Buried within the trade union Bill are plans to choke Labour party funding by changing the way members sign up to contribute to unions’ political funds. It was an unabashedly partisan move…Read more…
Sports Direct falls from FTSE 100
After concerted campaigning from Unite and several media investigations revealing draconian working conditions at the retail giant’s Shirebrook warehouse, Sports Direct has fallen out of the FTSE 100…Read more…
Call off the cull plea
The Tories plan to cull another 50,000 badgers in an effort they claim will reduce the number of cases of bovine TB in cattle. But animal rights campaigners say evidence that culling badgers…Read more…
EU trade deal with Canada amended: not good enough
On Monday, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström trumpeted what she called a major step forward on trade – a revised version of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada. The main difference was that in place of the infamous Investor-State Dispute…Read more…
End ‘profits before patients’
Unite is calling on its 100,000 members in the health service to urge their MPs to support a parliamentary bill to restore public accountability to the running of the NHS. Unite is angry that…Read more…
Difficult battle – but plenty ready to fight
Steelworkers have continued their fight to save the industry, as a Unite delegation from steel communities across the UK travelled to London last night (February 29) to attend an opposition day…Read more…
Our pensions are still leaving many behind
The respected Pensions Policy Institute is today publishing a report, sponsored by the TUC and others, looking at those groups who remain under-pensioned. It shows that despite the remarkable success of automatic enrolment in bringing around six million more people into workplace pensions, those…Read more…
How ISDS undermines the global march to democracy
I’m halfway through an event about the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) at Wilton Park, the FCO’s conference centre, and it’s the usual stimulating mix of stakeholders (a handful of business and union representatives), senior civil servants from various…Read more…
Safety representatives – still all to play for
As the Trade Union Bill continues its passage through the House of Lords it is worth reminding ourselves about the potential implications for health and safety. As Frances O’Grady said in Hazards…Read more…
Working for free
Workers in the UK are being cheated of more than £30bn in unpaid labour over the course of a year, a new TUC analysis has found. More than five million people worked an average of 7.7 hours…Read more…
‘Never ending’ jobs fight
UNITElive caught up with a delegation of steelworkers on their way to attend an opposition day debate on the future of steel tonight (February 29) in Parliament. We spoke to Jason Bartlett…Read more…
Wales farm workers pay result
Farm workers in Wales celebrated on Friday (February 26) as they received a six per cent pay rise, after the Welsh government signed off on an historic Order enabling it to set its own minimum rates….Read more…
Real jobs not just cream teas
The fate of the Shepton Mallet Cider Mill, which faces closure at the end of the summer with the loss of 120 jobs, is symptomatic of a wider problem facing the West Country – how to create decent,…Read more…
No to ‘poverty wages’
Unite local government members overwhelmingly reject ‘paltry’ pay offer in consultative ballot About 70,000 local government workers, members of Unite have overwhelmingly rejected the ‘paltry’…Read more…
Danger in the air
The dangers of the industrial chemical asbestos were first acknowledged in the early 1900s, but it wasn’t until nearly 100 years later – after relentless campaigning against corporate interests and…Read more…
‘Insidious’ move
If there were any remaining doubts that the Tory government is aiming to lock in its grip on power for generations, this week they were laid to rest. New details were published on Wednesday…Read more…
Disrespectful baseline steals children’s creative and imaginative expression
By Dr Guy Roberts-Holmes In all the arguments about whether or not reception baseline assessment is accurate or not, what is not discussed is that it is deeply disrespectful to young children and…Read more…
Unpaid overtime can’t be a blank cheque, says TUC
UK employees worked £35.1 billion worth of unpaid overtime last year, with 5.1 million employees putting in an extra 7.7 hours per week the TUC reports today. I can reveal that there was some slightly better news, since the percentage of employees working unpaid overtime has not kept pace with…Read more…
Should I stay or should I go?
By Deborah Parren, ATL policy officer. Trainee and newly qualified teachers are full of energy and good intentions to be the best teacher they can be for their pupils. Will this enthusiasm be…Read more…
A very positive alliance
The youngest person ever to be elected to the London Assembly believes that young people today are “way ahead of the government” on LGBT education in schools. Labour London Assembly member,…Read more…