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Fri, 9 June 2023

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Articles tagged with: Trade Unions
Unions 'Won't Rest' In Fight For Pay Deals After Success For NHS And Rail
Health
Unions "Won't Rest" In Fight For Pay Deals After Success For NHS And Rail
The year began with the highest levels of industrial action in decades, with nurses, junior doctors, ambulance workers, rail operators, teachers, university staff, and civil servants shivering on the picket lines in their fight for improved pay and conditions – sometimes almost all at once.
Tory Party Chair Has Apologised For Suella Braverman Email Calling Civil Service An 'Activist Blob'
Political parties
Tory Party Chair Has Apologised For Suella Braverman Email Calling Civil Service An "Activist Blob"
Chairman of the Conservative Party Greg Hands has apologised to the cabinet secretary Simon Case over an email sent to party supporters last week in Suella Braverman's name in which the civil service was described as an "activist blob".
The Strikes Bill will put the UK at odds with much of Europe
Home affairs
By Catherine Barnard
The Strikes Bill will put the UK at odds with much of Europe
The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill is being pushed through Parliament with some speed. It shows the government’s determination to prove it is dealing with strikes in the public sector.
Lords Diary: Baroness O'Grady
Home affairs
By Baroness O’Grady
Lords Diary: Baroness O'Grady
My first week in the Lords after standing down as TUC general secretary
Rishi Sunak's 'Unworkable' Anti-Strike Laws Face 'Quagmire' Of Legal Challenges And Lords Delays
Economy
Rishi Sunak's "Unworkable" Anti-Strike Laws Face "Quagmire" Of Legal Challenges And Lords Delays
The government has confirmed plans for controversial anti-strike laws despite warnings from peers that plans "simply won't work" due to the likelihood of significant delays in Parliament and legal challenges from unions.
Tories Question Whether Rishi Sunak Will Ever Toughen Strike Rules
Political parties
Tories Question Whether Rishi Sunak Will Ever Toughen Strike Rules
Senior Conservative figures have privately admitted they now believe tough new laws to curb strikes are unlikely to come into force before the next election without enhanced "determination" from ministers.
Remembering Jayaben Desai and the Grunwick dispute
Culture
By Kim Johnson MP
Remembering Jayaben Desai and the Grunwick dispute
As the first Black Member of Parliament to represent Liverpool – home to the oldest established Black community in Europe – it means a lot to look back and remember the women on whose shoulders I stand.
Red Lines: The key sources of internal party tension at Labour Conference ’22
Political parties
By Sienna Rodgers
Red Lines: The key sources of internal party tension at Labour Conference ’22
From worries over a lack of vision to hostility between the party and its affiliated trade unions, Sienna Rodgers looks at the key likely sources of Labour tension at Conference ’22
Enough is enough – the next prime minister needs a plan to get wages rising across the economy
Economy
By Frances O'Grady
Enough is enough – the next prime minister needs a plan to get wages rising across the economy
On Tuesday, Liz Truss’ regional public sector pay policy lasted a few hours before she was forced into a screeching U-turn.
If Keir Starmer doesn't understand solidarity, he's not worthy of leading our party
Political parties
By Manuel Cortes
If Keir Starmer doesn't understand solidarity, he's not worthy of leading our party
I’ve been in the Labour Party long enough to know that you don’t always see eye to eye with party leaders or agree with every dot and comma of policy. But recent weeks have tested the Labour-union link to extremes. Our TSSA activists are angry – and wonder whether Labour understands the needs of people just like them.
Firefighters’ Union To Vote On Cutting Ties With The Labour Party
Political parties
Firefighters’ Union To Vote On Cutting Ties With The Labour Party
Exclusive: The Labour Party’s union link is at risk of weakening further as the left-wing firefighters’ union FBU is set to vote on disaffiliation from the party at a conference this week.
MPs accused of sexual misconduct should be banned from the parliamentary estate
Parliament
By Mike Clancy
MPs accused of sexual misconduct should be banned from the parliamentary estate
It seems absurd that in 2022 we are asking if Parliament is a safe and welcoming place for women to work.
The UK is a long way off from a truly worker-centred approach to trade
Foreign affairs
By Frances O'Grady
The UK is a long way off from a truly worker-centred approach to trade
Today marks the final day of the trade summit in Aberdeen, where the UK and US government are.
