Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has pledged to raise the issue of Boeing’s failure to engage the Canadian government with Unite’s sister unions in Canada. McCluskey’s pledge comes…Read more…
Open University should not be closed to Cubans
UNISON has issued a statement criticising the Open University for banning students from Cuba.
The article Open University should not be closed to Cubans first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
‘Must not lose sight’
Tommy Murphy, Unite delegate, today (September 12) addressed conference on Motion 75 – solidarity with all progressive forces and the Kurdish population of Turkey. “Colleagues, last year we…Read more…
Science after #Brexit needs action, not just aspiration
Fifteen months on from the EU referendum, the government will today set out its aspiration to continue contributing to EU science programmes. As the entire STEM community has repeatedly asked for clarity of direction, we can all be pleased about this. …Read more…
Over-regulation is not the problem a post-Brexit Britain would face
Yesterday’s report The Economy After Brexit by Economists For Brexit includes a section by Tim Congdon on EU regulation, essentially blaming all the evils of the British economy on excessive red tape and inferring that our economy could do so much better if it were unshackled from it all. The…Read more…
What would it take for trade deals to protect workers’ rights?
Protecting workers’ rights in trade deals is essential to ensure trade is fair. If trade deals don’t contain effective protections for workers’ rights, they just make it easier for companies to locate themselves in countries where wages are lower and workers are less able to resist…Read more…
Why don’t companies recognise that unions are essential in the fight against modern slavery?
Everyone, it seems, is now committed to ending forced labour and child labour. Governments, international institutions, NGOs and businesses have come under enormous pressure to do something — and to be seen to be doing something. A good example of this is a resolution on forced labour passed…Read more…
Unions urge foreign secretary to help stop Saudi beheadings
Unions call on foreign secretary to help stop the imminent execution of 14 pro-democracy activists in Saudi Arabia
The article Unions urge foreign secretary to help stop Saudi beheadings first…Read more…
Workers stranded in diplomatic stand-off as Qatar and Saudi Arabia square up
As wealthy Gulf states face off over long simmering diplomatic differences, foreign workers in both countries are at risk of bearing the brunt of the dispute. An ongoing row in the Gulf over Qatar’s alleged links to terrorist groups, with the wealthy nation blockaded by a group of neighbours led by…Read more…
A new Anti-Slavery Charter: how to combat slavery in the 21st Century
Unionised workforces cannot be enslaved. This is because of the simple fact that a unionised workforce is harder to exploit by even the most unscrupulous employers. But that self-evident truth is one that many who profess themselves concerned with the …Read more…
Future economies: what next for globalisation and trade?
Last week I was invited to the British-German Forum – a symposium for young people from both countries – at Wilton Park, an agency of the FCO, to talk with my colleague Jan Stern from the German trade union confederation the DGB, about the issues facing globalisation. Here’s an…Read more…
Unions and brands strike an Accord to continue support for Bangladesh’s workers
Global unions and textiles brands have announced a new version of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Safety to continue the original Accord’s work when its remit ends next year. Speaking to delegates to the OECD’s Responsible Business Conduct Forum, IndustriALL and UNIGlobal, represented…Read more…
How do we ensure labour rights are taken seriously in future UK trade policy?
The UK has triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and is negotiating its departure from the European Union. We will have to wait and see what the UK’s future relationship with the EU will look like. But the UK government has repeatedly stated that it wants to leave the EU’s Single Market and…Read more…
UNISON vows to campaign on child marriage
National conference calls on ILO to count girls in forced childhood marriage as child labour
The article UNISON vows to campaign on child marriage first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
Trade unionists can ‘globalise solidarity and co-operation’
Cuban public service union leader challenges delegates to help build a better world for all
The article Trade unionists can ‘globalise solidarity and co-operation’ first appeared on the…Read more…
OECD Forum 2017: ‘Bridging Divides’ and the role of unions
Over two days last week, politicians, company CEOs, trade unionists, economists, NGOs and thinkers gathered at the OECD in Paris to consider major issues affecting the global economy. Under the heading ‘Bridging Divides’, this year’s OECD Forum had three major themes: Inclusive growth…Read more…
Marking 50 years of a dangerous occupation
UNISON/PSC exhibition and book offers union branches a resource for this year’s 50th anniversary of the Palestinian occupation
The article Marking 50 years of a dangerous occupation first appeared…Read more…
ECJ Singapore ruling adds to case against ISDS in Brexit deal
Today the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave an important boost to the case for scrapping Investor State Dispute Settlement, as well as other corporate court systems like it, in trade agreements. Part of the ECJ’s ruling today was that trade deals that contain ISDS need to be ratified in EU…Read more…
“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…
Colombia justice fight goes on
On May Day yesterday (May 1) also known as International Workers’ Day, demonstrations were yesterday held right across the world including in London. May 1 commemorates events in Chicago…Read more…