By the end of today (January 5) the UK’s top bosses will have earned more money than the average worker will do in a year, claims campaign group the High Pay Centre. The group has named today…Read more…
Unfair fares are up
This week (January 4) rail fares increased to the anger of commuters, who have been left to pick up the cost of rail privatisation. The increase of one per cent increase to season tickets and…Read more…
The State Pension muddle and 1950s women
On Thursday, Mhairi Black, the youngest MP in the House of Commons, will do her bit for intergenerational solidarity by opening a House of Commons debate on State Pension age changes. A long-simmering row over the impact on women born in the 1950s of a combination of State Pension Age equalisation…Read more…
Times tables tests – as easy as 1, 2, 3?
By Anne Heavey, Education Policy Adviser at ATL. Happy New Year! Yesterday Nicky Morgan announced that in 2017 every 11 year old child will take an online test to check that they know their times…Read more…
Flooding – dealing with the aftermath
The last few weeks have seen misery for people in many parts of the country as they have battled with the floods and their aftermath, both in their homes and their workplaces. For many people, this…Read more…
Help make life better for women trade unionists in Libya
Want to start the New Year with some global solidarity? Our friends at LabourStart are running an e-action with the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) on behalf of Nermin Al-Sharif,…Read more…
Do you know where your next meal is coming from? ‘Free’ traders say you mustn’t!
Just before Christmas, the US Congress caved in to a ruling from the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and agreed that displaying the country of origin of beef and pork products should no longer be required. Canadian and Mexican meat producers (and the U…Read more…
2016 is the year to end the two-speed economy
Decent wages and security for your family shouldn’t just be the preserve of those at the top of the tree, but should be on offer for everyone.
The post 2016 is the year to end the two-speed economy appeared first on ToUChstone blog.Read more…
Sir Lynton Crosby? Two countries, one strategy – weakening unions to make attacks on workers easier
In the New Year’s Honours List, David Cameron’s Australian attack dog Lynton Crosby is expected to receive a knighthood for his services to the Conservative Party. But his assistance has…Read more…
Somalia’s unions will not be cowed by violence
Yesterday, Omar Faruk Osman, the leader of our sister organisation in Somalia – the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) – was the subject of an assassination attempt (thankfully…Read more…
TTIP: due for a diet in the New Year resolutions?
When the negotiations for an EU-US trade deal – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – were launched back in 2013, advocates of the deal predicted that it could be completed “on one tank of gas”, before the US Presidential elections brought Barack…Read more…
Turkish unions protest for peace
While many trade unionists in the west are relaxing due to the gains of trade unionism (like holidays), workers in other parts of the world are still struggling for what we consider essential. Like…Read more…
China: we say no to market economy status
The Financial Times has today reported that the US government is pressing the European Commission not to grant China ‘Market Economy Status’ (MES), which under WTO rules would allow far more undercutting by Chinese exports into the EU. The UK government is on the record as a supporter…Read more…
Len McCluskey’s hopes for 2016
Tempting as it is to slip into dejection by the prospect of four more years of this appalling Tory administration gifted to us by this ending year, let us opt for optimism for the one to come. …Read more…
ISDS: even when Governments win, we all lose
We’re often told we shouldn’t worry about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in the new generation of so-called ‘free’ trade agreements, because the UK Government doesn’t lose cases. In practice that’s because most UK agreements containing ISDS have been…Read more…
Andy Haldane at the TUC: technology, labour and policy choices
Interest rates: Ancient Mesopotamia to the present (see end of post for source) On 12 November 2015 Andy Haldane, Chief Economist at the Bank of England, spoke at the TUC. While a little late in the day, it is worthwhile to review some of the very important points he made, not least given the…Read more…
Invisible children
The Tory government has taken an innovative approach in reducing child poverty. Instead of maintaining a target set by the last Labour government to eliminate child poverty by 2020, it’s…Read more…
Bulwark against exploitation
Unite has yesterday (December 22) welcomed the Scottish government’s ‘sensible’ decision to retain the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB) following a prolonged campaign to protect the minimum…Read more…
ONS Christmas present to Chancellor: a slump in nominal GDP
The final release of economic figures for 2015 does not make happy reading for the Chancellor. Headline GDP for 2015Q3 is revised down to 0.4% from 0.5%; Q2 was 0.5%. On the annual measure comparing with the same quarter a year ago, growth is now 2.1%,…Read more…
Good news for Tata Steel workforce
The future of Tata Steel’s long products division looks brighter today, following the news that a letter of intent has been signed between the company and investment firm Greybull Capital. …Read more…