On 8 November Burma will hold crucial general elections, which makes this is an important time to hold the government to account for the increasing crack down on trade union rights and repression…Read more…
On the brink of crisis
Ambulance response times in England have reached record poor levels, with ambulances arriving late to more than 2,600 life-threatening emergencies every day, figures have revealed. In the last…Read more…
School improvement is too important not to put parents in the driving seat
By James Croft Are parents really irrelevant to school improvement? You might think so, given the present behaviour of our political masters, but without them we’re not likely to get the education we…Read more…
‘Unprecedented’ guilt admission
Over 260 blacklisted construction workers are on the verge of securing damages, which could total tens of millions, after Unite won an unprecedented admission of guilt from construction companies…Read more…
‘Woefully inadquate’
Foot dragging by APCOA Parking in Hackney, east London has driven the traffic wardens to take five days of strike action from Monday (October 12) in a bid to get a proper sick pay policy. The…Read more…
What lies beneath?
Prime minister David Cameron has again announced in his Tory Conference speech yesterday (October 7) that his is the party of working people. It’s his latest in a number of attempts to stretch the…Read more…
Dave down the rabbit hole
‘Call me Dave’ has had a dream which he shared with me. It was when we were walking through the sunlit uplands of his unexpected election victory waving the Union Jack. At this…Read more…
Free Mahdi Abu Dheeb
In May last year I blogged about the disgraceful treatment of trade union activist, Mahdi Abu Dheeb, by the Bahraini authorities. Sadly the only developments since then have been negative. Mahdi…Read more…
‘Hard times are everywhere’
The darkness of austerity gathers all across Britain like the clouds of night while the Tory Party conference in Manchester celebrates its victory in May’s general election behind barbed wire,…Read more…
All-island fair pay victory
Unite today (October 8) hailed an all-island fair pay victory, after Lidl caved to union and public pressure and agreed to include Northern Ireland as well as the Republic of Ireland in its pledge to…Read more…
Thanks, George, for 900 solar energy redundancies
Solar energy firm Mark Group has announced over 900 redundancies, and it lays the blame on the doorstep of No. 11: “We are extremely disappointed that the draconian policy proposals made by the government in August will essentially eliminate the solar PV market in the UK and have made our plans…Read more…
We are the builders, Mr Chancellor
On Saturday in Hackney we celebrated the launch at Banister House of the largest community solar power scheme on a housing estate in the UK. But instead of a pathfinder, Banister House may be the last of its kind, because of the Chancellor’s planned 87% cut in support for renewable energy projects….Read more…
‘Too clever’ Osborne vs ‘rooted in reality’ McDonnell
The approach could not be starker. Tory Chancellor George Osborne is going to hammer those on lower pay to close the budget deficit by 2020. He’ll then throw a few slogans at the economy, and…Read more…
En-tyre workforce slashed
Unite today (Wednesday October 7) accused Goodyear of a ‘sham consultation’ after the company confirmed it would be closing its only UK plant. The mixing and re-treading facility in…Read more…
Achievable as a trip to the moon
David Cameron’s legacy will be felt all too acutely by those workers earning a low wage or in insecure work who will be shut out from his housing promise Unite, said today (Wednesday October 7)….Read more…
World Day for Decent Work: end corporate greed!
For the eighth year running, today, 7 October has been designated World Day for Decent Work by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the global trade union confederation to which the…Read more…
European unions back TUC call on EU referendum
Last week in Paris, the four-yearly Comgress of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) adopted unanimously an emergency resolution from the TUC about the British government’s EU…Read more…
Tighten process call
The new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) revalidation process for nurses and midwives needs to be tightened in the interests of public safety, Unite has warned. The NMC is due to discuss…Read more…
Vindictive decision
As supermarket chain Lidl announced last month that it would be giving its staff in England, Wales and Scotland a significant pay rise, pledging to keep minimum rates in line with the Living Wage, it…Read more…
A very clear message
More than 60,000 people joined a TUC march on Sunday (October 4) during the Tory Party Conference in Manchester to demonstrate against government austerity and the trade union Bill. The march…Read more…