Last night (January 12) Unite Community members and Newcastle United fans pulled off a mighty stunt together in protest over Sports Directs’ shameful treatment of its workforce. Fans unfurled…Read more…
Corporate and household debt hugely elevated on a (new) longer view on history
The financial and economic crisis is now widely understood as a consequence of excessive private sector debts. A more sustainable economic model into the future has been understood to involve a certain amount of so-called ‘deleveraging, so that debts are reduced as a share of income. Today the ONS…Read more…
Mind the disability gap
The employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people has hit 31 per cent, having remained stubbornly above 30 per cent since 2008. Progress in reducing the gap remains stuck, with less…Read more…
A radical new beginning
A new year always brings with it a sense of optimism and renewed hope and I’m determined 2016 should be no different. Yes, 2015 landed us with five years of Tory rule as David Cameron won a…Read more…
Brave new digital world
Phrases such as ‘Industry 4.0′, ‘Big Data’ and ‘The Internet Of Things’ are becoming common currency as the predictions of a new digital world and a new world of work in…Read more…
Lords second reading debate shows up the deep flaws in the #TUbill
Last night’s Trade Union Bill debate in the House of Lords exposed once again how ill-thought through and partisan the government’s Bill is. We heard concerns raised from right across the House about the threat this Bill poses to good industrial relations and fair treatment at work. Bishop of…Read more…
Carry on doctor
As the Tories and their tabloids ramped up attacks on junior hospital doctors, other health professionals rallied in support of the 24 hour strike action set to start tomorrow morning at 8am. NHS…Read more…
Wake up call to support manufacturing
Today’s (Monday January 11) annual survey by the manufacturers’ organisation EEF shows that Britain is becoming less competitive as a base for manufacturers. “The EEF’s survey is yet another wake…Read more…
Opposition Peers will do all we can to stop the #TUbill attack on our unions and our democracy
The Trade Union Bill is an unacceptable attack on Britain’s unions. Unions are a part of the body politic in this country and for Labour Party peers like myself, many of whom are lifelong trade unionists, it is an attack on us and the people we believe we should be supporting. Unions have…Read more…
Heads urged to support library fight
Head teachers in Greenwich are being urged to support the campaign to save the council’s mobile library service which deliveries at least 22,000 books a year to children and those with mobility…Read more…
Recycling strike over rubbish pay
Strike action by recycling collectors at Kier Ltd in Bath and North East Somerset will continue after Unite members rejected the company’s latest paltry pay offer in an ongoing £2 an hour pay…Read more…
Offshore: End cuts call
Unite has today (Friday January 8) repeated its call for the industry to end its year-long imposition of cuts after members in the Offshore Contractors Association (OCA) agreement accepted…Read more…
War on the poor
Benefits sanctions, in which people out of work are punished by having their benefits stopped for often absurd reasons, were significantly ramped up in 2012 under work and pensions secretary Iain…Read more…
Sports Direct: Proper hours and wages call
Two Labour MPs – Gloria De Piero for Ashfield, and Bolsover’s Dennis Skinner, today (Friday January 8) called on Sports Direct to end abusive work practices at its warehouse in Shirebrook,…Read more…
EU negotiations – Is Cameron’s support on deregulation built on quicksand?
There is a lot in the press at the moment about David Cameron’s four demands on the European Commission for reform prior to the forthcoming referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. Most of the…Read more…
Freedom, fairness and a TUC pensions conference
Savers in their mid-to-late 50s are the group making the highest level of withdrawals from their pension pots, according to the latest figures from the financial regulator. While it is very early days for so-called Pensions Freedom – the government’s great experiment with UK savings – there are…Read more…
‘Risk cocktail’: Is the Chancellor complacent about UK consumer debt?
The TUC issued analysis today showing household unsecured debt is now at its highest for five years, measured as a share of income (here). Household unsecured debts, % disposable income The ONS figures on unsecured borrowing (i.e. consumer credit and student loans, but excluding mortgages – see end…Read more…
Doors to shut on jobs?
Unite is ‘pulling out all the stops’ in efforts to save 353 jobs at East Midlands door manufacturer Leaderflush Shapland which has gone into administration. Unite regional officer Garry Guye…Read more…
London’s mayoral candidates should take a lead on online voting in #TUbill
Both of the front runners for the upcoming London Mayoral elections won their candidacies in votes that included voting via smartphones and computers. Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith’s…Read more…
The most painful cuts
Council services, including elderly care, children’s centres, parks and libraries, among other vital services, have suffered desperately under the weight of the previous government’s spending cuts,…Read more…