When I launched the campaign for General Secretary of Unite on Thursday evening, Len McCluskey’s backsliding on free movement of labour was one of the issues I raised. Little did I know how the issue would explode yesterday, with McCluskey and his supp…Read more…
‘Organising after the Brexit vote’ event calls for solidarity to fight insecurity at work
Building solidarity between workers, no matter what passport or contract they hold, is a trade union priority after the Brexit vote. That was the message of the TUC event on ‘Organising migrant and…Read more…
#LAPFF16 Annual Conference – Thursday
This is the day 2 report of last weeks Local Authorities Pension Funds Forum (LAPFF) annual conference by John Walker, who is a UNISON member and sits on the Cambridgeshire Pension Fund Committee as a Member nominated representative. See Wednesday repo…Read more…
Len McCluskey: Why I Am Standing For General Secretary
Trade unionism matters more than ever. With the economy still in a slump, the Tories in power and the shadow of Brexit hanging over millions of jobs, unions are the only line of defence for working…Read more…
Remembering our president and friend Eric Roberts
General secretary Dave Prentis speaks at funeral, recalling Eric as ‘a man who inspired happiness, loyalty, good memories and love’
The article Remembering our president and friend Eric Roberts…Read more…
Cold comfort
Worried about heating costs this winter? Looks like it will be worse for pensioners in Northern Ireland – the UK’s only region where older persons are unable to access the £140 discount towards home…Read more…
Tap pump and your pint is ready…
To most people the phase “pay at the pump” is associated with the necessary evil of petrol stations, where motorists use their bank cards at the pump to pay for their fuel. But now the phrase…Read more…
In perilous times
It’s short. It’s sharp. Fits a hashtag. A headline. It’s genius. And the remainers don’t have an equivalent to a single word that sums up the biggest decision we’ve undertaken – Brexit….Read more…
Draft Scottish Budget – read with care!
If you are struggling with the different interpretations of the Scottish Government’s draft budget, don’t panic, it is confusing!
My briefing for UNISON branches attempts to cut through the spin and…Read more…
What we talk about when we talk about insecure work
Today sees the launch of a new TUC report mapping insecurity at work in Britain today, and how key risks associated with work have been transferred to working people, while the financial rewards from flexibility accrue to employers. We find that 3.2 mi…Read more…
Working holiday
While most people will spend time with their friends and family over the Christmas season, nearly a million workers will have to work. Among these are faith workers, many of whom do not have…Read more…
Ian Allinson to stand against McCluskey and Coyne for Unite General Secretary
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Blog: If the government really wanted to solve the social care crisis, they’d provide the necessary funds
The government should be using the growing surplus of centrally-collected business rates to ease the pressure on councils, not encouraging them to shift the care burden onto hard pressed local…Read more…
No Mr Grayling, the #SouthernStrike is very much about safety
Chris Grayling and Southern Rail are trying to convince us that the Southern strike is not about safety. They insist that extending driver only trains, which is at the heart of the dispute between…Read more…
Government refusing to take responsibility for social care crisis, says UNISON
Responding to today’s (Thursday) announcement by the government on social care funding, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Government cuts to council budgets helped cause the crisis in…Read more…
Women pay for austerity
While almost every group outside those on the top end of the income distribution have suffered immeasurably under nearly a decade of austerity, it is women who are footing the largest bill. …Read more…
Budget lobby of the Scottish Parliament – 15 December 2016
UNISON Scotland branches joined the trade union lobby of the Scottish Parliament today. Calling for a budget that defends public services.Mark Ferguson, Chair of UNISON Scotland’s Local Government Committee addresses the lobby.Read more…
Poor students frozen out
Unite community members from Durham University held a festive campus demonstration on Tuesday (November 13), to protest against accommodation costs and price increases that are leaving poorer…Read more…
Working over Christmas? This is for you
The public have a message for those of you working over the holidays
The article Working over Christmas? This is for you first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
For the last two years London per capita income was DOUBLE the rest of the UK
Despite all the rhetoric about rebalancing and powerhouses, new regional figures show how far London has moved from the rest of the country. In 2014 and 2015 gross value added (GVA) per capita was more than double in London compared to the average over the rest of the UK. In cash terms: £43,600…Read more…