Barbour workers on four-week strike
8 January 2015
Warehouse workers at Barbour’s Gateshead site have begun four weeks of strike action in a dispute over new contracts proposed by the clothing firm
Special school site handed over to religious academy
4 January 2015
The government has ordered Leeds City Council to hand over a £1 million former primary school site where it had been looking to build a special school – gratis and without compensation – to a Sikh academy.
Take housing off the market
Estimates put the value of Britain’s housing stock at more than £5 trillion – that’s five thousand billion. Yet the shortage of housing remains a pressing requirement for millions of workers.
How to house Britain
Housing has become a case of satisfying the greed of a tiny minority of capitalist speculators. And “build more houses” is not the answer to the housing shortage. Here are some alternatives…
G20: the drive to war
The G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, in November made good TV: Russian President Putin as the naughty boy isolated by the other 19 countries, which took it in turns to call him names, forcing him to leave early. But it wasn't like that at all.
City pressures hit Britain’s aero engine maker
In November Rolls-Royce announced proposals to reduce its Aerospace Division workforce by 2,600 jobs worldwide over the next 18 months.
The holy freedoms of capitalism
The EU is built on the “free movements” of capital, labour, goods and services, that is, on uncontrolled movements of all four. Capital needs these “freedoms” in order to maximise its profits, and for no other reason.
TTIP: a dagger aimed at Britain’s sovereignty
At last, a sea change is taking place in the thinking of the unions on TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership treaty being negotiated between the European Union and the US.
Pay: take up the fight
Health workers will have to decide whether to meekly acquiesce in a continuous reduction of earnings or find a way to do what generations of workers before them have done: fight to improve pay.
Britain – not for sale
Occupied countries learn the hard lesson that when you lose something it can be difficult, and often impossible, to get it back later.
Costly advice
Anti-union legislation is so complex that legal firms are making a killing by advising employers on how to use the law to attack workers.
Social democracy’s great failure
Apart from the odd rhetorical flourish, the Second International never aspired to be a revolutionary organisation, unlike the First. It left no worthwhile legacy.
Bumpy roads ahead as ‘new spending’ turns out to be cut
24 December 2014
The nearly £6 billion announced by the government for maintaining local roads over six years is less than half the money needed to deal with the backlog, says the GMB.
Victory for Sheffield electricians
22 December 2014
Unite electricians based at Amey Council Work depot Olive Grove Sheffield have settled their dispute, winning a 3.7 per cent pay rise, reports Sheffield Trades Council.
Miami 5 return to Cuba
18 December 2014
The Miami 5 have returned to Cuba in a huge victory for Cuban workers and their allies around the world. They had been imprisoned for fighting US-sponsored terrorism against Cuba.
Barbour staff strike over imposed hours change
18 December 2014
Warehouse staff working for clothing firm Barbour in Wardsley, Gateshead, have gone on strike over proposed changes to working hours.
Smith Commission: New plan to break up Britain
Despite the defeat of the separatists in the Scottish referendum, huge new powers are to be devolved to Edinburgh – with consequent implications for the rest of Britain.
Autumn Statement: The attack continues
In his Autum Statement George Osborne continued the attack on British workers under the banner of reducing the deficit. His Westminster rivals said little more than “me too” or “it won’t be as bad if you elect me”.
ITV unions unite over pay
Workers at ITV will start the new year with a strike ballot over pay. Three unions – broadcasting and entertainment union BECTU, the National Union of Journalists and Unite – have all rejected a pay offer of 2 per cent.
London bus drivers go for unity
London’s bus drivers are balloting on industrial action to force through one agreement covering all bus companies in the capital.
London: the capital of poverty
14 December 2014
The Greater London Authority’s recent update on poverty in London makes stark reading. Despite being the play bauble of the world’s rich, London remains one of the most deprived areas in Britain.
MPs foresee end of state pension
14 December 2014
Questioned in an online survey, MPs said that the state pension age would need to rise to 70 within 30 years – with many believing that the state pension would disappear altogether.
Rail engineers suspend pay strike
14 December 2014
A planned strike at the Doncaster plant of Wabtec, where rail engineering staff were set to strike for five days from 15 to 19 December in a fight over pay and conditions, has been suspended following eleventh-hour talks with the employer.
Museum workers speak up over swingeing cuts
9 December 2014
Like many other cultural institutions, the British Library at St Pancras in London has faced swingeing cuts under this government – and seen its grant cut every year since 2010.
Councils seek law to block betting shop clusters
More than a quarter of all local authorities in England have joined forces to use the government’s “localism” legislation to block the clustering of betting shops on high streets that offer unregulated casino-style gambling.
Law Society withdraws sharia guidance
The Law Society has withdrawn its guidance on inheritance under sharia law after a widespread and fierce campaign called it a “gross dereliction of duty” and demanded its removal.
Is Google being ironic?
30 November 2014
Today is St Andrew’s Day, and in celebration Google has a new and perhaps ironic logo: a speeding train with the Scottish Saltire on the side.
Outsourced electricians to strike over terms and conditions
30 November 2014
Electricians employed by Amey who were outsourced from Sheffield City Council 18 months ago will be on strike tomorrow in a dispute over terms and conditions.
The mathematics of the madhouse
27 November 2014
Under fire for promoting corporate tax evasion, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has come up with a new wheeze: magicking a €315 billion investment programme out of thin air.
Building workers demonstrate against ‘umbrella’ exploitation
26 November 2014
Construction union UCATT is demonstrating in Cambridge against the now-widespread practice of employing staff through “umbrella companies”, which cost workers dear while saving money for employers.