It is just really fantastic news that Newham Council is planning to become a London Living wage employer and sign the UNISON ethical care charter. This was announced by the Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, on behalf of her Cabinet, at last month’s Full Cou…Read more…
Review: Vlasov and the Russian Liberation Movement: Soviet Reality and Emigré Theories, by Catherine Andreyev
Lieutenant General Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov rose steadily in the ranks of the Red Army until finally put in charge of one of Stalin’s “shock armies” and entrusted with the defence…Read more…
Major shareholder turns against Ryanair board
Just a quickie, but I spotted last week that Baillie Gifford had voted against the re-election of both David Bonderman (chair) and Kyran McLaughlin (SID) at the Ryanair AGM in September.
Why does that matter? Because Baillie Gifford is a large (4%) a…Read more…
Mexican President Endorses Corbyn For PM
Mexican President López Obrador has declared his support for the leader of the Labour Party to become the next British prime minister. He made the endorsement of Jeremy Corbyn, whom he described as…Read more…
Kier Group in trouble
Kier Group’s shares took a nosedive on Friday afternoon, after the company announced a £250m rights issue intended to pay down its debt. The background to this, according to Kier Group, is a mixture of lenders pulling back from the construction sector,…Read more…
Trade Unions Are Winning Victories In Mexico
In a sign that things are changing for trade unions in Mexico following the election of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) the independent Mexican mining and metalworkers’ union Los Mineros…Read more…
Newham Heritage Week – Walk to Mill House & Tour
Picture college is from the last day of Newham Heritage Week, when Gill and I walked from Forest Gate (and back) for a tour of Mill House in 3 Mill Island, Bromley-by-Bow.
We walked via the back streets of Forest Gate, thorough West Ham Park, the Gree…Read more…
“Never Commit, Excuse or Remain Silent About Male Violence”
“Newham residents are being urged to wear orange and make a pledge to stand up to violence against women and girls as part of the UN’S 16 Days of Activism, an international campaign against domestic violence.
Newham Council is supporting the campaign…Read more…
‘Misery and suffering’
The government’s savage Universal Credit (UC) has been slammed in the papers since it began in 2013, hit by years of set-backs and left many destitute and relying on food banks. The hugely…Read more…
Cammell Laird strike extended
Unite accused Cammell Laird bosses of deliberately seeking confrontation today (Friday November 30) after they refused the union’s offer to suspend industrial action in return for a pause to plans to…Read more…
‘Ploughing on regardless’
Unite Community is holding more than 90 events across the country tomorrow (December 1) as part of a national day of action against Universal Credit. In Northern Ireland the protests kicked…Read more…
Which unions are the most influential on Twitter in 2018?
Every November, I compile metrics to see which union are the most influential on Twitter. This is the seventh year I’ve been doing this analysis, and previous results can be found on this…Read more…
Remember, remember, glorious Grovember
Oscar the dog was nominated as our Grovember mascot as we grew stronger together, But this month showed, yet again, what our incredible members achieve every day
The article Remember, remember,…Read more…
Government cladding ban ignores most workplaces
It makes no sense that developers will still be able to build office blocks, stadiums, concert halls and private schools with combustible claddingRead more…
Sports Direct – Mike Ashley’s declining popularity
Perhaps others spotted this at the time, but I just realised that Mike Ashley saw a very sizeable vote against his re-election at the most recent Sports Direct AGM.
On the headline vote he walked it with a vote against of just under 10%, or 44m shares…Read more…
UNISON Welfare Trustee Board and UNISON Staff Pension Trustee Board meetings
I am back home after a couple of busy days in my role as a UNISON National Executive Committee (NEC) appointed Trustee.
On Tuesday I travelled up to Grantham in Lincolnshire to a meeting of the UNISON Welfare Trustee Board. This board is a mix of…Read more…
Radicalising Labour’s housing policy
This is an article published in Labour Briefing The contradiction between Labour’s official housing policies and the more radical aspirations … MoreRead more…
Blog: Decent quality care is something which benefits the whole community
Care workers provide an exceptional service, so they deserve to be treated with respect. Today’s signing – and every council who signs up to the charter – helps ensure more care workers benefit. And…Read more…
World’s oldest rebel
Unite has paid tribute to legendary anti-austerity activist, Second World War veteran and the “world’s oldest rebel” Harry Leslie Smith, who died yesterday (November 28) aged 95.
The post World’s…Read more…
Grimethorpe dinner ladies save their jobs
Members return to work as redundancy plans dropped after 36 days of strike action
The article Grimethorpe dinner ladies save their jobs first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…