Striking hospital workers, cabin crew and Bank of England staff will be coming together for a series of protests in London tomorrow (August 3) to highlight their fight for better pay. …Read more…
To vape or not to vape at work?
Last month the Government issued a Five Year Tobacco Control plan for England. Several newspapers reported that this proposed that routine bans of vaping products at the workplace or in public spaces…Read more…
SOS Day for libraries
Our Save Our Services campaign day of action this year takes place on 19 October and is focused on libraries. Libraries are a hub and a haven in our communities. They offer a place for people to…Read more…
Sense about fantasy pension deficits
A great article by Henry Tapper in his blog “Pension Playpen” about the nonsense being spread about the “fantasy deficits” reported by the huge pension fund, University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
The USS has produced investment returns of 21% increasing its assets to £60 billion in the last year…Read more…
Unite secures landmark holiday pay legal ruling and warns employers ‘get your house in order’
31 July 2017 Britain’s largest union, Unite today (Monday 31 July) called on employers to urgently get their ‘house in order’ over holiday pay after it secured a landmark legal victory meaning…Read more…
Women lose out
Gender segregation within Scotland’s flagship Modern Apprenticeships (MA) programme is increasing, new figures reveal. Out of the 50 MA roles analysed by Scottish Labour, women made up less…Read more…
‘Get your house in order’
Unite yesterday (July 31) called on employers to urgently get their ‘house in order’ over holiday pay after it secured a landmark legal victory meaning employers must now include voluntary overtime…Read more…
Fair pay fight
Today (August 1) Unite members at the Bank of England began a three day strike. All they are asking for is fair pay. Without consulting the union or staff, the bank imposed a one per cent…Read more…
‘Left with no choice’
After last-ditch talks to resolve a pay dispute failed yesterday, strike action at the Bank of England resumed today (August 1). The strike will continue on Wednesday (August 2) and Thursday…Read more…
Employment tribunal fees: the story behind our success
How UNISON won the most significant judicial intervention in the history of British employment law
The article Employment tribunal fees: the story behind our success first appeared on the UNISON…Read more…
When data wins in court
Sometimes data tells you an interesting story, sometimes it reveals hidden truths, and sometimes it wins you a four-year legal battle with the government
The article When data wins in court first…Read more…
Tolpuddle Martyrs Walk: Greensted, Essex 2017
On Sunday 16 July Sunday 2017 during the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs weekend, I went for a walk with Gill in Chipping Ongar and Greensted to visit the wooden Saxon Church and pay homage to the Tolpuddle Martyrs who were resettled in farms around here, aft…Read more…
Labour enforcement agencies – six potential developments
The Immigration Act 2016 brought about significant changes to the remit and powers of the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority. It also created the position of director of labour market enforcement. Sir David Metcalf has been appointed to this post. It is the director who is responsible for…Read more…
History of Populism:
The people is sublime: the long history of populism, from Robespierre to Trump David Marquand, The New Statesman A spectre of populism is haunting the world’s liberal democracies. Donald…Read more…
It’s the Common Law wot won it
31 July 2017
By Michael Ford QC, Professor of Law University of Bristol and Counsel for the EHRC in the UNISON case
As described by one commentator, the Supreme Court judgment in R (UNISON) v Lord…Read more…
After another lost decade, it’s time to fix the UK’s broken skills system
Workers have suffered from a lost decade of wage growth. While the jobs recovery has been strong, the wage recovery has been agonisingly slow. Wages in 2016 were still 4% lower in real terms than they were a decade before, and they are falling again. Britain’s dreadful performance on…Read more…
Going paperless at TUC Congress
Anyone who’s been to the TUC Congress or any other big motion-based union conference knows about the paper. While democracy is the intention, a heavy bag of paper is one of the products. For…Read more…
UNISON wins another important legal case over employers who fail to consult unions
Following on from the victory over employment tribunal fees on Wednesday.
“UNISON has won a landmark court victory today (Friday 28 July) that makes it much harder for employers to ignore staff when making major changes in the workplace.
The Court of…Read more…
The Phenomena of Time Consciousness
(excerpt) Hardial Bains (Circa 1967) The commitment of Socratic life is the individual acts on what he knows, today he goes into the future with the full conviction of his knowledge. He only goes…Read more…
West Ham General Election Wash Up
This picture is from Wednesday evening, when we had a West Ham Labour General Election “Wash Up”. CLP Officers, Branch organisers and secretaries were invited to our headquarters in Stratford to talk about and debate, what went right with our election …Read more…