Government Accused Of A 'Cynical Gamble' With Vulnerable People's Lives By Ending Covid Isolation Rules
Coronavirus
Government Accused Of A "Cynical Gamble" With Vulnerable People's Lives By Ending Covid Isolation Rules
Unions representing six million workers in the UK have warned that lives are at risk if the government goes ahead with its plan to abandon Covid restrictions early.
Ministers Accused Of Hiding 'Woeful' Lack Of Ex-Teachers Returning To Classrooms To Fill Covid Gaps
Coronavirus
Ministers Accused Of Hiding "Woeful" Lack Of Ex-Teachers Returning To Classrooms To Fill Covid Gaps
Labour has accused ministers of trying to hide what appears to be a scant response to the government's call for former teachers to return to the classroom to cover staff off sick with Covid-19.
Trade unions are more vital than ever - so why is the government attacking them?
Social affairs
By Frances O'Grady
Trade unions are more vital than ever - so why is the government attacking them?
As 2022 begins, a pandemic is raging, nearly a million workers are on zero-hours contracts, two million workers have no right to sick pay and five million earn less than the real living wage. And yet the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, is making imposing new red tape on unions his workplace priority – and quietly tabling new anti-union legislation in Parliament.
Any genuine attempt to level up Britain must start with levelling up work
Economy
By Frances O'Grady
Any genuine attempt to level up Britain must start with levelling up work
I lost count of how many times the promise to “level up” was repeated during Conservative Party conference. But despite all the hype and sloganeering, Boris Johnson and his government still don’t have a serious plan for raising living standards and tackling inequalities in Britain.
Senior Labour MPs Celebrate The Return Of 'Mainstream' After Left Voices Sidelined
Political parties
Senior Labour MPs Celebrate The Return Of "Mainstream" After Left Voices Sidelined
Senior Labour MPs were celebrating the return of “mainstream” voices to the party after the left lost influence on key Labour party groups.
The NHS “Shouldn’t Be Used As Human Shield For Delivering Social Care” Says Unions Boss
Social affairs
The NHS “Shouldn’t Be Used As Human Shield For Delivering Social Care” Says Unions Boss
The head of Britain’s trade unions, Frances O'Grady, has criticised Boris Johnson’s National Insurance rise, accusing him of using the NHS “as a human shield” to properly fund the care system.
Ditching the Employment Bill exposes the chasm between Tory rhetoric and action
Economy
By Andy McDonald MP
Ditching the Employment Bill exposes the chasm between Tory rhetoric and action
Government inaction means that millions of low paid and precarious workers who are entitled to protections have been abandoned to fight for their rights through the courts.
Ditching Employment Bill From Queen’s Speech Shows Boris Johnson “Has No Plan For Working People”, Critics Say
Economy
Ditching Employment Bill From Queen’s Speech Shows Boris Johnson “Has No Plan For Working People”, Critics Say
Boris Johnson's decision to further delay planned legislation to improve workers’ rights post-Brexit has been heavily criticised by Labour, unions and business groups.
Artificial intelligence poses an inhuman risk to worker rights
Coronavirus
By Frances O'Grady
Artificial intelligence poses an inhuman risk to worker rights
This pandemic has transformed the way millions work. Many of us hadn’t even heard of Zoom until the crisis hit - now that we’re experts we sorely miss meeting colleagues face-to-face.

But the huge growth in remote working is not the only technological shift we have witnessed during Covid-19. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) at work has massively accelerated too – albeit under the radar.
Ministers must do more to stop people from being plunged into hardship and mass unemployment
Economy
By Frances O'Grady
Ministers must do more to stop people from being plunged into hardship and mass unemployment
The TUC is calling for a three part approach; improve job support, fix our safety net and invest now in green infrastructure and public service jobs for our future prosperity.
Commons Speaker warned Parliament “risks failing in its duty of care” to staff over Tory MP accused of rape
Political parties
By Georgina Bailey
Commons Speaker warned Parliament “risks failing in its duty of care” to staff over Tory MP accused of rape
Prospect trade union said an initial meeting with the Speaker “went nowhere near close to addressing [our] concerns”