In a sense, not much changed in the Israeli elections of 2015, despite media reports of a “landslide” victory for incumbent Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The country is still almost equally…Read more…
Speech: Stand Up to Racism and Fascism demonstration
The CWU is proud to be a sponsor of today’s demonstration. We believe that the trade unions must be part of the broader anti-racist and antifascist movement. The CWU was one of the founding…Read more…
More men called John run big companies than all women
Not that there is anything wrong with being called John but this blatant sexism and inequality is a nonsense. It is also simply bad for business if you exclude half the world from the the potential pool of talent to recruit from. The picture above is f…Read more…
The decline and fall of our annual Service Group Conference?
I note with regret that there are fewer motions on the Preliminary Agenda for our two day Local Government Service Group Conference in June than have been submitted to be discussed in four hours of Conference time next Tuesday.
The 42 motions on the agenda (a number which at least suggests that…Read more…
Gary Lewis and Tommy Sands lead Glasgow’s MayDay festivities.
–> MayDay festivals have been celebrated since pre-Christian times. Earliest celebrations marked the beginning of summer and linked to many pagan festivals including the Gaelic…Read more…
Trade Unions and the law – as in UNITE so in UNISON?
Len McCluskey is right that unions must be able to fight for workers even if it means breaking bad laws – see his article in the Guardian reporting an important decision of UNITE’s Executive;
http://gu.com/p/46zxh
The General Secretary of our sister u…Read more…
Trade unions can still improve conditions for working people – the case of shared parental leave
I blog enough about how bad things are working in the public sector (and local government in particular) and also have enough to say criticising what I perceive as the shortcomings of my own trade union.I think it is worth saying that not everything is…Read more…
When is a motion also a Number Two?
There is, I suppose, a sense in which a “motion” which is “number two” in order of prioritisation may be considered to the same thing twice.An unkind person (unlike your blogger) might make this observation about Motion 44 on the agenda for UNISON’s Special Local Government Conference (titled “NJC…Read more…
Dave – Don’t Duck Debate!
Among the many things I rather admire about Ed Miliband is his pursuit of David Cameron over the latter’s refusal to face a fair, public debate in the General Election campaign.
It’s clear that an incumbent is always likely to resist such a debate (unless the consider themselves an underdog) but…Read more…
Unite Analysis Of Osborne’s Last Budget
By the Unite Political Department To call George Osborne’s performance, hopefully for the last time, at the Commons’ despatch box a budget for the nation is stretching credulity to its limits. With…Read more…
It’s Public Services Stupid!
Public services are the number one election issue for the majority of Scottish voters. Today we have published a full scale poll undertakenby Survation, for UNISON Scotland, that asked Scottish…Read more…
Save the White Elephant!
UNISON is a proudly progressive organisation and, though animal welfare is rarely a key priority compared to job security or public services, it’s good to know that protection for endangered species is a core value for important decision making bodies within our Union.
The Standing Orders…Read more…
UNISON Special Conference – Out to lunch?
Delegates to UNISON’s Special Local Government Conference next Tuesday have now received the Final Agenda (about which I shall blog further shortly).
As you might expect, the timetable for the day is set out in the documents. The Conference will open a…Read more…
Public services – more austerity carnage ahead
#Budget2015 The cuts to public services projected in yesterday’s Budget speech by Tory Chancellor George Osborne are unprecedented and a timely TUC analysis confirms that ‘departmental spending is…Read more…
130 years of West Ham North MP’s
Hat tip to excellent local history website “E7 Now & Then” for a fascinating and topical post on the MPs who have served the Forest Gate part of West Ham North.
Amazing that we once had an Austro-Hungarian Baron as our MP, another who was re…Read more…
UK Budget 2015
If you are going to tell porkies, tell big ones. That seemed to be the Chancellor’s strategy in today’s budget.
It was as if the past five years didn’t happen. The worst fall in real earnings in…Read more…
Don’t believe the baloney – SHPS Pensions are not doomed. Accountants can’t count
“Inside Housing” on Friday had another gloomy article on the problems facing the Social Housing Pension Scheme (SHPS).
The “deficit” is apparently getting bigger and some Housing Associations are so worried that they are thinking of joining others who…Read more…
The last Budget of this Parliament is almost upon us
A Budget that delivers for ordinary people is what we all would like to hear – unfortunately, I suspect we’re very unlikely toRead more…
UNISON National Labour Link Committee with Sadiq Khan MP
This picture is from last weeks meeting of UNISON National Labour Link Committee next to guest speaker, Sadiq Khan MP, Chair Eleanor Smith and General Secretary Dave Prentis.
Assistant General Secretary, Liz Snape, gave us a briefing on the UNISON Ge…Read more…
Labour v Tories 2015: It’s ideological
Last week I watched Ed Balls give a typically combative speech at the RSA about Tory spending and taxation plans if they won the next election.
On Sunday morning I again saw Ed interviewed on the BBC Andrew Marr programme who then went on to intervie…Read more…