap, but their job becomes more difficult as inequality…Read more…
Episode 6: ’18 rooms?! This is impossible to do!’
Sounds familiar? If you work in the hospitality industry you can join www.unitetheunion.org – if you earn less than the Living Wage (£9.15ph in London, £7.85 outside) for just £2.10 per week….Read more…
European Parliament latest to slam Thailand for harassing Andy Hall
Andy Hall, the British-born, Thailand-based migrant and trade union rights advocate, is back in court on Monday, 19 October. The latest court hearing is to decide whether to indict him for criminal…Read more…
Time ticking on UK steel
Time is ticking on the UK’s steel industry and urgent action from the government is needed, not platitudes, warned Unite following today’s (October 16) steel summit in Rotherham. Commenting on…Read more…
Threat to democracy
Some of the country’s top trade union leaders gave evidence to MPs at a committee hearing over the trade union Bill yesterday (October 15). The general secretaries of Unite, GMB, Unison and…Read more…
Steel summit: united front for action
The UK steel industry presented a united front to government ministers at the steel summit in Rotherham today (October 16). And as the coke ovens were shutting down in Redcar on Teesside the…Read more…
OBR wrong to continue absolving Osborne’s polices for a deficit now 3x larger than planned
TUC has argued that the economy and public finances were derailed over the coalition years because government spending cuts had a larger-than-expected impact on the wider economy (see e.g. blog, paper). Earlier this week the Office for Budget Responsib…Read more…
‘Steel heart’ strategy plea
As the business secretary Sajid Javid opens today’s steel industry summit (October 16), Unite has demanded the government “pursues an industrial strategy with a ‘steel heart’.” …Read more…
Episode 5: ‘I don’t need any help’
Sounds familiar? If you work in the hospitality industry you can join www.unitetheunion.org – if you earn less than the Living Wage (£9.15ph in London, £7.85 outside) for just £2.10 per week….Read more…
Workers’ rights: no longer safe anywhere?
I’ve just come back from the annual meeting of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) general council, held ahead of the CUT Brazilian trade union movement’s congress in Sao…Read more…
Asbestos. Time to grasp the nettle.
It is said that if you say something often enough and loud enough everyone believes it is true regardless of the facts. This is the case with asbestos. We have been told for decades that the safest…Read more…
BA slashes senior crew pay
In the time it takes most of us to clean our teeth, BA cabin crew last month deftly evacuated a burning plane carrying more than 150 passengers. It was an emergency that – in one…Read more…
Heart of steel
Unite will be urging ministers to keep the coke ovens at Redcar burning and develop an industrial strategy with a ‘heart of steel’ at tomorrow’s (October 16) steel summit in Rotherham. The…Read more…
House prices soar
House prices soared by 3.8 per cent for first-time buyers in August, according to the latest figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The surge in prices pushed the value of a…Read more…
Fresh housing pain for millions
The challenge can be put simply: how do we provide enough affordable homes to buy and rent where they are needed? Not by the dog’s breakfast of Tory housing plans. The Tory housing Bill now…Read more…
Episode 4: ‘Who do you think you are?’
Sounds familiar? If you work in the hospitality industry you can join www.unitetheunion.org – if you earn less than the Living Wage (£9.15ph in London, £7.85 outside) for just £2.10 per week….Read more…
Involving workers in key business decisions? The European way
At its 13th Congress held in Paris earlier this month, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) launched an initiative for greater workplace democracy. In addition to promoting a better framework for worker information and consultation, the ETUC r…Read more…
European regulation is good for you – Part 2.
Earlier this week I posted a blog about an EU evaluation of the European occupational safety and health directives. I complained that the Commission had not published the report, although a joint…Read more…