Construction union Unite has begun balloting its members at HTC Wolffkran for strike action in a dispute over pay. Unite has taken the ‘regrettable’ decision to seek a mandate from its members…Read more…
Solidarity needed – housing, BA, NHS and finance
Four groups of Unite members are currently engaged in pretty serious industrial action at the moment. They deserve our support.
I’d previously posted about the outsourced Manchester housing maintenance workers. They are now escalating their action wit…Read more…
‘Stepping up’ action
Unite announced today (July 3) a dramatic escalation in strike action as part of a long running dispute with private contractor Mears and joint venture company Manchester Working (operated by Mears)…Read more…
Radical new approach call
Unite is calling for a radical new approach to construction regulations and safety laws, following the Grenfell Tower fire. Unite has three key demands: an overhaul of building regulations,…Read more…
Support Manchester housing maintenance strikers
180 Unite members employed by Manchester Working Limited / Mears, who carry out vital maintenance in the city, have been been in dispute for five weeks and are currently striking on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Today they held an impressive protest …Read more…
What plans for HSE?
Today (June 22) Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail spoke out on HSE inspection cuts in the construction industry. “Sadly there remain far too many employers who are all too…Read more…
Tragic crane deaths
Unite is seeking urgent answers after a crane collapse in Crewe killed two workers and injured several other people. The accident happened yesterday (Wednesday June 21) at Dunwoody Way in…Read more…
Construction workers protest in Copenhagen
Unite and GMB members are again protesting in Copenhagen, Denmark tomorrow (Tuesday June 13) after the financier of major energy from waste plants in the UK, tried to ‘wash its hands’ of the…Read more…
‘Unjust’ pay rates
Private contractor Mears, which is at the centre of the housing strikes in Manchester, has been discovered to be using the low rates on its Manchester contract, to suppress pay rates in other areas,…Read more…
‘Crazy’ clamping threat
Unite has warned private housing building firm Mears and joint venture company Manchester Working that its “crazy” clamping threats have only strengthened the resolve of workers currently on their…Read more…
Putting your feet first
There are over 3m people who have been diagnosed with diabetes and there are a large number of people who are undiagnosed. One major complication that people with diabetes often develop is…Read more…
‘Paltry’ accident fine
Unite has criticised a ‘paltry’ fine imposed on a company for health and safety breaches that led to the permanent impairment of a worker. At Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday (May 11), Wallace…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…
‘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…
Blacklisting fight goes on
A year after Unite, the largest union for construction workers, secured a historic victory for blacklisted workers, the union is still fighting for justice for victims of the scandal. The High…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…
‘One death is one too many’
Just as Unite members, mostly in construction, gathered at the building worker’s statue in London to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) today (April 28), news broke that yet another of…Read more…
‘You wouldn’t believe the pain’
In part 4 of our Workers’ Memorial Day series, we speak to Unite’s Gary Fairclough, who tells of a harrowing workplace accident that took him years to recover. When Gary Fairclough…Read more…
‘Line in the sand’
Unite has launched a major legal appeal case at the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) to tackle bogus self-employment in the construction and other sectors. The case is the first appeal…Read more…
Pay the rate!
Today (12 April) Unite and GMB members protested at the Danish embassy in London. The protest (filmed above) focused on several Danish firms who are involved in the funding and…Read more…