All the union news that's fit to blog...
Food banks are gearing up to address growing demand during the Easter school holidays. Hard-pressed parents have to step in with lunches normally provided free at a school and may rely on charitable food banks for the kids meals. As well as three-day food parcels, charity the Trussell Trust will provide Easter eggs as […]
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Anne Heavey is a policy officer at ATL. The mood at Stanley Park High is a happy one, in which all students and staff are united in joint purpose – learning. The students were engaged in their…Read more…
Over the weekend, we received the following report from our brother Omar Faruk Osman, the journalists’ union leader who is General Secretary of the Somali equivalent of the TUC, the Federation…Read more…
Most of us eat a meal without ever even really thinking about whether or not the food is safe – we simply assume it is. And most of the time, this is true. But the reason most of the food we consume is indeed safe is thanks to the thousands of men and women […]
The post Food safety at risk appeared first on UNITElive.org.
As Unite announces a further £1m donation to the Labour Party, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey explains why this is the right thing to do. Unite said that it would not stand by and see a one-side election fight against a Tory party made fat on the gifts from the shady and the […]
The post The fight of our lives appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Unite closed its consultative ballot of North Sea offshore members today (March 27), and the results were resoundingly clear. An almost unanimous 94 per cent voted in favour of proceeding to an industrial action ballot to stop the vicious attacks on jobs, pay and working time that North Sea offshore workers have suffered. […]
The post ‘Race to the bottom’ disease must stop appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Banks – who needs them? Well, actually, we all do. And news that thousands of local branches up and down the land could be set to close will not be taken lying down by campaigners and trade unions. “We need a civic fightback on this; it’s in all our interests,” said Unite national officer […]
The post Civic fightback call appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Are self-driving cars the future? Will connectivity and autonomous vehicles revolutionise the UK automotive industry? After attending the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders conference on connectivity and autonomous vehicles this week, I believe the answer is yes to both questions. A new report by KPMG for the SMMT says connectivity and autonomous […]
The post Self-driving cars — the way of the future appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Activists dressed as tax collectors and doctors, accompanied by a giant piggy bank, presented a tax bill to Virgin Care on Wednesday (March 25), following the revelation that the firm continues to bid for NHS contracts despite extensive use of tax havens. Protesters from The Peoples NHS have joined forces with UKUncut following […]
The post Pay your tax appeared first on UNITElive.org.
How many column inches, hours of air time and rage in one hundred and forty five characters have we had this last week over a kitchenette? Too many to mention, and I know I’m adding to it all. I do so because the kitchenette saga is symptomatic of what passes for political discussion. Tune […]
The post Kitchen sink soap opera appeared first on UNITElive.org.
The first live TV action of this general election was a bruising encounter. But Ed Miliband boosted Labour’s hopes and morale with a focused and passionate performance. Hell, yes, he has truly arrived on the political stage. And hell yes, he’s shown he is capable of winning this election. Miliband looked as if he is […]
The post HELL, YES appeared first on UNITElive.org.
I take every opportunity I can to promote The Union Advantage – it’s a TUC pamphlet that sets out the reasons why workers are better off in unions. It sets out all the hard-nosed “what’s in it for me?” stuff like higher pay rises, safer workplaces and fairer treatment. But I’m proud that it…Read more…
Abbie Hayden is a member of ATL Future. ATL Future have undertaken a survey of teachers new to the profession to ascertain the attractiveness of teaching and the results are powerful, shocking and…Read more…
That the Tory donor list is dominated by hedge funds may come as no surprise, but did you know that many of the businesses bankrolling the Conservative party sell items you might yourself have at home? As the Mirror reported yesterday (March 25), some of the most everyday products fuel an ideology that’s determined […]
The post Hidden cash appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Margaret Thatcher’s now notorious Sermon on the Mound gave the notion of “choice” a central place in both public policy and Christian thinking. Nearly 30 years later, Thatcher’s heirs are elevating choice to the paramount principle of pensions policy-making. I have written…Read more…
Today, in refusing to back UK Coal’s bid for State Aid, the government has almost shut the door on UK Coal mining. A £10m loan will avoid the inconvenient closure of UK Coal’s Thoresby mine during an election period. As TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, said today, “Immediate help for UK Coal…Read more…
A report launched today (Thursday 26 March) reveals that London NHS’s crisis has moved into intensive care. London’s NHS – into the unknown outlines a further unravelling of services as the NHS becomes more fragmented and financially squeezed. Roy Lilley is the chair of the inquiries that formed the basis for the reports. […]
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The growing connection between Unite’s community and industrial members saw the unveiling of the world’s first dual-purpose trade union banner by the Derby Unite Community branch last week (March 19). Historical images of a Derby strike pre-dating the Tolpuddle Martyrs have been combined with a 21st century communication Quick Response (QR) code. When scanned […]
The post Keeping the fight alive appeared first on UNITElive.org.
Guest post written by Laura Gardiner of LSE and Abigail McKnight of the Resolution Foundation. Britain’s wage squeeze has been well documented. But the public narrative on pay trends has recently suffered from some confusing – and at times highly inaccurate – claims in relation to pay rises for…Read more…
The industrial, lobby has its work cut out for the next Parliament. The government’s 2050 roadmaps to decarbonise our most energy intensive industries, published today, reveal the enormous scale of investment needed. At a time of intensive international competition, our foundation industries are…Read more…