George Osborne’s first Spending Review of the new parliament has hit the headlines for his spectacular U-turn over drastic cuts to tax credits. It avoids the hardship it would have inflicted on millions of low-paid families, though as Richard Exell points out, the cuts to Universal Credit are…Read more…
Opposition to Trade Union Bill continues
Hyndburn council and Welsh government are latest bodies to oppose attack on rights of their workers
The article Opposition to Trade Union Bill continues first appeared on the UNISON site.Read more…
The UK Auto Industry and Europe
Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle Bromwich production line Professor David Bailey reflects on the impact of EU membership on the UK’s auto industry. The UK government likes to boast that the…Read more…
Workers Uniting Opposes Market Economy Status For China
Workers Uniting, the global union between the United Steelworkers (USW) and Unite the Union of Great Britain and Ireland, has announced its strong opposition to any move by the European Union (EU) to…Read more…
Jobs and communities come first
Below Unite’s Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty makes clear the union’s policy on Trident. Luke Akehurst has got it wrong on Unite, I’m afraid. Unite’s policy on Trident is…Read more…
U.S.A. : No Guarantee Of Trade If UK Leaves EU
The United States trade negotiator Michael Froman, who is leading the talks for the USA on TTIP and lead the talks on TPP says the USA would not be positive towards negotiating a separate free trade…Read more…
Ending union check-off arrangements would be disruptive, centralist, and make absolutely no sense
Just as it seemed the Trade Union Bill couldn’t get any worse, the government confirmed last week that it is pushing ahead with its last minute amendment to the bill – bringing in new plans to scrap check-off arrangements across the public sector. Check-off is the system through which…Read more…
World’s Biggest Union Elects New Leadership
The world’s biggest trade union, Germany’s IG Metall elected a new leadership at its Congress last week in Frankfurt. The 2.5 million member union has elected Joerg Hofmann, aged 59, dubbed ‘a tough…Read more…
Low-paid workers: Worse off next year and even worse off in 2020
One image from the TV coverage of George Osborne’s July Budget sticks in my mind. It hasn’t got anything to do with the Chancellor’s smirk as he announced the “National Living Wage” – it’s the cut-away shot to Iain Duncan Smith fist-pumping in apparent triumph. I was surprised – in the same speech…Read more…
Government opposition to online balloting for unions is based on a misunderstanding
At the trade union bill’s second reading, BIS minister Nick Boles outlined his problems with online voting: My hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy) raised the question of e-balloting, and he is right that there is no in-principle objection to the idea of voting online. The…Read more…
Government abandons unworkable plan to make unions give 14 days notice for a tweet
News just breaking (via the FT) that the government may have just dropped proposals under consultation as part of the trade union bill, requiring unions to give employers and the police two weeks’ notice of any social media plans around strikes and pickets. The idea had been that unions would need…Read more…
Zac Goldsmith’s mayoral nomination at #CPC15 exposes the hypocrisy in the trade union bill
Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith has caused his fair share of headaches for his party since he entered Parliament in 2010. He rebelled over the lobbying bill. He opposed the government’s plans to sell off England’s national forests. He took a leading role in the campaign against Heathrow…Read more…
Workers Uniting statement on breakthrough in Colombian peace talks
Workers Uniting, the 2 million member global union formed by UNITE the union and the United Steelworkers (USW), congratulates all parties in the Colombia peace process for the efforts that led to the…Read more…
Tribune Article On Productivity
TUC Statement On EU Referendum & Statement to PLP by Jeremy Corbyn and Hilary Benn.
Congress notes that there will be a referendum on Britain’s continued membership of the European Union at some time in the next two years, possibly before the 2016 Congress. Over the years, Congress…Read more…
Protect The Right To Strike!
Download ‘Protect The Right To Strike’ by John Hendy QC and Prof. Keith Ewing published by CTUF and IER…Read more…
Temps perdu? Government losing the argument to roll back the clock on replacing strikers
Running in parallel with their controversial and wide reaching trade union bill, the government are currently trying to overturn a 40 year ban on employers using agency temps to cover for striking workers. Unions are rather obviously against this move,…Read more…
IG Metall: Statement On Refugees
The giant German metalworkers union IG Metal have issued this statement on the refugee crisis now engulfing the EU. It is certainly well worth reading and an impressive statement of solidarity with…Read more…
Bill no mates: Growing opposition to the trade union bill from across the political spectrum
Civil liberty groups, voluntary organisations, NGOs, academics, employer organisations, groups representing users of public services, and industry commentators across the UK have joined the TUC in voicing their opposition the government’s Trade Union Bill. A selection of their comments is provided…Read more…
Former BIS secretary Vince Cable attacks ‘vindictive’ trade union bill
Former Business Secretary Vince Cable has today branded the government’s Trade Union Bill as “vindictive” and a threat to “civil liberties”. Speaking to the BBC Vince Cable warned that the Trade Union Bill would worsen industrial relations and make disputes harder to resolve: “I think…Read more…