All the union news that's fit to blog...
Last week I went on a (self funded) delegation organised by the Greece Solidarity Campaign to Athens. David Lammy MP was a member of the delegation.
I will post on the visit but yesterday David wrote a powerful (and angry) article in the NewStatesman which I have copied below:-
“Unless Europe’s…Read more…
The government’s controversial trade union bill will be coming back to the House of Commons in April, for the final Parliamentary stages before it becomes law.Read more…
Port workers at the Port of Grangemouth kicked off a two-week strike today (March 15) after their employer Forth Ports imposed changes to shift work without consultation. These changes will…Read more…
Investment advisers at the 73 per cent taxpayer-owned RBS bank are set to be replaced by so-called “robo advisers” to cut costs, which will entail the loss of 250 jobs. The bank, which…Read more…
Unite revealed today (March 15) that it was pursuing legal action against a number of UK airlines on behalf of 61 cabin crew after they were exposed to ‘toxic cabin air’ while working on board…Read more…
UNISON Scotland’s International Committee and Green Network, together with Global Justice Now, invite you to a free community screening of the inspirational film This Changes Everything, on Friday 8…Read more…
Cooperation between groups of workers, international unions and embassies is slowly opening up Qatar to scrutiny, but all we’re learning is the same old bad news. When it comes to Qatar, and the fate…Read more…
An article in today’s Telegraph should act as a spur to everyone in the Remain camp. Lynton Crosby – The Wizard of Oz – has been looking behind the poll numbers to gauge the motivation of supporters of Leave and Remain to go out and vote. The results which point to a possible Brexit,…Read more…
Last week the government suffered two significant defeats in the House of Lords as two amendments the TUC supported to give rights and protections to asylum seekers and overseas domestic workers were added to the Immigration Bill. The Immigration Bill was introduced as part of the government’s…Read more…
You are our union. You are what gives us our strength. And as the government attempts to silence us and limit our ability to campaign, you will be what keeps this union moving forward.
The article…Read more…
Tomorrow sees not just the budget but also the debate on the Trade Union Bill in the House of Lords. The Bill includes a provision to allow the Government to restrict access to facility time for…Read more…
http://www.teachers.org.uk/members-reps/6th-form-teachers/pay-and-funding-campaign
Today is a good day not simply because thousands of members of our sister union the National Union of Teachers (NUT) are striking against spending cuts in sixth form col…Read more…
UNISON is calling for political parties to agree to allocate more resources for social work and social care workers. This call is being made on International Federation of Social Workers World Social Work Day (Tuesday 15 March 2016)
The reality for social work workforce in Scotland is they have bigger caseloads, shorter timescales, and greater demands leading to greater risks. Social workRead more…
This is an article that I wrote recently for Professional Pensions magazine
“John Gray asks why agreement can’t be made on appropriate discount rates for the LGPS. Currently I sit on three different open defined benefit pension bodies in different employer and employee roles. While I think…Read more…
Co-op drivers have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action over the proposal to transfer 87 drivers in the Midlands to controversial haulier Eddie Stobart Ltd (ESL). Because of the…Read more…
In 2010, Chancellor George Osborne first laid out one of the central aims of the then coalition government in his first budget – to eliminate the deficit by 2015. Having failed to meet…Read more…
On Wednesday, Chancellor George Osborne will deliver his sixth budget. In his first budget back in 2010, he identified a number of challenges for our imbalanced and over-indebted economy that his strategy indended to resolve. He’s had five budgets since to tackle them, but looking back at his…Read more…
Governments must do more to reduce energy bills by improving the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings.
MPs on the Westminster Energy and Climate Change Committee report that the energy…Read more…
Before the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the USA comes the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada. It has been ‘agreed’ several times, but it’s not over yet. And it’s still seriously deficient…Read more…
Following the UNISON in colleges one-day strike over pay on 24 February, UNISON’s further education committee met last week and has put out the following statement: The FE & 6th Form Committee…Read more…