Retail giant Sainsbury’s announced last week (July 29) that it has sold its chain of pharmacies to Celesio, the German drugs wholesaler owning LloydsPharmacy, in a deal worth £125m. The sale…Read more…
Community action celebrated
On the August 5, 1874 the people of Portsmouth rose up and took back a piece of Southsea Common that had been fenced off by the Pier Company preventing local people from accessing the beach. …Read more…
‘Sick and tired’
Over 1,200 construction workers involved in the decommissioning and renewal project at Sellafield in Cumbria have begun a work to rule and overtime ban in a campaign to improve health and safety and…Read more…
Honour national agreements call
Local authorities are being asked to say how much they are paying to use the energy-from-waste plant being built at the Wilton complex on Teesside in a bid to prove that the cash-rich employer can…Read more…
A dangerous move
Ministerial plans to relax the laws around driver hours in an effort to ease congestion caused by Operation Stack, as transport movement between the Channel ports seizes up, is not the answer, Unite…Read more…
No compulsory redundancies call
The plans by Centrica to axe 6,000 jobs were branded as ‘unnecessary and driven by the pursuit of excessive profits’ by Unite today (July 30), as profits doubled at its British Gas business. …Read more…
No to shift rota changes
Unite members under the Offshore Contractors Association (OCA) agreement today (July 29) rejected proposals over changes to shift rotas and terms and conditions following a consultative ballot,…Read more…
Put pensions plans on hold call
Changes to the Nestlé pension scheme that could mean that 7,600 workers losing thousands of pounds in retirement income should be put ‘on hold’ until a proper valuation of the scheme in December….Read more…
Just the tip of the iceberg?
‘Blacklisting’ in the construction industry must be investigated by the public inquiry into undercover policing in England and Wales, Unite said today (Tuesday, July 28). Unite said that there…Read more…
Left fest forward!
Saturday in Southampton (July 26) was a day of music, comedy, free food and, yes, politics. Hundreds of people from Hampshire and beyond poured into a packed church hall to enjoy the port…Read more…
End two-tier pay policy
Traffic wardens in Hackney, east London will take two days of strike action next week in a bid to get a proper sick pay policy provided by their private sector employer. The 30 employees,…Read more…
Buy British-made cars call
Two MPs launched a debate in the House of Commons last week (July 16), calling on police forces to support the UK automotive industry by buying British-made cars – a policy that Unite has long…Read more…
‘Curtain of secrecy and fear’
Tory-led Bromley council has suspended a Unite rep in a bid to silence critics of its privatisation programme. The council suspended Unite rep Alan Brown on Friday (July 17). Details of the…Read more…
Courage of their convictions
After the Tories’ proposed welfare bill, which aims to slash child tax credits and lower benefit caps among other cuts, received its second reading yesterday (July 20), nearly 50 Labour MPs voted…Read more…
#ImInWorkJeremy
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has been slammed for his out of touch approach to the NHS. Not only was he the man who vetoed a paltry 1 per cent pay rise by the pay review body meaning nurses…Read more…
‘Special’ solidarity
Speaking to Unite Community coordinator Dave Condliffe on this dreary Monday morning it was clear that he was one person who definitely didn’t have the Monday blues. Dave was still buoyed up…Read more…
NI NHS staff: pay us properly
Understaffing and underfunding are the main barriers to a seven-day NHS in Northern Ireland, Unite said today (Friday July 17) – and not staff costs for working unsocial hours. The…Read more…
Not so sweet
Ministers should introduce a sugar tax and ban the advertising of sugary drinks and food, as the obesity crisis amongst children grows, Unite, the country’s largest union, said today (Friday July…Read more…
Unsocial hours payments should stay
The independent Pay Review Body (PRB), which recommends pay for NHS staff, released a report today (July 16) examining the viability of delivering healthcare services seven days a week. Unite,…Read more…
‘Bitter blow’
Ministers’ failure to support manufacturing over high energy prices has significantly contributed to the loss of 720 jobs at Tata Steel in Rotherham, Unite said today (July 16). Unite, which…Read more…