Unite has described the government’s spending cuts as “ideologically driven nonsense” after George Osborne’s plans were roundly criticised by a former head of the civil service. At a…Read more…
BA cabin crew heroes save the day
As a Gatwick-bound British Airways aircraft readying for take-off in Las Vegas burst into flames yesterday (September 8), BA cabin crew, Unite members, swung into action and evacuated the plane,…Read more…
Stopping the Job – collectively
There should be a health and safety law poster in every workplace in the country. This is produced by the HSE and tells workers what their legal rights are. It is simple and well-written. There is…Read more…
Sports Direct: pressure is on
Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley has often appeared invincible by using the massive profits he has generated from forcing his employees to endure low wages and zero-hours contracts to knock out his…Read more…
Get grip on manufacturing
Unite has made it clear ministers have still not ‘got to grips’ over formulating a coherent manufacturing strategy as figures showed a sharp dip in industrial output in July. The union said…Read more…
Tipping the balance
Unite’s fair tips campaign has roared on all summer and been hailed by the Guardian as ‘impressive’. There have been key victories, but the work’s not over yet. It’s rare for a union campaign to…Read more…
It’s less about money buying happiness, but more about the unhappiness without it
There was a lot of press at the weekend on the general theme that ‘money buys happiness’, prompted by the ONS well-being analysis issued on Friday. But thinking more about the results that were covered briefly here on Friday, these headlines might draw the wrong conclusion. There is a…Read more…
Economic taskforce call
Unite has called for local political representatives to work together and establish an economic taskforce to help secure employment for the southwest border region of Ireland. The region has…Read more…
Still living large
Grossly overpaid bankers, who helped trigger the worst financial crisis in generations in 2008, are still living large according to a European watchdog report, with the UK being home to the biggest…Read more…
Be proud, be inspired, be union
As the Tory government’s Trade Union Bill looms on the legislative horizon, the rights of working people are under unprecedented threat. The Bill, as human rights groups pointed out this week,…Read more…
‘Victorian’ work practices
Unite members dressed as Dickensian workers will protest outside Sports Direct’s annual general meeting tomorrow (Wednesday September 9), demanding an end to the retailer’s ‘Victorian’ work…Read more…
Britain in the red: Households with problem debt up by more than a quarter since 2012
Today saw the first release of findings by the Centre for Responsible Credit (CfRC) from the joint TUC and Unison commissioned ‘Britain in the Red’ project. The project is looking at available aggregate and household survey data to track the extent of household over-indebtedness: assessing the…Read more…
Major attack on civil liberties
The Conservative government’s proposed Trade Union Bill has come under continued attack – today (September 7) from three prominent human rights groups, which have denounced the Bill as a “major…Read more…
More bad news on UK manufacturing
Today the EEF (Engineering Employers’ Federation) affirmed the weakness of the UK manufacturing sector, halving their forecast for manufacturing growth in 2015 to 0.7 per cent. The chart below of ONS figures shows manufacturing proceeding since the 1990s in a series of fits and starts. Over the…Read more…
From the 99 % to the 1 %
The Tories are robbing the working poor and giving to the working wealthy, according to new research from the TUC. And the Tories tried to hide it. The richest working households will be over…Read more…
‘Stonewalling’ on job loss talks
Car components company, International Automotive Components (IAC), is refusing to discuss 45 potential job losses with Unite. Despite having 35 per cent of the workforce as members the…Read more…
Love among the ruins
Harry Leslie Smith has published his latest memoir at a time when the world is witnessing the most devastating refugee crisis since the Second World War. Love Among the Ruins, although centred…Read more…
The fight for 5050 and fair politics for everyone
As the arguments over women’s representation in public and political life are rehearsed again during the parliamentary scrutiny of the Scotland Bill, it may be appropriate to reflect on the wider…Read more…
Refugee solidarity
Unite is backing delegations by Stand Up To Racism the first of which will travel to Calais on Saturday (5 September). The group is calling for “concrete solidarity” with migrants and refugees…Read more…
No energy delays
A decision is ‘desperately’ needed on the financing of the building of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, if the lights are to remain on in the years ahead. The French energy giant –…Read more…