Unite is warning of a “culture of fear” stalking North Sea offshore workers as the industry braces itself for more cuts. The union is deeply concerned about the health and safety of workers,…Read more…
‘Backwards vision’ Wales can’t afford
UKIP’s move into Welsh politics was facilitated by fear-mongering and empty promises “in areas that feel abandoned”, according to the campaign group, Hope Not Hate. The right wing party made…Read more…
Brexit won’t save us from #TTIP: Our own government are part of the problem
A common argument from the Vote Leave camp in the upcoming EU referendum is that Brexit could save us from the many negative impacts of the EU-US TTIP trade deal. But unfortunately there isn’t a quick way out. The truth is that outside the EU we would be facing the prospect of even worse…Read more…
Ending impunity & upholding the rule of law
Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, spoke at the Anti-Corruption Summit hosted by the British Prime Minister David Cameron on 12 May. This is what she said: This week governments put themselves in the spotlight at the UK Anti-Corruption Conference, where…Read more…
Shotton spirit
Unite steel reps from Shotton rejoiced in the community spirit that’s kept the steel town optimistic, even as the local steelworks faces uncertainty in the shadow of crisis. Schoolchildren…Read more…
Work dress codes, high heels, and patent sexism
There are so many problems with the story of Nicola Thorp, the London receptionist who was sent home by her agency, Portico, without pay because she refused to wear high heels, it’s hard to know where to begin. From a health and safety perspective, heels are bad for feet, joints and back. Sorry to…Read more…
Stobart ballot
The simmering row over Argos’ plans to transfer 96 drivers in Leicestershire to controversial haulier Eddie Stobart Ltd (ESL) has now escalated to a strike ballot of more than 400 workers at the…Read more…
Nudging in the right direction: Behavioural economics to improve workplace safety
On various occasions I have criticised the Government’s reliance on “nudge theory”. The biggest use of it in the workplace health area was the Responsibility Deal which the Government quietly closed…Read more…
Maths of the impossible
The government’s convoluted maths outlining NHS spending is beginning to unravel, as fresh revelations show the health service achieved only £1bn of its £22bn in planned efficiency savings scheduled…Read more…
Brexit bonfire of regulations would be a bonanza for worst kind of financial speculators
It’s amazing how short memories are. The way some people talk, the financial crisis happened under Queen Victoria not Elizabeth. Yet it is less than ten years since the actions of a group of irresponsible, under-regulated bankers brought the world economy to its knees. We all know that we could not…Read more…
#TTIPleaks show the UK government is actively choosing not to protect NHS and public services
Some have been using the Greenpeace leaks of negotiating texts from the EU-US trade deal known as TTIP to claim Britain should leave the EU to escape damaging trade rules being imposed on us by shady Brussels negotiators. But disturbingly, what they actually show (adding to evidence we had from…Read more…
No justice, no peace
One chapter closed in the Royal Courts of Justice today (May 11) but another opened as the long fight for blacklisted workers continues. Although the case was settled – Unite helped secure…Read more…
Primary assessment is broken. So what do we want instead?
I think we can say that assessment in primary schools is broken. Many words have been written (including by ATL) about what’s gone wrong this year. The question remains, what do we want instead? I…Read more…
Squeezing out every last hour?
Leaving the EU would put around a million workers at risk of excessive working hours, new research from the TUC has shown. The TUC analysis found that since the EU introduced the Working Time…Read more…
Unaccountable providers, service chaos, workforce pushed to the limit: Probation after the ‘reforms’
A new report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found that the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not know how well the companies responsible for running probation services are performing, due to “limitations around data quality and availability.” The findings follow the government’s controversial…Read more…
What ‘Lord Waitrose’ could do at the European trade ministers’ meeting on Friday
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…