All the union news that's fit to blog...
Under the Tories a newly qualified nurse will have £50,000 of debt.
As they axe bursaries and introduce University fees.
This while the NHS is critically short of nurses.
UNISON has long argued that Project 2000 ran the risk of student nurses being treated like other students.
We have always…Read more…
There is a growing rhetoric that young people are lazy, work-shy and have an astonishing sense of entitlement. Such smears have been stated by employers, have saturated the media and are echoed by eminent politicians. For example in 2014 David Cameron said: “I want us to end the idea that aged 18…Read more…
Today, British Minister for Europe David Lidington MP is in the Netherlands to meet Foreign Minister Bert Koenders. The Dutch take over the Presidency of the EU on 1 January, so they will play a crucial role in orchestrating the EU’s response to David Cameron’s pre-referendum…Read more…
Despite ‘spectacular’ tax credit u-turn, working people need more on industry, jobs and public services, says TUC Responding to today’s (Wednesday) Comprehensive Spending Review statement from…Read more…
George Osborne’s first Spending Review of the new parliament has hit the headlines for his spectacular U-turn over drastic cuts to tax credits. It avoids the hardship it would have inflicted on millions of low-paid families, though as Richard Exell points out, the cuts to Universal Credit are…Read more…
I’ve just left the launch of an exciting project to inform a new generation about a little-known element of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Grassroots film-makers Barefoot…Read more…
The headline news in today’s Spending Review and Autumn Statement is the decision not to go ahead with the cuts to tax credits that were due to take place next April. So let’s remember the cuts that were due to come into effect next April, with no protection for the tax credit claimants who…Read more…
Cuts to local government grant and extra spending commitments for local authorities add up to a £3bn hit on councils, says UNISON today (Wednesday). UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “Today…Read more…
The St Andrew’s Day Anti-Racism March and Rally this year has the theme ‘No Racism: Refugees Welcome Here.’ The rally will take place on Sat 28th Nov, Assemble 10:30am Glasgow Green. Below is a…Read more…
There are two competing but related health service ‘narratives’ being promoted in the immediate aftermath of the spending review. The first is that George Osborne has listened and delivered the “biggest ever commitment to the NHS since its creation”. The second is that Simon Stevens, head of NHS…Read more…
In one respect the Chancellor’s announcements on skills and apprenticeships in the Spending Review has been viewed as another u-turn with the welcome news that there will not be the degree of cuts to FE colleges and the adult skills budget that was widely anticipated. In addition the Apprenticeship…Read more…
George Osborne made the announcements that business rates will be localised and local councils will be able to add 2 per cent to council tax to fund social care with some fanfare. Both of those are questionable decisions to say the least – more of which later. But in a matter of a couple…Read more…
The Chancellor’s rabbits from the hat were mainly permitted by changes to the economic forecast. In general these were more eye-catching than material, excepting his U-turn on welfare. The OBR continue to stress the severity of the cuts. It is worth looking at how the arithmetic works out –…Read more…
For five years under the Coalition government manufacturing faced a tough time with our automotive industry providing the growth in the economy due to strong exports, which was also supported by our…Read more…
In contrast to recent budget speeches, which have included significant changes to pensions policy, the pensions announcements in this spending review do not herald any major new policy developments. However, the government has moved forwards on its pla…Read more…
Osborne went to Parliament to attempt to undo the damage his last budget did to his political fortunes. Time will tell if he has managed it. Tax credit cuts that would have hit 3.3m low…Read more…
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “It would have been unthinkable to cut police budgets in light of the dreadful events in Paris. “The 25 per cent cuts that have been imposed since 2010…Read more…
It’s not often the TUC talks about tampons but I feel compelled to say a few words about today’s announcement that funds raised via the “tampon tax” will be spent on women’s charities. This morning I wrote about how spending cuts are decimating the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) charity…Read more…
Today (25 November) is the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of the #16DaysofActivism (to 10 December’s Human Rights Day) of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 3 women around the world…Read more…
25 Nov 2015
UNISON Scotland e-briefing on Autum Attement online now…
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/e-briefing_UKAutumnStatement_Nov2015.pdf
"The UK highlights include the abandonment of the savage Tax Credit cuts, following the government’s defeat
in the House of Lords. Higher tax receipts and lower borrowing costs helped meet this cost. However, from
2018 claimants will switchRead more…