A budget package in December may not be Autumn, but it certainly had a real chill for those least able to afford its consequences.
This was a classic Osborne budget statement. Massive real cuts,…Read more…
Debate on Local Government Pay dispute
Today during the meeting of UNISON National Executive Committee there was a wide ranging discussion on the recent dispute on Local Government pay. For some reason I was reminded of this lovely song. I have updated some of the words in honour of the occ…Read more…
Umbrella companies “con trick” – review promised in Autumn Statement
A word of hope now. In the section of the Autumn Statement that dealt with tax avoidance the Chancellor said : “we are also consulting on ….the use of so called ‘umbrella companies’ to deprive people of basic employment rights like the minimum wage and avoid tax.” An umbrella…Read more…
Tackling corporate tax avoidance in the Autumn Statement – measures welcome but will they work?
The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) notes that the ‘giveaways’ and the ‘takeaways’ in the Autumn Statement roughly balance out. A huge proportion of the so-called ‘takeaways’ – ie, that will generate net income for government revenues – stem from measures to tackle corporate tax avoidance and…Read more…
Bhopal: Terrible hardship but incredible courage and kindness
#Bhopal30 This is the day 30 years ago when the Union Carbide industrial disaster claimed 25,000 lives, left 120,000 chronically ill and continues to maim subsequent generations.
The anniversary rally took place along with a march by all the families and supporters to the Bhopal plant walls.
An excellent rally was planned and policed by the Bhopal group and supporters and this was achieved withRead more…
#AutumnStatement 2014: No budget for a green economy
This was no budget for a green economy. There’s no notion of how the Chancellor’s infrastructure plans or business incentives would contribute to green growth, nor how to avoid any of the downside risks of these plans. Environmental levies look increasingly like a straight revenue raiser….Read more…
The real story of the Autumn Statement: the OBR tell the Chancellor to think again
Many are already reporting today’s Autumn Statement in terms of the immediate changes to stamp duty and air travel. But the big headlines were not in the Chancellor’s speech. It’s the OBR’s chilling analysis of the spending cuts that are set to come that should be the real…Read more…
Ruskin College: The legacy of trade union education and research
Colleagues,
My colleague Caroline Holmes (co-ordinator of the BA ILTUS) at Ruskin College has pulled off a fantastic feat in organising the first student-based and led symposium of the Critical Labour Studies network (CLS: http://criticallabourst…Read more…
Work allowances – the nasty little cut in the #AutumnStatement
This afternoon the Chancellor told us that one of his “steps to control benefit spending” will be “freezing Universal Credit work allowances for a further year”. The work allowance is one of the key elements of Universal Credit – it is the amount of earnings you’re allowed before your Universal…Read more…
The ‘long-term plan’ is a political plan not an economic plan
Today the OBR released figures that showed, as widely expected, deficit reduction to date has stalled. Balancing the books (one further year into the future) relies on eye-watering and dangerous cuts in departmental spending. Meantime, in the economy, household debts have been revised up by £174…Read more…
‘Older Women in the Workplace’ Reps Event: Tuesday 9th December 2014
I am an older woman. I have listened to older women working in the private and public sectors and know there are many similar issues affecting older women in the workplace.
At the STUC Women’s…Read more…
Autumn Statement 2014 stamp duty give away will do nothing to solve the housing crisis
Many eyes will be on the stamp duty tax cuts announced in the autumn statement today, but this will do little to address the UK’s entrenched housing crisis. A very unpalatable truth for supporters of the current government is that total home ownership has declined in every year since 2008….Read more…
Autumn Statement 2014 – What’s in it for industry?
Today’s Autumn Statement contained an important package on growth and productivity. So what did we get? And was it enough? First, there was good news on infrastructure. £15bn was committed to improve the national road network. This includes around £6bn to resurface 80% of the national…Read more…
Britain needs a pay rise, but this #AutumnStatement won’t give us one
Listening to today’s Autumn Statement, it’s clear the living standards crisis has wrecked the Chancellor’s strategy. He has failed his deficit reduction pledge as low-paid Britain is paying much less tax than expected – £17bn less in fact. And businesses won’t be able to find the…Read more…
Austerity will continue to hit frontline flood defences
One thing at least is clear from the Autumn Statement: austerity measures will continue to undermine our national response to climate change, notably our frontline flood defences. No new money is involved in the multi-year capital programme for flood d…Read more…
Nov/Dec ’14 Voice column: Another Day
Slumped in the back of the cab, exhausted. Another day in the life of the union! “I’ve picked you up before,” the driver said. “How’s life in the CWU?” Taken by surprise, I replied:…Read more…
Catch-22, Cuban style
Tonight (Wednesday 3 December), the traditional annual Vigil for the Cuban Five will take place outside the US Embassy in London. The gathering, now in its 8th year, calls on the US to honour calls…Read more…
16 years is too long. Justice for the Miami 5 Now!
Tonight many UNISON members and other trade unionists will attend the annual Candlelight Vigil for the Miami Five outside the US Embassy starting at 6pm. Speakers include a special guest from Cuba…Read more…
The UNISON General Secretary election 2015
I have today been assured that budget provision is available to resource an election in 2015 for the election of a General Secretary for UNISON, should such an election be necessary.It will be.
I don’t intend, in this post, to comment on the lamentable succession planning of the full-time…Read more…
What next?
After a long day at work, and ahead of a lengthy, (if less long) meeting of the Left Caucus of the UNISON National Executive Council (NEC) I had the opportunity today to pop by the annual seasonal social event for UNISON staff and NEC members.
Whilst I missed the opportunity to purchase raffle…Read more…