Andy Haldane, the Bank of England’s Chief Economist, has said that the UK’s shareholder model of corporate governance is holding back business investment and hurting economic growth. In a fascinating interview on Newsnight with Duncan Weldon (formerly TUC Senior Economist), he said that firms…Read more…
Young people’s debts have doubled in five years and are now highest of all age groups
In many ways today’s ONS figures on household indebtedness are unremarkable, given we are increasingly accustomed to figures showing high levels of household debt. By and large the debt burden is continuing to increase. One in five households report financial (i.e. non-mortgage) debts are a ‘heavy’…Read more…
End two-tier pay policy
Traffic wardens in Hackney, east London will take two days of strike action next week in a bid to get a proper sick pay policy provided by their private sector employer. The 30 employees,…Read more…
Don’t you (forget about DB)
It is easy to overlook defined benefit (DB) pension schemes when so much of the talk in the pensions world is of cruises, conservatories and high-powered sports cars. But their central role in the retirement savings of millions of people and as a cruci…Read more…
Trading names: transatlantic beef about cheese & drugs
The Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) being negotiated between the EU and the US keeps throwing up new things to argue about. One of the most arcane is the debate over ‘geographical indications’ (GIs) – names like Vidalia onions from the US or Armagh Bramley…Read more…
Labour’s first majority government
Trade unionists belonging to one of Unite’s predecessor union’s were the bedrock of a radical post war Labour government that swept to power at the 1945 General Election exactly 70…Read more…
How the Government turns a severe and ongoing reduction in public investment spending into a ‘priority’ spend
In its newly issued document outlining the approach for the spending review 2015, the government makes some bold statements about public investment. In June the OECD criticised countries for focusing spending cuts on public investment, and in its previ…Read more…
Global teacher unions oppose neo-liberal trade & investment agreements
At this week’s Education International (EI) World Congress in Canada, education unions around the globe voted to oppose the new wave of trade and investment agreements that are being negotiated…Read more…
Baseline assessment: questions but not too many answers
Here’s a puzzle for you. Q. In order to carry out an accurate reception baseline assessment of primary schools, what is the minimum number of schools that should be included in each sample? A….Read more…
Pregnant mums are still losing jobs
More than 50,000 women are losing their jobs every year as a direct result of maternity discrimination in the workplace, a new report reveals. The shocking figures are part of an…Read more…
Rättvisa lön: IKEA unveil plan to build a Living Wage
Great news this week for Usdaw members in IKEA, as the Swedish flat pack furniture giant have committed to sign up as a Living Wage employer.Read more…
Bees or bust
We hear their buzzing drone and we’re enchanted. As we enjoy the site of an amber and black striped bumble on a lavender spike we shouldn’t forget two things: that numbers have fallen and…Read more…
This is my home
Anti-racism campaigners Show Racism the Red Card have just launched a new campaign in Scotland called #ThisisMyHome. The campaign group uses football heroes as well as us everyday folk to help…Read more…
‘Austerity is over’ shocker
Austerity is over, the new Tory minister in charge of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ has declared. That’s great news, coming in the wake of the end of poverty and economic sunshine breaking out over the…Read more…
What’s wrong with ISDS? Romania’s environment & history under attack
The latest example of what’s wrong with Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) – the privileged route to riches for foreign investors who can persuade a separate international court that they have been disadvantaged by a democratically-elected government – is a case being lodged…Read more…
Tens of thousands of women a year suffer pregnancy discrimination but only a handful enforce their rights
Today, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published findings from the largest ever survey of the scale of pregnancy discrimination in Britain’s workplaces. Its headline finding: one in nine new mothers is forced out of work each year because of their pregnancy or maternity leave. That’s…Read more…
ISDS: we won’t be fooled by a rebranding
Yesterday, Brussels was full of rumours that the European Commission had finally found a way to respond to the massive backlash generated by its proposal for a special court for US investors: a simple rebranding should do the trick. Currently known as …Read more…
Chancellor takes the high carbon road
Is the government about to take a series of high carbon decisions that will replace renewables with fossil fuels? Decisions are imminent on Cuadrilla’s fracking appeal, launched today, and Heathrow’s third runway. Meanwhile, the Chancellor is unceremoniously dumping green policies, while assuring…Read more…
The truth must out
Two years into the coalition government’s austerity programme in 2012, routine figures released by the department of work and pensions revealed a shocking phenomenon – in just one year (2011) more…Read more…
Our car workers are star workers
The news that automotive workers are the UKs most productive employees, each generating £100,000 a year in added value, will come as no surprise to Unite members working in the sector. …Read more…