This morning I was pleased to be asked to address a European policy forum in Yorksire & the Humber by the local Labour MEPs Linda MacAvan and Richard Corbett. Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Keir Starmer spoke for Labour. Here are some of the remarks I made about…Read more…
Globalisers’ response to popular concern on trade agreements? Shut down debate
When the Walloons finally agreed to accept the passage of the Canada-EU so-called trade agreement, or CETA, one of the concessions they secured was that the legality of the investor protection element of the deal (known as ICS) would be tested in the E…Read more…
Why the ‘National Living Wage’ is bad for Britain’s Young Workers
On the 1st April 2016 the Government brought in the ‘National Living Wage’ – essentially a slight increase on the national minimum wage, with a different name. Employers must now pay workers at least…Read more…
Cuts reversal call
For today’s spot we have not so much quote of the day as quotes. Ending cuts now has become a rallying cry that has united MPs across the political spectrum. “I have a guiding principle in…Read more…
Unions push Qatar’s door open as they secure hard-fought deal with World Cup 2022 Committee
The TUC has welcomed the signing of an MOU between Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the 2022 World Cup and the global construction union BWI. The deal, which will allow access for the BWI to inspect…Read more…
Feudalism ‘alive and well’
The treatment of workers at the ancient Port Eliot Estate in Cornwall, following the death of the 10th Earl of St Germans, smacks of ‘a modern form of feudalism’, Unite has said. The union…Read more…
‘Nothing short of robbery’
Dodgy recruitment agencies are cheating the taxpayer out of “hundreds of millions” of pounds, a Guardian investigation has found. Temp agencies have raked in cash through “contrived” financial…Read more…
Tougher times ahead?
The pressure is on for the Treasury to help ‘just about managing’ families in next week’s Autumn Statement, with groups and MPs from all sides calling for measures to help those households who are…Read more…
‘Wholesale betrayal’
More than 200 jobs are under threat at aircraft frame manufacturer GKN, after the company announced yesterday (November 17) that it will close a plant in Yeovil, Somerset. Unite slammed the…Read more…
We must be unselfconscious about defending the values we share- Ruth Davidson, Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party
Scotland’s cultural and racial diversity continues to be one of our nation’s great assets.
We have a reputation as an open, tolerant and welcoming society – one that values all people, no matter…Read more…
Injured workers assault
Unite accused the government of using a supposed ‘endemic’ of whiplash claims to prepare a secret assault on workers injured at work. Responding to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation…Read more…
Energy of youth
Young people working in the energy sector convened for their Young Reps’ Week earlier this month – a new Unite course that immersed reps in all the work that Unite does in and out of the workplace,…Read more…
Europe’s gender employment rate gaps: why the UK should be worried
In this post I take a broader approach to an issue I looked at in my blog on Wednesday: employment rate gaps. One aspect of women’s economic dependency has been less involvement in the labour market, so the employment rate gap is a handy indicator. To work it out, you simply subtract women’s…Read more…
Flexible working and better transport can beat the commuting blues
Average commutes are getting longer and travelling to work is getting dearer. Throw in the darker nights and bad weather and it’s no wonder that November intensifies the commuter blues. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In order to mark Commute Smart Week, which is organised by the campaign group…Read more…
Young Worker’s Challenge #6: Underemployment
This month we’re counting down the ten most significant challenges faced by young workers. Today is underemployment. We all know that the traditional ‘9 to 5’ working day no longer exists for a large…Read more…
We can make a change in society by refusing to be a bystander- Alastair Pringle, EHRC
We haven’t seen the same rise in reported incidents in Scotland as we have elsewhere following the vote to leave the EU, but that doesn’t mean that people feel safe, or are not anxious about how…Read more…
‘Ticking post-Brexit time bomb’
Don’t be fooled by Tuesday’s (November 15) unexpected drop in inflation, leading economists have said – in post-EU referendum Britain, families from across all income brackets should brace themselves…Read more…
‘A compelling vision’
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey on Labour’s industrial strategy: “The Labour Party has thrown down the gauntlet to the Conservative government by outlining a compelling vision of what an…Read more…
Pilot strike to take off
Unite, which represents pilots working for the Dublin-based airline CityJet, today notified the company of a series of 13 full-day work stoppages starting next Thursday (November 24). The…Read more…
A Britain for all
Shadow business secretary, Clive Lewis, has set out Labour’s industrial strategy, calling for “a new social contract” between industry, business and people. The plans, outlined in a major…Read more…