Swindon Council’s second raid on the housing account As Swindon Council faces the decline of central government Revenue Support Grant year on year, it has scrabbled around desperately looking for ways of saving money. Its imposition of parish councils on the town without a democratic mandate…Read more…
Barclays jobs stay pledge
Barclays is not considering moving British jobs to Europe because of Brexit, the bank’s chief executive has said. Jes Staley also said that any internal restructuring that would be needed…Read more…
Transforming Britain
A Labour government would re-nationalise the UK’s energy industry, railways, buses and Royal Mail, the party’s leaked draft manifesto states. In a boost for ordinary people, Labour would also…Read more…
‘Damaging’ school cuts
Unite has warned that damaging school cuts will increase if the Tories regain power on June 8. The warning was issued after education unions, including Unite, condemned plans by an academy…Read more…
Crane strikes loom
The likelihood of strikes this summer at HTC Wolffkran, the UK’s largest tower crane operator, have taken a dramatic step forward after peace talks collapsed in an ongoing pay dispute. Unite,…Read more…
Where’s the support for our mental health?
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, UNISON members share their experiences of the UK’s struggling mental health services
The article Where’s the support for our mental health? first appeared…Read more…
Hull Pride
Unite’s £17,000 sponsorship of a landmark UK Pride event in Hull – 2017 City of Culture – underlines the country’s largest union’s support for gay rights, whether in the workplace or in…Read more…
Friction-free access plea
In a major intervention, former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown this week warned that Britain’s world class automotive industry is under dire threat from a hard Brexit pledged by the Tories,…Read more…
Industrial Strategy: Which sectors should we focus our support on?
If industrial policy is suddenly so popular amongst politicians wanting our votes, why was it so controversial before now? The answer to that question lies in the fact that industrial policy has been based on an understanding that some business sectors…Read more…
Should DB schemes open to new members get special treatment? (and why DC schemes are so rubbish in comparison)
I had a name check in this interesting article below. Modern defined benefit (DB) pension schemes are the only way that ordinary working people will be able to enjoy a secure retirement.
I recently pointed out to a journalist that in the DB Local Gov…Read more…
Tories’ ‘hit and miss’ plans
Unite has blasted the Tories’ “ad hoc” “hit and miss” industrial strategy, after details of the government’s deal with Nissan emerged. The Times obtained a four page letter from Nissan…Read more…
Unite pioneers e-education
With adult education undergoing years of painful cuts, Unite is pioneering new online training and education to ensure that working people do not lose out on skills and development. Research…Read more…
‘Sensible bonus’ call
Unions representing construction workers at Hinkley Point are hopeful that the dispute over bonus payments can be resolved after fresh talks were promised. The unions involved,Unite and GMB,…Read more…
Top store in under pay shock
John Lewis has long been lauded for its staff-centred approach – their employee ownership model means workers share in the profits and so have a direct connection to the value they create. But…Read more…
Strike ‘pane’ in windows row
The strikes over pay and shift patterns at Sierra Windows in Paignton, Devon could spread to another company in Newton Abbot, part of the same Specialist Building Products group. A total of 44…Read more…
Why all the political parties should be talking about pay, jobs and rights?
What’s at stake for working people in this election? Economic issues increasingly risk being the dog that didn’t bark in this election. The 2015 campaign saw a fierce debate about the figures, whether on the scale of the cost-of-living crisis or the size of the deficit, at the centre of parties’…Read more…
4 weeks to the General Election
If you joined Labour because you want a Labour government it’s time to act. Join us and Lyn Brown talk to voters at our street stalls or knocking on doors here in West Ham and in two key marginals: Ilford North and Westminster Nort…Read more…
Active industrial strategy: Where should the next government put its money?
The main parties in this election are committed to an active industrial strategy, a great improvement over years of leaving much of the development of industry to market forces. But we need to see the detail. As they publish their manifestos, we’ll be watching closely to see what their own…Read more…
Continued record real wage declines are not the only way to employment growth
For UK workers the financial crisis has morphed into a real earnings crisis. OECD forecasts suggest that there will be very little respite in the next parliament. Over 2017 and 2018 UK real wages are expected to decline by -0.5%. Only Greece, Italy and…Read more…
Re-electing Lyn Brown in Green Street & Forest Gate
College is from Sundays morning canvass in Green Street West and the afternoon session in Forest Gate North. Our Parliamentary candidate, Lyn Brown, was there to support us with Cara, her famous Yorkshire terrier Labour attack dog.
We first met outsid…Read more…