Today I was driving solo back to London from a difficult but I think constructive hearing in Cambridge and I heard this record for the first time in years on “Absolute Radio 1980s”. Turn volume up to maximum and sing-a-long time. This is a fantastic so…Read more…
Time to pick ourselves up
The advent of, well, advent doesn’t spell a reduced workload in local government – on the contrary, next year’s budget proposals are emerging in local authorities up and down the country and – particularly in the deprived areas which this Government targets for the greatest reductions – things look…Read more…
The Benefit Cap: is it worthwhile?
The Department for Work and Pensions has just published their evaluation of the impact of the Benefit Cap in its first year. The Cap is a limit to the maximum amount of working age benefits a family can receive – for families with children, £500 a month. How has the policy fared? The…Read more…
Breaking the link between funding and social needs – local government finance
The funding of local government has been notoriously complicated, subject as it has been to constant changes by governments in the methods of funding. However, since 1929 “it has been used to some degree to promote equalisation – that is, to ensure that the funding available to local authorities…Read more…
Lima blog #6: Unions must influence country commitments
In solidarity and shared purpose, the international trade union delegation and its Peruvian hosts worked their socks off inside the Lima climate conference. Outside it, the Peoples Summit enriched the city centre, and 20,000 marched on the UN for climate justice. But the conference itself largely…Read more…
UNISON Poll reveal predictable results in response to mass outsourcing
Share: Facebook Twitter Google Plus LinkedIn In the wake of Barnet “Commissioning” Councils plans to outsource 81% of the current workforce Barnet UNISON organised a poll of its members.
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Barnet UNISON e NEWS 15 December 2014
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#DecentJobsWeek: Too poor to be off sick
Until recently all of us assumed that when we are off sick we would still be paid, whether through a sick pay scheme negotiated by a trade union, through a company sick pay policy or, in the absence of these, through statutory sick pay (SSP). This seem…Read more…
Women who flee sexual violence abroad need rights in the UK
This week sees the start of a campaign by the Women’s Asylum Charter whose 350 supporters include the TUC, ASLEF Women’s Committee, GMB, NAPO, NASUWT, NUT, PCS Women’s Forum and Unison. In supporting this Charter, the TUC and its member unions are standing up for the rights of women who come to…Read more…
Police Chief disregards compelling evidence
Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, writes in today’s Guardian and calls for ‘radical structural reform’ to deal with the impact of Government funding cuts. His solution…Read more…
UNION BUSTING BY UK PUBLIC SERVICES PROVIDERS
The motion below on Union Busting has been sent to by UNISON Housing Association branch to next year’s Greater London Regional Council AGM in February 2014. If it is passed it will also be considered as a regional motion for the National Delegate Confe…Read more…
Class Action and stopping the endless drip, drip of corporate fraud
A very good article by lawyer Katherine Dandy on Class Actions in Pension Insight. I have added this comment to the on-line site.
“You make a lot of sense Katherine. There is also a wider governance point that Trustees should consider.
It is n…Read more…
Italian unions strike: #stopjobsact
Italian unions, led by the TUC’s sister organisation the CGIL, have been taking to the streets – including a general strike on Friday – to oppose reforms of the labour market being proposed by the centre-left government of Matteo Renzi. They say they are defending workers’…Read more…
Overseas aid bill clears Commons – now heads for Lords
Michael Moore MP’s private members’ bill – aiming to bind future UK governments to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on official development assistance (overseas aid) cleared the…Read more…
Amazon: Decent Jobs needed!
15-21 December is Decent Jobs Week, when we try to shine a light on the UK’s growing jobs crisis.Read more…
Newsletters and Christmas Cards for Ilford North
This afternoon West Hammers went to Ilford North to help deliver a Labour newsletter and Christmas cards from local candidate Wes Streeting.
In the newsletter there is a picture of Wes from 2010 when he was President of the National Union of Stu…Read more…
the poorest pay 47% of their income in tax (the richest pay 34%)
Check out post at TUC Touchstone: “Saving Our Safety Net Fact of the Week: the poorest pay 47% of their income in tax (the richest pay 34%).
Why should the poorest pay the most and don’t let the Daily Mail continue to confuse income tax with all taxes…Read more…
New Scotland in UNISON now online
December’s Scotland in UNISON is now online: Stories on engaging people in devo plans; Bhopal reports; GAMH campaign; SNP conference lobby and police cuts; OTs under stress; Lanarkshire Health PFI fight; Homelessness costs; FE colleges; Holiday pay and much more in this edition. http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/index.html
Italian unions stage General Strike in defence of workplace rights
Yesterday Italian unions staged a General Strike in protest at the Jobs Act which seeks to deregulate employment rights by weakening national bargaining and removing protections against unfair…Read more…
An Account of Despair by Volker Braun
When she entered
And set down her empty bags on my tabletops
I felt caught out in my
Missed deeds.
The evening news dripped bloodily from the screen
And the bed stood encircled
Aside in the…Read more…