Eurozone stagnation in Italy
Italy’s GDP is up by only 0.8 per cent on last year. In this year’s second quarter, there was no growth at all.
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NHS still tendering contracts across the EU
27 October 2016
NHS England is trying to defy the historic referendum vote to leave the EU by applying EU rules to the procurement of up to £15 billion of specialised services contracts.
No trade deal for EU and Canada
24 October 2016
Belgium cannot sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, the EU’s proposed trade deal with Canada because of opposition from local elected bodies. That may block the whole deal.
Southern rail: ASLEF to ballot over safety
The government wants massive cuts to staffing on Britain’s railways regardless of safety. ASLEF is to ballot train drivers in Southern rail against that threat, joining RMT guards in their increasingly bitter dispute.
Deutsche Bahn axes British rail jobs
Deutsche Bahn, the German state-owned rail company, has axed nearly 900 jobs, a quarter of its British workforce.
Unison: no movement on pay claim
Unison’s go-it-alone stance on local government pay has hit the buffers. Its additional pay claim for 2017-18 is not supported by other unions. Employers have refused the claim. New thinking is needed by workers to make progress.
Euro a 'house of cards'
The economic troubles of the EU will not go away, despite the sustained denials by politicians, echoed by some here in Britain. One expert tells a different story, explaining that struggling through crisises cannot go on endlessly.
Cuban organisation beats Hurricane Matthew
Hurricane Matthew reduced a Cuban coastal town to rubble. Yet not one person there lost their life – a testament to the power of organisation and class mobilisation.
A proper merchant navy - or face 'strangulation'
19 October 2016
After decades of decline in the number of British-registered vessels, Britain’s merchant navy is becoming so depleted that our economy could be held to ransom by other nations with stronger shipping industries, according to Nautilus, the maritime union.
Anti-Russia sanctions cost Europe dear
18 October 2016
European countries are extending sanctions against Russia because of the secession of Crimea from Ukraine. This belligerence is causing difficulties in Europe and Britain as well as for Russia.
RMT wins battle for safety and jobs in Scotland – Southern dispute becomes more bitter
11 October 2016
RMT Scotrail members have a victory in their fight for safety. Those working on Southern face the same problem, but their employer has escalted the dispute.
Generation reverse
3 October 2016
Real wages in Britain have fallen by more than 10 per cent in the last ten years according to government figures. The current generation of new workers will be the first since records began to earn less than their parents.
Pensions: later and later [updated]
3 October 2016
A review of the state pension age is due to be released in early 2017. We can expect the media to trail snippets to prepare the ground. But the apparently independent review will simply copy the World Bank and IMF line on how to bust up a country’s state pension system.
Commons committee slams Libya intervention
22 September 2016
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report into Britain’s role in the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi is a stunning indictment of the British state’s attack on Libya in March 2011.
French workers oppose labour laws
18 September 2016
Hundreds of thousands of French workers demonstrated in major cities again last week against the imposition of new labour laws.
Water metering - whether you like it or not
16 September 2016
Residents of some of Britain’s drier areas have been waking up to find water meters being installed outside their front gates.
North East rejects 'devolution' - again
12 September 2016
The government’s plans to force councils to merge and to accept elected mayors has come off the rails in the North East of England.
New arts trade union formed
12 September 2016
The Artists’ Union of England, launched in London and Newcastle two years ago with advice based on the Scottish Artists’ Union Rule Book, has just been granted certification.
Doctors fighting for the NHS
5 September 2016
Hospital doctors have begun a new phase of action in response to the government’s attempt to impose new contracts. Strikes planned for the autumn will take place unless the government halts the imposition and restarts meaningful talks.
Brexit boosts student choice
The mere fact of the vote to Leave looks set to benefit thousands of young British people looking for a place at the university of their choice.
Post Office: striking for the future [updated]
Post Office workers have voted overwhelmingly to strike against office closures, job losses and threats to their pensions.
European army plans march ahead
25 August 2016
Moves to create a European Army are accelerating – despite the assertions of the Remain campaign that the idea was purely Leave hysteria.
John Lewis and the Co-op: models for worker ownership and control?
23 August 2016
Cooperatives, according to their backers. Some even think they can blunt the effect of privatisation. The reality is somewhat different.
Hinkley C set for review
The government is to review the astronomically expensive Hinkley C nuclear plant deal with France and China.
Election fraud on the rise
Election fraud is growing in Britain, says a report headed by former communities secretary and now anti-corruption czar Sir Eric Pickles published on 12 August.
Housing: billions in subsidies for landlords
Figures published in August show that over £9 billion a year is now paid in housing benefits to people living in private rented accommodation.
Wind power: planning for subsidies
Planning permission for the world’s largest wind farm has been agreed 55 miles off the Flamborough coast – but the developer wants even higher subsidies than normal.
Local government: divisions over pay
As the 2016-17 pay claim looms. Unison, GMB and Unite cannot agree what the claim should be – so Unison has decided to go solo.
Khan cooperates with extension of Internet snooping
23 August 2016
London's Mayor Sadiq Khan has reacted to reports of a rise in cases of abuse in the aftermath of the EU referendum result – with an extension of state snooping.
Air pollution killing Londoners
5 August 2016
Londoners are falling ill and dying because the capital has levels of nitrogen oxides comparable to those of Shanghai and Beijing, according to a new report published in July.