Commenting on the very sad news today (October 21) of the death of Michael Meacher, Labour MP for Oldham West and Royton, Len McCluskey, Unite general secretary said, “It is with great…Read more…
Your excuses are wearing thin
Charlotte Upton, Unite member and electrician at Tata steel in Scunthorpe, has written an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to stop sitting on his hands and to step in and save…Read more…
Send in the ‘clowns’
The Tory response to the long emerging crisis in the UK steel industry has turned to slow motion farce. There’s been no action, when action is need now. Business secretary Sajid Javid took one…Read more…
Borrowing’s in line with latest forecast, but over four times higher than originally planned
At the half-way point of the financial year (April to September 2015), the government has borrowed £36.4bn. At the same point last year, borrowing was £44.9bn, so the improvement on the year is 18.9%. For the year as a whole the OBR forecast borrowing of £69.5bn in 2015/16, a reduction of 22%…Read more…
Low-paid workers: Worse off next year and even worse off in 2020
One image from the TV coverage of George Osborne’s July Budget sticks in my mind. It hasn’t got anything to do with the Chancellor’s smirk as he announced the “National Living Wage” – it’s the cut-away shot to Iain Duncan Smith fist-pumping in apparent triumph. I was surprised – in the same speech…Read more…
Chorus of disapproval
There has been a chorus of disapproval over the government’s approach to the steel crisis, their linked claims of a ‘northern powerhouse’ and being the party of ‘workers’. What’s the verdict? – warm…Read more…
Training teachers to tackle homophobia, biphobia and transphobia with Stonewall.
By Alex Newton, Programmes Manager at Stonewall (originally posted on Safer Schools). A few days ago I received three emails from teachers in different schools, all with various issues. One was…Read more…
Episode 8: ‘Faster! faster! the guests are waiting’
Sounds familiar? If you work in the hospitality industry you can join www.unitetheunion.org – if you earn less than the Living Wage (£9.15ph in London, £7.85 outside) for just £2.10 per week….Read more…
Corporate Responses to Modern Slavery
Today saw the publication of a report which seeks to give a snapshot of company perceptions and current responses to modern slavery. This report is the product of collaborative work between the Ethical Trading Initiative and the Ashridge Centre for Business and Sustainability at Hult International…Read more…
Steel meltdown
As a critical modern industry faces meltdown caused by artificially cheap Chinese steel flooding the UK and European markets, Cameron, Osborne and Javid are caught frozen in the headlights. …Read more…
Water workers face pensioner poverty
Today (Tuesday October 20) Northumbrian Water group workers start industrial action over the prospect of losing their pensions. Water supplies in the north east of England face possible…Read more…
Dark day for steel
Today (Tuesday October 20) Tata steel confirmed its plan to cut 1,200 jobs in Scunthorpe and Scotland. Unite warned that this ‘dark day’ would damage steel companies and hit supply chains…Read more…
A nation on the brink?
I’m in a deep sleep after a restless night with the baby waking constantly when the alarm goes off. Its 05.45, its dark outside and the rest the house is silent as they all sleep peacefully. …Read more…
Progress made on new safety fund by G7
In May I wrote a blog about a new fund that the world’s main industrialised countries (The G7) were setting up to help prevent workplace deaths and injuries. The catalyst for this was the large…Read more…
Defining moment
The crisis in the UK steel industry is a defining moment for the Conservative government. Having talked up the ‘March of the makers’ and the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ the past few…Read more…
Last plea to Tories
The government is sticking to its guns over cuts to tax credits. To persuade the public (and their own MPs) of a plan that the electorate didn’t vote for, they’ve released figures that claim these…Read more…
Episode 7: ‘I would like to go to the union meeting’
Sounds familiar? If you work in the hospitality industry you can join www.unitetheunion.org – if you earn less than the Living Wage (£9.15ph in London, £7.85 outside) for just £2.10 per week….Read more…
STUC General Secretary at SNP conference
On the morning of Saturday 17th October, Grahame Smith our General Secretary got to his feet, delivered a speech to SNP conference and received a standing ovation. It was described as an ‘historic’…Read more…
Steel in the blood
On January 14 this year the future of steel, according to David Cameron was as follows: “We are working as hard as we can to make sure we keep steel production growing in our country….Under…Read more…
Deadly asbestos ignored
More than 20 workers have been exposed to asbestos after the Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester failed to deal with the cancer causing substance – putting staff, patients and…Read more…