In the midst of the harshest crisis experienced by the UK steel industry in over a decade, last week brought some comforting news about securing the future of the sector. Potentially this week could see further good news if the UK government chooses to…Read more…
The EU’s increased importance to UK exports over the past year
While much reporting focuses as normal on a widening of the trade deficit, the export figures have for the past year shown some shift in the relative importance of the EU. Volume figures show an increase in EU exports of 2.6% on the quarter and 6.0% on…Read more…
Defying all justice
The boss of a Birmingham drug and alcohol charity, which sacked health and safety rep Alison Morris for raising concerns with her manager over fire safety, has received nearly 3,000 emails calling…Read more…
Pushed out for being pregnant
Two years ago at Sports Direct’s infamous warehouse in Derbyshire, where working conditions have been described as ‘Victorian’ a woman gave birth in a toilet at work. That this is something that…Read more…
Brexit would put a million workers at risk of having to work excessive hours.
More than a million more employees would risk having to work excessive hours if the UK were to drop the EU 48-hour week rules, says a new the TUC estimate published today. The European rules are vital for protecting our health , as regularly working more than 48 hours per week is linked to an…Read more…
Keep ferries public
One of the first actions of the new Scottish government’s transport minister should be to ensure that the Clyde and Hebrides ferry routes remain in public hands Unite today (May 9). With a…Read more…
Victory for blacklisted workers
Unite has secured a victory for hundreds of construction workers embroiled in the biggest blacklisting scandal in UK history, after the union has helped its members win more than £10m in…Read more…
Unite’s ‘tough cookies’
After the floods brought by Storm Desmond’s wrath in December devastated Carlisle, entire neighbourhoods were turned into giant building sites. And as well as wrecking more than 2,000 homes,…Read more…
Fatigue factor
Over a thousand Thomas Cook airlines cabin crew began voting in a ballot for industrial action on Friday (May 6) in a dispute over health and safety concerns and ‘dangerous’ changes to rest breaks…Read more…
Crucial to communities
The aerospace and defence industry has joined Unite in making a clear call for Britain staying inside the European Union ahead of the referendum on the 23rd of June. ADS Group – the industry…Read more…
Keep NHS bursaries
Unite is continuing to call on the Tories to ditch plans aimed at replacing NHS bursaries with loans amid warnings that it will cause workforce crisis and turmoil within the health service. …Read more…
Housing bill ping-pong
The government is struggling to push through its housing agenda as its Housing Bill enters into a furious game of parliamentary ping-pong between the Commons and the House of Lords. Peers…Read more…
Promoting workers’ rights and solidarity in the debate on EU migration
Last month the TUC was involved in a roundtable organised by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung London office which discussed how to promote workers’ rights in the debate on EU migration. The event drew on…Read more…
Paltry pay
Around 70,000 local government workers who are members of Unite have shown their defiance of a ‘paltry’ one per cent offer by not signing the two-year pay deal. The union has conceded that it…Read more…
‘Dog-whistle’ racism claim
The Conservative party is regularly beset by allegations of racism against its MPs, councillors and candidates but even the most offensive comments rarely result in serious disciplinary action, a…Read more…
Maximum justice
Unite is continuing to seek maximum compensation and justice for members ahead of a High Court trial next month over blacklisting in the construction industry. Britain’s biggest union…Read more…
What’s happening to employment?
Yesterday’s monthly Economic Review from the Office for National Statistics presented the latest labour market figures and provided an opportunity to look over the medium term at what is happening in the world of work and the signs that the jobs recovery is slowing down. Let’s start with the…Read more…
Poole food firm workers win
Unite has successfully defeated an attempt to de-recognise the union at the Poole food manufacturer, Addo Food Group. Just 24 hours after Unite publicised the group’s plan, Addo’s bosses…Read more…
Send a message
If anybody is thinking of sitting out the local council elections, I sincerely urge you to think again. May 5 is the first opportunity we voters have to send a message that we are fed up with…Read more…
Cash savings are really struggling
At the end of March the ONS released their latest Quarterly national accounts. The stats indicated that household savings are at a fifty year low. A new figure released today indicates that savings are lower than even the March figures implied. The national accounts ratio indicates the amount…Read more…