All the union news that's fit to blog...
Wage growth slowed according to the latest figures published today (January 16) but pay is still outpacing inflation. Average weekly wage growth, which excludes bonuses, slid to 6.6 per cent in three months to November from 7.3 per cent in the previous month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported. But with inflation falling more […]
The post Workers ‘fighting hard to stand still’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Supermarket giant Tesco’s latest trading update was further proof of rampant profiteering in the sector, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said. Tesco announced on Thursday (January 11) that its Christmas sales were higher than expected. It also revised upwards its profit forecast for the full year to £2.75bn, up from the previously forecast of the […]
The post Tesco profit forecast soars appeared first on Unite Live.
A plan for steel, binding employment rights and an end to energy rip-offs should form the centrepiece of next week’s King’s Speech, Unite has said. The call comes as ministers finalise their plans – that will be laid out on Tuesday 7 November – for what will be the final legislative programme before the next […]
The post A King’s Speech for the people appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham moved a motion on public ownership of energy at the TUC Congress on Monday (September 11). Opening her speech to vast applause, she thanked “many of you taking action for the very first time. We stand with you – victory to the strikers – solidarity”. She then paid tribute to […]
The post ‘The time to be bold’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite slammed big business leaders for being rewarded for profiteering, after new data shows Britain’s biggest bosses’ pay has skyrocketed by 16 per cent in a single year. New research from the High Pay Centre (HPC), which tracks the pay of CEOs of the UK’s largest companies, found the median pay for a FTSE 100 […]
The post CEOs ‘rewarded for overseeing greedflation’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Even as production costs fall, staggeringly high inflation continues unabated, in large part driven by skyrocketing prices of the one thing everyone needs – food. Research by consumer group Which? found that in April, own-brand budget items at the UK’s largest supermarkets jumped by as much as 25 per cent in only a month, hitting […]
The post Going hungry in the food factory appeared first on Unite Live.
Taking public control of the UK’s energy network could reduce bills, reduce inflation, and pay for itself in a few years, reveals new research by Unite. Unite Investigates “Renationalising Energy – costs and savings considers how a publicly run energy network could use the massive profits of Britain’s energy giants to reduce household bills and […]
The post Public ownership would end ‘energy profiteering scandal’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Every day over the Christmas period, UniteLive is running a different story from our top stories of 2023. Today, we look back at Unite general secretary Sharon Graham’s inspiring May Day message. – May 1st is an important date for trade unions. For us it marks International Workers Day. It is time to reflect on […]
The post UniteLive stories of the year – ‘Change starts in the workplace’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Inflation continues to stay at record highs, according to the latest figures, driven mainly by ongoing hikes in the price of food. The consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation fell marginally from 10.4 per cent in February to 10.1 per cent in March – a smaller drop than analysts expected, with some having predicted […]
The post ‘No end in sight’ to cost of living crisis appeared first on Unite Live.
The real value of workers’ pay keeps on nosediving, with the latest figures showing the fastest fall in real wages since 2009 as inflation continues to outpace wage rises. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published on Tuesday (April 18) showed that yearly growth in average pay stayed at 6.6 per […]
The post Real terms pay continues to plummet appeared first on Unite Live.
The UK’s biggest supermarket Tesco continues its shameless profiteering spree, Unite said on Thursday (April 13) as the stock exchange published the retailer’s latest figures. Although Tesco’s profits were down from last year’s profits bonanza – which totalled a record-breaking £2bn in pre-tax profits – the supermarket still made an astonishing £3bn in profits over […]
The post ‘Astonishing corporate greed’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has finally acknowledged the role that rising prices is playing in soaring inflation — but Unite warned that Bailey is still failing to recognise the depth of the profiteering crisis. Last week, Bailey warned that businesses that set prices above inflation will risk embedding higher prices into the economy. […]
The post ‘Profiteering epidemic’ appeared first on Unite Live.
Commenting on the latest ONS inflation figures released on Wednesday (March 22), Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Inflation is back on the rise and workers continue to be hammered by high prices. “Unite’s own research shows that it’s profits propelling inflation, while workers’ wages struggle to keep up. In 2021, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda […]
The post Inflation – no end in sight appeared first on Unite Live.
New Unite research, analysing the FTSE 350 shows how profit margins for the first half of 2022 were 89% higher compared to the same period in 2019. FTSE 350 profits have spiked even higher than in 2021 where profits jumped 73%, according to Unite’s first profiteering report, published in July 2022. Unite’s latest report on […]
The post Corporate profiteering soars appeared first on Unite Live.
Commenting on Labour leader Keir Starmer’s speech in Manchester, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Keir Starmer’s speech in Manchester today offered a vision of what a Labour government could mean for the British people after 13 years of Tory ‘sticking plaster politics’ serving vested interests. So Unite welcomes the promise of ‘a government on […]
The post Future Labour government must fix broken economy appeared first on Unite Live.
Unite has reiterated its call for a windfall tax on big banks as they post yet another year of bonanza profits amid a cost of living crisis that has seen millions of ordinary people suffer. On Friday (February 17) NatWest announced its highest profits since the global financial crash, recording more than £5bn in profits […]
The post ‘Epidemic of profiteering’ appeared first on Unite Live.
A coalition of local campaigners and trade unionists will stage a protest outside Asda in Hull to highlight the deep injustice of residents in Hull going hungry while supermarkets like Asda engage in a grotesque display of unchecked profiteering. The protest will take place on Monday, February 6 from 12pm to 1pm at Hessle Road […]
The post End supermarket profiteering call appeared first on Unite Live.
New research by Unite has revealed that the UK banking sector is making bonanza profits on the back of Bank of England interest rates increases. In the first nine months of 2022, the big four UK banks (Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest) recorded profits of £19.8 billion. Since the end of 2021, big banks’ bank […]
The post Profits ‘bonanza’ for big banks appeared first on Unite Live.
Inflation continues to stay at record-breaking levels, according to the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics today (January 18). Although headline inflation fell slightly for the second month in a row, from 14 per cent RPI in November to 13.4 per cent in December, food inflation continues to soar to a 40-year […]
The post Cost of living crisis continues appeared first on Unite Live.
In what some have called the ‘winter of discontent’, a wave of strike action is engulfing the UK right now amid an unprecedented cost of living crisis. Speaking to Sky News this week, Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab explained explains why tens of thousands of Unite members are taking a stand. Watch in the […]
The post Why are so many voting for strike action? appeared first on Unite Live.