The European pensions regulator has stepped back from an attempt to standardise pension funding rules across the European Union. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has concluded, rather unsurprisingly, that the diversity of European pension schemes means that…Read more…
‘Cynical’ attack
Volkswagen bosses are opportunistically using changes to UK pension funds to hand down a total of £1.4m of costs to Bentley workers, said Unite the trade union for UK automotive workers. The German…Read more…
Repay our loyalty
Unite today (April 13) urged the Dublin-based drinks giant C&C to find a buyer for its Shepton Cider Mill in Somerset, which is set to close this summer with the loss of 120 jobs. The…Read more…
Did Nick Gibb tell teachers to teach to the test?
By Anne Heavey, Education Policy Adviser at ATL. Last Monday ATL welcomed School’s Minister Nick Gibb to our annual conference. He agreed to take part in a question and answer session with Gerard…Read more…
Asserting “Paid holidays will be safe after Brexit” fails “project reality” test
Yesterday we published figures showing that UK workers had gained 1.5 billion days more paid leave through our adoption of the EU minimum standard. Today I’ve been looking at some of the rather flimsy assertions made around our paid holiday rights by those who are keen to leave the European…Read more…
PFI: National scandal
The closure of 17 Edinburgh schools built by the same company under a private finance initiative (PFI) due to safety fears could be the “tip of the iceberg” of shoddy PFI work across Scotland, Unite…Read more…
The fight goes on
The alleged architect of the construction ‘blacklisting’ scandal, Cullum McAlpine, has declined to give evidence in the High Court case, due to start next month, to establish the extent of…Read more…
Cambodian bosses & politicians hope to get away with new labour law
After prolonged international pressure from both unions and multinational corporations, the Cambodian Parliament split on party lines to adopt a new labour law that falls far short of International…Read more…
Govt steel support shift?
The government hinted that part-nationalisation of Tata’s UK operations now up for sale could be a possibility as a buyer is being sought. Business secretary Sajid Javid said yesterday (April…Read more…
It’s a funny old world
It’s a funny old world when the Trades Union movement and the ancient House of Lords combine to defeat a reactionary Tory Government, not once, but three times!
But that is what we did on 16th….Read more…
‘All in this together’?
Questions remain over the tax affairs of the Prime Minister and Chancellor despite the publication of their tax returns, Labour MPs said yesterday (April 11) during explosive scenes in Parliament….Read more…
1.5 billion extra days paid holiday thanks to EU rights
UK workers have gained 96 million days paid holiday thanks to EU holiday rights (the Working Time Directive), totalling 1.5 million extra days paid leave since 1998. To look at it another way, 7.4 million UK employees, just over 1 in 4, have gained an average of 13 extra days paid holiday from our…Read more…
Why are we waiting?
The heat is being turned up on business secretary Sajid Javid over the long delay in publishing his report into ‘tipping’ abuses that have seen waiters being short-changed by their bosses. …Read more…
Do we need a standard on health and safety?
Plans for a certifiable international standard on health and safety are well underway. It is called ISO45001. This is a really big development as most big employers are likely to try to achieve…Read more…
British Steel is ‘back’
British Steel has made a comeback in Scunthorpe, after the sale of Tata’s Long Products Division in Scunthorpe was officially agreed this morning (April 11) and new owner, investment firm Greybull,…Read more…
Pay Living Wage now
A powerful strike action in SP Graham bookmakers on the day of the Grand National (April 9) showed just how determined counter staff are in their fight to secure fair pay. Workers reported…Read more…
Vocational education is letting young women down
Vocational education is confused, and does not guarantee routes into good quality employment “The current system for young people who do not follow an academic route is complex and incoherent, with confusing incentives for young people and employers. Careers advice and education are being delivered…Read more…
Transparency call
Serious questions should be asked about reports that two financially challenged ambulance trusts in the east and west Midlands could merge, with a possible adverse effect on patient care. …Read more…
IMF & World Bank should change course on growth & austerity
The global trade union movement is pressing the ‘international financial institutions’ (IFIs) to switch track, abandoning support for austerity, and replacing it with a global recovery strategy consisting of public investment stimulus and coordinated wage increase; investments in…Read more…
‘Light it up blue’
Big-hearted Unite members working for Rolls Royce in Derby have forked out £2,000 to light up their plant in blue to raise aware of autism which affects 700,000 people in the UK. Global icons…Read more…