Just as the axe of austerity has fallen hardest on the poorest, so too, will low income families have to pay the dearest under a potential Brexit, according to a new report from a prominent economic…Read more…
Brexit — a Republic of Ireland perspective
There are good reasons why people in the Irish Republic are concerned by the referendum in Britain and Northern Ireland to decide future EU membership. That they are concerned is confirmed by a…Read more…
Demand public inquiry now
As one of the stalwarts of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC), Joe Rollin, a Unite industrial organiser from Barnsley, wants Unite members who have been very supportive so far to help…Read more…
Getting the work-football balance right
The 2016 European cup is already underway and a very sizable proportion of the country will be football fanciers for the next few weeks. So many people at work will want to watch the matches, so wise…Read more…
The case against left-Brexit: this is not a referendum on neoliberalism
A couple of weeks ago the IMF caused a minor sensation with a short article headed ‘Neoliberalism: Oversold?’. While the critique was limited in scope, its existence speaks volumes –front page news as far as the Financial Times was concerned. Something is now very obviously wrong with the economic…Read more…
Brexit Tories ‘cannot be trusted’
As soon as the EU Out campaign was dubbed BREXIT you could hear broadcast journalists salivating with unadulterated pleasure. It’s a word that demands emphasis. The Remain campaign without an…Read more…
No ‘snooping’ allowed
The Tory government’s sinister agenda aiming to silence all opposition is having a harder time getting through the legislative process than some might have thought. After concessions and…Read more…
If we want to continue the fight against climate change, Britain is ‘Stronger In’
Earlier this week, the former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson made a speech in which he argued that leaving the EU would improve our environment. The speech was little reported, even less debated, which is a shame. The economy, immigration and sove…Read more…
Keep defence work at home
Defence secretary Michael Fallon has serious questions to answer about the UK’s secretive procurement policy – the latest controversy being the decision to buy nine maritime patrol aircraft from…Read more…
Work/life balance attack
Faulty gas and electricity meters for households and businesses won’t be replaced as meter fixers working for energy giant E.ON go on strike in a ‘work/life balance’ dispute tomorrow (June 10)….Read more…
Swingeing pay cuts
Unite will ballot more than 200 North Sea oil rig workers for strike action in a dispute with the Wood Group over a swingeing 30 per cent pay cut. The ballot, in conjunction with the GMB and…Read more…
‘Zombie’ companies threaten millions of jobs
‘Zombie’ companies in China are selling goods lower than it costs to produce them are a threat to jobs in the UK and the rest of Europe, warned Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke as he…Read more…
Learning with Unite
Union-organised learning is a great way to recruit new members and highlight the benefits of being in a union – that was the message that came out of Community Learning Day in Bristol this week….Read more…
Don’t risk the NHS
Today, I and a group of members who all work in the NHS ‘unveiled’ UNISON’s official remain banner, ahead of the EU referendum the week after next. Well I say unveil, but I’m not…Read more…
Sands of time – and patience – running out for agreement on global supply chains
As the ILO debates how to improve working conditions in Global Supply Chains, Employers are resisting responsibility for malpractice in those chains and some governments are time wasting The efforts of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to pre…Read more…
‘Privatised care equals greed’
As part of Carers Week, UNITElive is publishing a series of stories featuring Unite members who care for their relatives or work in the care sector. In today’s final instalment, Emma explains…Read more…
Disabled people pulling down barriers across the EU
This week Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson warned of the risks of leaving the EU for disability rights. The response from a Vote Leave spokesman was that the UK outlawed disability discrimination long before the EU did and that “EU governments have a terrible track record in protecting the disabled,…Read more…
‘Keep Clyde drumbeat going’
Last November, chancellor George Osborne announced in his spending review details of the defence budget – he pledged that the MoD would deliver £9.2bn in savings, much of which would come from both…Read more…
OECD tell policymakers to ‘ACT NOW’ or risk lying to future generations
I missed the severity of the warnings from the OECD last week. And am struck how their policy recommendations appear almost explicitly directed to the Chancellor. Here is George Osborne in his Budget speech : The British economy is resilient because wh…Read more…
Striking is a potent weapon – but one of last resort
I think it is safe to say that teachers and school leaders are very cross with the Government at the moment. It takes a lot to get the profession in such an agitated state, but relentless workload,…Read more…