“While there are certainly positive elements in these proposals, the package as a whole falls short of our aspirations contained in our submission to the Commission, with particular regard to job creation,
employment regulation, equalities and minimum wage. These are areas required if inequalities in society are to be addressed. We will continue to press for this”, said Mike Kirby, UNISONRead more…
Government rushes to sell off East Coast before election
Today the government announced that the preferred bidder to run the East Coast Main Line is a Virgin/Stagecoach consortium. In a purely ideological move, the re-privatisation has been rushed through…Read more…
East Coast mainline decision puts shareholders ahead of passengers, says TUC
Responding to the announcement today (Thursday) that the East Coast mainline franchise has been awarded to Virgin and Stagecoach – and will now be returned to the private sector – TUC General…Read more…
Private school pupils and their continual monopoly on privilege.
Researchers found that ’31 per cent of private school pupils in the 1970 birth cohort obtained a degree from an elite university, compared to 13 per cent from grammar schools, 5 per cent from comprehensives, and 2 per cent from secondary moderns.’ hat tip leftfoot forward
So wealth alone…Read more…
What is a trade union?
Well done to Jamie-Max Caldwell for another excellent video:
Tony Blair / David Brent
Somehow this –
Blair is frustrated that, for many Britons, Iraq effectively disqualifies him from contributing to this debate. He predicts, however, that this will change: ‘At some point … people will come to see that this is indeed a complicated and difficult argument and [that] this is…Read more…
Legislative programme. The good, the bad and the process
The Scottish Government’s legislative programme is the predictable mixed bag. Some positive bits, some prospects of action and some significant disappointments.
The eye catcher was land reform. Not…Read more…
UNISON Scotland statement on First Minister’s programme for Government
Wed 26 Nov 2014
Mike Kirby, Scottish secretary of UNISON, said ‘UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union and we welcome the First Minister’s programme for government. There was much in Nicola Sturgeon’s statement to commend.
We welcome her commitment to protect public services and to increase NHS funding; her commitment to the living wage and to mitigate the problems of welfare reform; andRead more…
Funding effective careers guidance – is another ‘lost generation’ a price worth paying?
The second of ATL’s series of pre-election policy debates asked if another ‘lost generation’ was a price worthy paying for a dearth of effective careers guidance. On the panel were: Sara Caplan, a…Read more…
UNISON condemns chief constable statement that it is ‘inevitable that more police staff face further jobs cuts next year’
Wed 26 Nov 2014
UNISON, the trade union for police civilian staff, has condemned the statement by the Chief Constable of Police Scotland that more police staff will be made redundant.
George McIrvine, secretary of UNISON police staff Scotland branch said:"This shows UNISON is right. Civilian police staff are facing big job losses and are the victims of the Scottish Governments policy toRead more…
NUJ members challenge illegal surveillance by UK law enforcement
The IFJ (International Federation of Journalists) has joined the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in supporting six members who have taken legal action against the Metropolitan Police and the Home…Read more…
Our Future Free from Racism
2014 has been a great year for Scotland, and one where we have celebrated and embraced diversity. Over the summer 71 teams from 53 members of the Commonwealth came together in Glasgow for the best…Read more…
Which unions are the most influential in social media in 2014?
Since 2012, I’ve carried out annual research to find out which TUC-affiliated unions are the most influential on social media. It’s been a year since the last review, and so I’ve updated the metrics…Read more…
SWT Pay Talks update for 2014
TO ALL BRANCHES WITH SOUTH WEST TRAINS MEMBERS Dear Colleagues, SOUTH WEST TRAINS ANNUAL PAY 7 CONDITIONS NEGOTIATIONS A detailed written submission was made to the company in September outlining members aspira…Read more…
SWT Pay Talks update for 2014
TO ALL BRANCHES WITH SOUTH WEST TRAINS MEMBERS Dear Colleagues, SOUTH WEST TRAINS ANNUAL PAY 7 CONDITIONS NEGOTIATIONS A detailed written submission was made…Read more…
NHS Pay Dispute – Where Next?
On Monday thousands of NHS workers took to the picket lines for the second time in six weeks. Following the huge success of the action on 13th October, 9 health unions called their members out…Read more…
Performance management is a bad business
I support 100% this criticism about so-called “Performance Management”. It is in my experience divisive, unfair and destroys team work. Didn’t realise that it encouraged “cannibalism” but…
“Performance management, a worker assessment system that pi…Read more…
From Under the Covers to Lecturing in College
FROM RADICAL ACTIVIST to respectable academic? The roles of police agent Bob
Just over a month ago, on October 23, 2014, the Metropolitan Police Service agreed to pay £425,000 to a woman…Read more…
Employers can’t continue to operate in a careers advice vacuum
Sara Caplan is a Partner in the UK Consulting practice at PwC, leading the Education and Skills business. We all have an image in our heads of what career guidance has meant to us as individuals. I…Read more…
Blundering CIPD official in the firing line
A top official of the professional body for human resources managers has found himself in the firing line after telling a conference that blacklisting of trade unionists is a “big fuss about very…Read more…