All the union news that's fit to blog...
#stuc15 First time delegate and speaker, UNISON’s Priscilla Maramba, told Congress that ConDem austerity has worsened the plight of BME workers, and the rise of UKIP and media bias have added insult to injury.
“Equality for BME workers is slowly slipping down the slope and the only hope for BME workers lies in support from their unions.”
Her comments came as delegates backed a campaign toRead more…
The coalition government’s rhetoric on the need to reduce the financial deficit hid an agenda. This agenda aimed to reshape the economy through privatisation of public services and to destroy union organisation and hard won conditions. It aimed to enable private interests to exploit labour for even…Read more…
Trade unions have been at the forefront of fighting for women and men to be treated fairly and to avoid discrimination in the workplace. As Chief Executive of a charity working with and on behalf of young women as they enter employment for the first time I wouldn’t, of course, argue that this isn’t…Read more…
Mark Harper, MP, minister for disabled people announced (23 March) a commitment by government to helping disabled people in work or into work who need adjustments or support to enable them to carry out their jobs. The Access to Work (AtW) scheme has be…Read more…
Not that there is anything wrong with being called John but this blatant sexism and inequality is a nonsense. It is also simply bad for business if you exclude half the world from the the potential pool of talent to recruit from. The picture above is f…Read more…
Trade unions are finding ways to prevent mental health problems or, if it’s already happened to get employers to enable them to continue in work.
The post Some good news on mental health (at last)? appeared first on ToUChstone blog.Read more…
Women’s employment is at a record high and the full-time gender pay gap is narrowing. But is the steady progress towards greater gender equality in the UK’s workplaces really back on track? The headlines mask some significant labour market changes for women in the years since the financial crash…Read more…
This afternoon at TUC Women’s Conference, Women’s Aid CEO, Polly Neate, will launch a new TUC and Women’s Aid report on women’s experiences of financial abuse and how the introduction of Universal Credit will affect women in abusive relationships. We can’t say for sure how prevalent financial abuse…Read more…
Late last month, the DWP put out a glowing headline: 400 more disabled people in work every day. It is not entirely unwelcome news. It does mean that there has been net growth of more than 141,000 disabled people in some form of employment over the past year. It also means that the DWP is…Read more…
In a week when the government is claiming credit for getting hundreds of disabled people a day into employment and global corporation Maximus is about to take over running the Work Capability Assessment from discredited ATOS, why should the TUC bother …Read more…
We know that women and men don’t get equal wages for equal work. We also know that women are more likely to be trapped in zero-hour contracts. As Fair Pay Fortnight rolls on, we’re reminded once again of just what a raw deal working women get in Britain. Over one in five workers in the…Read more…
New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that low pay is a problem across all ethnic groups in the UK, but is much worse for some than for others.Read more…
This evening Parliament will debate an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill which represents a significant and retrograde step in UK legislation on abortion. The amendment concerns abortions on the grounds of foetal sex – a practice which is commonplace in many countries but for which there is no…Read more…
If you listen to the government, you could be forgiven for believing that women’s labour market position is better than ever before. It’s certainly true that women’s employment rate is up, and women’s unemployment rate is down. But what this positive picture of women at work doesn’t show us…Read more…
This week, Sir Andrew Dilnot, chair of the UK Statistics Authority, issued a written response to TUC’s concerns about poor data practices at HM Treasury. This was a reply to the formal complaint lodged by TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady last October. We are pleased with the seriousness with…Read more…
Minutes into opening his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor repeated one of the most common government boasts about the gender pay gap – that it is the lowest ever on record. Almost all Chancellors in the past 40 years could have said this. It’s hardly something to brag about, especially when last…Read more…