Bin collections in the London borough of Bexley are to resume from tomorrow (August 25) while a deal between refuse collectors and their employer Serco is ratified. Unite said its members have voted…Read more…
10 things you probably don’t know about the NHS pay award
UNISON members may be wondering how to react to the government’s imposed pay award. Here are some facts to help you decide what 3% means for you
The article 10 things you probably don’t know…Read more…
Blog: Call 999 – the terrifying crisis in the ambulance service
We need them when things are at their worst, but demand on paramedics has been increasing, recently hidden by the pandemic. How can our first responders be helped?
The article Blog: Call 999 – the…Read more…
“My advice to anyone is to get the vaccine” – Young COVID patients share…
Young victims of Covid & medical professionals explain why their advice is for everyone to get the vaccine. Read more…
7 things for unions to think about when updating member contact data
We’ve been working with RCM recently on how unions might work with members to keep contact data up to date. An automated SMS campaign succeeded in getting some great levels of engagement (read…Read more…
Slave trade history ‘must be condemned and never forgotten’
August 23 has been designated by UNESCO as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. From 1562 when slavery began with the first English slaving expedition…Read more…
Sandwell leisure staff strike again over ‘fire and rehire’ tactics
Leisure trust that is set to run the aquatic centre for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham is targeting staff while having millions in the bank
The article Sandwell leisure staff strike…Read more…
Review: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz, by Erik Larson
There are literally thousands of books about Churchill. Erik Larson’s unique selling point seems to be his focus on Churchill’s family life, and in particular his weekends away from…Read more…
Walton-on-the-Naze walk to Frinton-on-sea
After a lovely day with extended family at a rented beach hut in Walton-on-the-Naze (with lots of paddling, sandcastle building and fish n chips) Gill and I decided to walk to Frinton-on-sea to catch the train back to London.
A fantastic 2 mile …Read more…
Developer defends plans to put social homes in blocks serving as a ‘noise buffer’
A dreadful story reported in “Inside Housing”
“Developer Lovell has defended itself after sparking an outcry by describing blocks of flats containing most of a proposed Bristol development’s social homes as a “noise buffer” between industry and other …Read more…
New Labour’s culpability for the housing crisis
“After 13 years of New Labour in government there were actually 655,000 less ‘social’ homes than there were when they … MoreRead more…
“Plight of desperate Afghans highlights UK’s cruel refugee plans”
MPs from all parties must defeat Westminster government’s plans to further criminalise and punish those fleeing for their lives
Hat tip UNISON General Secretary Christin McAnea blog “We are witnessing deeply upsetting scenes from Afghanistan. Pe…Read more…
Review: Rabbit Hole, by Mark Billingham
Mark Billingham has earned his reputation as one of Britain’s best crime writers due to his series featuring Tom Thorne, a detective serving with the Metropolitan Police. From time to time, he…Read more…
ONS Covid survey – Swab test went ok but failed to complete blood antibody test (again!)
Since October 2020 I have been a volunteer taking part in the random mass survey by the ONS on Covid infections. Every 4 weeks someone from the ONS would visit me at home and collect a PCR test and for the first several months also take a blood sample …Read more…
‘Fair day’s pay for fair day’s work’
Crunch talks to resolve the long-running Woolwich Ferry rep victimisation dispute last week between Transport for London (TfL) bosses and Unite the union broke down with the union accusing TfL of…Read more…
Radius Aerospace job losses
More than 60 Radius Aerospace job losses in Shrewsbury, the first of which could occur on the day furlough ends, are a ‘hammer blow’ for staff, Unite said today (August 19). Radius Aerospace, which…Read more…
‘Sheer lunacy’
Unite has branded as ‘lunacy’ the announcement that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the only body able to licence Covid-19 vaccines in the UK, is set to cut 20 per…Read more…
Council workers ‘furious’ at pay offer
Unite the union is to hold a consultative ballot to see if its 70,000 workers in local government want to proceed to an industrial ballot, with options up to strike action, following the ‘derisory’…Read more…
“Homeowners £326,000 richer than renters over 30 years, report finds”
Check out the indie. The problem is not so much home ownership, but the fact (in my view) that the market is rigged by the Government in favour of home ownership above other tenures.
Now prices are so high then this may change since in man…Read more…
Beyond furlough: why the UK needs a permanent short-time work scheme
Rather than scrapping the furlough scheme at the end of September, the government should build on its success.Read more…