The HSE has published a review of the way that the 2012 Control of Asbestos Regulations have been implemented. There was a requirement on the HSE to do this within the first five years of the…Read more…
Epidemic of loneliness
Men are suffering from a “silent epidemic” of loneliness, new research published this week shows, with more than one in 10 feeling lonely every day. The research was released to coincide with…Read more…
New staff agreement at the UK’s largest housing association
An agreement has been signed today (Thursday) by Clarion Housing Group, the UK’s largest housing association and UNISON, the UK’s largest union. It will allow the union to negotiate over pay and…Read more…
UNISON and Clarion Housing Association sign recognition agreement
Latest news from UNISON in Clarion and Latimer View this email in your browser
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“UK manufacturing deserves no less.” Why employers & unions are calling for strong trade remedies
As the UK leaves the European Union, it will need to develop its own independent trade policy that fits with a wider industrial strategy. This includes developing a system of trade remedies, the instruments that are used to combat market distortions (s…Read more…
Brexit rights bonfire?
A majority of employers do not want a “Brexit bonfire” of employment rights and are in favour of parental leave, working time regulations and the minimum wage, a major new survey has found. …Read more…
Honour commitments call
Unite is taking its grievances over the anti-union tactics of a top global hotel chain directly to shareholders attending the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) tomorrow (May 5). Hotel…Read more…
‘First strike in living memory’
Workers at the luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce will be striking for the first time in living memory tomorrow (May 5), as the latest talks aimed at breaking the impasse over BMW Group’s pension changes…Read more…
Unions issue final warning to school academy chain over cutbacks
An academy chain with schools in the East Midlands and Yorkshire & Humberside is facing possible action from eight education unions over plans to axe support staff. The unions – representing…Read more…
Make your voice heard
They may not get as much media attention as general elections, but in local elections, just as much is at stake. Today (May 4) a series of local elections are being held across the UK, including all…Read more…
Strong strike mandate
The ‘brutal’ planned closure of a DHL Supply Chain site in South Yorkshire and a ‘derisory’ pay offer has prompted 15 days of strikes, Unite has said. About 120 warehouse workers, members of…Read more…
HSE needs to ground its research in the workplace
Unions have long been critical of the failure of the HSE to regulate and enforce on occupational health risks. For instance we have asked for specific regulations on stress, lower exposure limits on…Read more…
Brexit nuclear shutdown threat
The future of the UK’s power supply is being threatened by Brexit and urgent government action is needed to resolve the problem, an influential group of MPs warned on Tuesday (May 2). The…Read more…
Vote Labour – Local Council & Mayoral Elections 4 May 2017
Good luck to all Labour Party candidates standing today for election in local Council & Mayoral contests! Polls shut at 10pm and results due around 2am. Read more…
The strength of the economy matters for the public finances
Summary: It makes no sense to think about the deficit without thinking about the size and strength of the economy. A Newsnight report on the public finances last night was illustrated with a chart seemingly showing high spending causing the deficit. It…Read more…
‘Respect my union’ demo
Hotel workers, members of Unite, will stage a ‘respect my rights, respect my union’ protest outside the flagship Premier Inn in London’s Leicester Square tomorrow (Thursday, May 4) over attempts to…Read more…
Fog in the channel conceals sneaky Eurocrats…?
We appear to have – in Theresa May – a Tory leader prepared to stoke wild, if not paranoid, xenophobia in order both to rally her troops for a so-called “hard Brexit” and to prepare her alibi when she fails to negotiate any sort of satisfactory agreement with the EU 27.
The Grauniad is reporting…Read more…
The rail franchise needs more than just a reboot
The current system of rail franchising leaves much to be desired. Passenger satisfaction is very uneven, and the system is not well aligned with the needs of the economy. Today, Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) published a report on the state of Rail Franchising in the UK. Since 1998 range of…Read more…
Bedroom tax victory
Charlotte and Jayson Carmichael have for years been fighting the bedroom tax, a government policy introduced in 2013 that penalises people in social housing for having an ‘under-occupied’ home….Read more…
Back to blogging – for Labour victories
Regular readers (Sid and Doris Blogger) will have noticed the dust gathering on this blog recently.
In the last fortnight I have attended my last meeting of the UNISON Greater London Regional Committee and my last negotiating meeting with my employer as Secretary of Lambeth’s Joint Trade Unions (a…Read more…