The requirement of parents to ensure that their children attend school “regularly” is nothing new: it isn’t a Blair-era piece of government control, it dates back to the 1944 Education Act. This was…Read more…
The Trade Union Bill and my job: Sean’s story
My name is Sean Keown and I work as a Pharmacy Technician. My job involves dispensing and checking medicines, counselling patients, and updating computer systems related to the issue of patient…Read more…
The Trade Union Bill: Roger’s story
Roger is 70 years old and has been retired from Sheffield City Council as an administrator since 1997
The article The Trade Union Bill: Roger’s story first appeared on the UNISON site.Read more…
‘Where were the black kids then?’
To celebrate Black History Month this week on UNITElive, every day we meet a Unite member who tells us of their own experiences. Today we meet Tracey Liburd Tracey Liburd will never forget…Read more…
Weak Paris treaty will mean “job losses and development crisis”
Trade union demands for the principles of a just transition and decent work have made it into the last draft of the Paris climate change treaty before the final round of talks begin in earnest on 30 November. But there’s still a huge gap between national pledges to cut their carbon emissions and…Read more…
Caledonia Investments update
Just keeping this one warm. As it stands, the Electoral Commission register of donations continues to list two donations from Caledonia Investments PLC worth £4000 in the financial year to 31 March 2015. As previously noted these were not disclosed in the company’s annual report and were not…Read more…
Lords tax credits vote is an important first step
The vote on tax credits is a tremendous win for ordinary people struggling to get by on low pay – but it’s only a beginning
The article Lords tax credits vote is an important first step first…Read more…
Economy growing at around half the pace of last year
At 0.5%, today’s preliminary estimate of GDP quarterly growth in 2015 Q3 was a little weaker than expected (0.6%), down from 0.7% in Q2, and continued the run of below-par growth throughout 2015. Comparing with the same quarter of last year, growth was 2.3%. Looking at the measure of GDP excluding…Read more…
Sports Direct: Six strikes and you’re out?
What if we subjected Sports Direct to its own six strikes policy?Read more…
Ending union check-off arrangements would be disruptive, centralist, and make absolutely no sense
Just as it seemed the Trade Union Bill couldn’t get any worse, the government confirmed last week that it is pushing ahead with its last minute amendment to the bill – bringing in new plans to scrap check-off arrangements across the public sector. Check-off is the system through which…Read more…
Know your enemy: 4 trade deals that threaten our rights
CETA, TTIP, TISA, TPP … confused? Here’s the second of our handy infographics about these menacing trade deals. Download hi-res file See the original graphic CETA is coming first –…Read more…
“Its official Barnet Council UNISON members to take 24 hour strike action on 2 November”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: “Its official Barnet Council UNISON members to take 24 hour strike action on 2 November”
read moreRead more…
Ex-Federal Reserve boss rejects the Chancellor’s approach to spending cuts and surplus legislation
Yesterday was a bad day for George Osborne. After the Newsnight coverage of the defeat in the House of Lords, Evan Davies introduced (here at 20:25 mins) the previous Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke (in the UK to promote his memoirs). Ex-bosses of central banks can speak more freely…Read more…
The Committee, the amendment and the threat to DOCAS
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2015-2016/0058/amend/pbc0582710m.1-7.html
While the Today Programme is explaining statutory instruments and a Tory Government is finding out what it’s like not to have a majority in the Lords, those …Read more…
UNISON declares war on government over Trade Union Bill
Union says every one of its members will fight against the Tories’ anti-union legislationRead more…
Lively Public Sector Pension Fringe #Lab15
This report is late but the affordability of public sector pensions schemes keeps coming up. Picture is of me taking part in my latest verbal duel with Michael Johnson (pink shirt on-the-right) on public sector pensions at the CIPFA fringe during the L…Read more…
Prison officers to strike after colleagues sacked for defending themselves against violent patient
POA members at Ashworth Hospital vote to take action in defence of colleaguesRead more…
Children tax credit reprive – Gawd bless yer Britney Spears!
Well done to the House of Lord tonight for blocking attempts by multi-millionaire “Old Etonian” and future Baronet, Gideon “Mockney” Osborne, to take children tax credits from millions of low paid working (strivers) British families.
I saw him being i…Read more…
Today’s tax credit debate – what is the independent assessment going to reveal?
Today the House of Lords debated regulations to cut tax credits, scheduled to be introduced next April. They voted to delay this introduction until an independent assessment of their likely impact has been carried out. In this post I want to look at wh…Read more…
A chance for the government to think again on tax credits
Commenting on the tax credits debate in the House of Lords today (Monday), UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “Across the country nearly three million low and middle income working families…Read more…