Unite has backed today’s (Wednesday March 21) walkout of participants at the Mittings public inquiry into undercover policing. The walkout is a reaction to the refusal of Sir John Mittings,…Read more…
‘Responsible must be held to account’
Two of Carillion’s former finance chiefs are to be investigated by the UK’s accounting watchdog for their roles in the firm’s spectacular implosion. Unite welcomed the move, but said the sheer…Read more…
‘Fractured and flawed’
Carillion’s collapse should have served as a loud and clear warning against the dangers of privatisation, but as Ministry of Defence (MoD) firefighters now face being outsourced, the government has…Read more…
‘Wake-up call’
Apprenticeships started during the present academic year have dropped by 26.5 per cent compared to the previous year – a drop Unite says is due to the botched rollout of a new apprenticeship levy….Read more…
‘Catalogue of failure’
The government was informed of a plan to retrieve more than £360m from Carillion – helping to shield the public purse from the cost of the firm’s collapse and preventing losses to workers’ pensions –…Read more…
Carillion subbies sold out
The government was accused of “selling out” Carillion’s sub-contractors and supply chain, by Unite, following revelations at a joint select committee today (February 27). During the hearing of…Read more…
Win against umbrella firms
Unite has won a ground breaking legal victory over so called “umbrella employment” firms that exploit thousands of workers through bogus self-employment. The union vowed “to ensure that other…Read more…
Concrete maker row
Fresh strike dates were announced by Unite today (February 20), in a further escalation of the dispute with Essex based Tarmac Building Products Ltd, over the creation of a two tier workforce. …Read more…
Manchester Mears win
Unite members employed by Mears in Manchester are celebrating victory after they reached agreement to end their marathon strike action in a dispute over pay parity. The 180 members, who were…Read more…
Skills ‘black hole’
News that the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has confirmed it will end all directing training by 2020, will create a skills black hole and strip the industry of the capability to…Read more…
Skills crisis
Unite has renewed its demands for radical action to be taken to tackle the deepening skills crisis facing the construction industry. Unite made its call following the publication of this…Read more…
End ‘race to the bottom’ call
Unite has warned that a rogue construction project in Wales is undermining pay, conditions and safety and ‘creating a race to the bottom’ in the industry. Unite’s concern relates to the…Read more…
Major reforms call
Unite has called for the urgent reform of company and pension laws, after the true scale of the fundamental flaws that allowed Carillion to collapse earlier this month, began to be revealed. …Read more…
3M pay strike
Workers at dust mask and respirator maker 3M, based in Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, will begin strike action next month in a pay dispute. The workers, who are members of Unite, will…Read more…
Carillion pensions scandal
Carillion’s pensions blackhole is at least £990m, the firm’s former chair of trustees has revealed – nearly twice previously thought. Following the revelation, Unite called for all possible…Read more…
‘Not a luxury’
A survey of over 3,500 Unite members working in the construction sector has found that many are forced to endure entirely inadequate toilets and washing facilities. The survey found that on…Read more…
Pay boost win
Workers at an engineering company in Bolton have secured a major boost to their basic pay after taking a stand. The win means workers’ basic pay will increase on average by £3,500. Earlier…Read more…
Pay cuts threat
Tarmac Building Products Ltd is set to be hit by a series of strikes when Unite start a programme of industrial action next week in a dispute over cuts to pay and two-tier working. The…Read more…
‘Govt should hang head in shame’
The government has heeded trade unions’ calls to set up a national taskforce in support of workers and businesses hit by outsourcing firm Carillion’s collapse. Unite has welcomed that the…Read more…
‘Unnecessary’ housing misery
Unite has accused the management of Vivark, which provides housing maintenance services for thousands of tenants in Knowsley, Merseyside of being ‘pig headed’ for their blinkered approach to an…Read more…