European farmers demand a future
9 February 2024
Farmers’ protests are spreading across the EU. They are taking to the roads to demand that the EU supports food production.
News
News
Measles epidemic follows cuts in health visitors
8 February 2024
Measles was eradicated from Britain in 2017, but it has come back. That’s due to a cut in health visitors, which needs to be reversed.
On the march for the right to strike
8 February 2024
Workers gathered in Cheltenham on 27 January to remind government that they will resist anti-union laws.
Britain’s population set to increase sharply
2 February 2024
The Office of National Statistics predicts that the UK population will rise to over 73 million by 2036, an increase of 10 per cent over 2021. This will be overwhelmingly due to immigration.
Fighting for the English National Opera’s future
31 January 2024
ENO artists have suspended strike action in their pay and jobs dispute, pending further talks. But that’s only one step in their fight for the future of the company, which is being forced to move out of London in the name of “levelling up”.
Maintain the integrity of Royal Mail and Britain
31 January 2024
A recent Ofcom report sets out the poor state of privatised Royal Mail and spells trouble for the future of an integrated postal network. The post workers’ union has strongly criticised this, but industry and the wider public need to take up the cause.
Tube workers’ pay victory
31 January 2024
London Tube workers have won a pay victory after the threat of strike action in early January. This came after the Mayor for London announced extra funding at the last minute.
Train drivers fight on for pay
25 January 2024
Train drivers continue their fight for pay and conditions with a round of strikes. Train operating companies, backed by the government, are not even negotiating. One company trying to use new minimum service level laws quickly climbed down.
Steel jobs and industry threatened by net zero
24 January 2024
Tata Steel is cutting jobs at Port Talbot steelworks, driven by net zero. That will damage the steel industry and the wider economy.
Flooding – protection works
23 January 2024
Floods this winter again highlight the government’s failure to deliver better flood protection. The Fire Brigades Union continues to campaign for the resources they know can make a difference.
Rough sleeping on the rise
22 January 2024
Record numbers of people are now sleeping rough. The Conservative Party pledge to end rough sleeping in England by 2024 looks an empty promise despite action during the pandemic.
Ofsted under fire
The Association of School and College Leaders and the National Association of Head Teachers have called for Ofsted inspections to be paused immediately.
Engineering - Alstom Derby at risk
Britain’s only train factory able to design, engineer, build and test new trains, the Alstom plant at Litchurch Lane, Derby, is once again at risk, with no confirmed workload beyond next March.
Skills qualifications confusion
27 December 2023
Constant changes to skills qualifications have added to the pressure on further education. Political interference creates nothing but confusion.
Off the rails and onto the roads
27 December 2023
The fallout from the government strategy to switch investment from rail to road continues. It prefers promoting autonomous cars to developing rail and other public transport.
Overseas voters sought: an attack on democracy
27 December 2023
From January people who have left Britain will be allowed to vote in elections here, for life. This will allow people living abroad to influence what happens here.
Fishing quotas for 2024 agreed
27 December 2023
Britain still has to deal with the EU over fishing quotas. The latest agreement, the fourth since leaving the EU, sees further progress.
Unions united against law
20 December 2023
The first special Congress of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) for over forty years took place in early December. It considered how trade unions should respond to legal attempts to restrict their activity.
Pay progress for some doctors
NHS hospital consultants have secured an offer from the government in their fight for pay. Consultants’ pay had been cut, in real terms, by 35 per cent since 2008-09. Meanwhile, junior doctors' strikes continue
NHS reliance on overseas nurse recruitment unsustainable
20 December 2023
Ninety-three per cent of nurses who joined the NHS in the last four years have been recruited from overseas. This startling fact was revealed by NHS England’s chief nurse in December.
Royal Mail festive “truce” – for now
20 December 2023
Royal Mail workers have called off industrial action over Christmas and the New Year. CWU, their union said there was enough progress to call a “truce” over the holiday period.
Fighting fire service cuts across the country
20 December 2023
Firefighters are fighting attempts across the country to cut staffing, which risks effective response to emergencies. And they have criticised government plans for the fire service.
TUC Special congress [print version]
The first special Congress of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) for over 40 years took place in early December. It considered how trade unions should respond to legal attempts to restrict their activity.
Almost all nurses from abroad [print version]
Ninety-three per cent of the 51,245 nurses who have joined the NHS in the past four years have been recruited from overseas.
Elections - Overseas voters sought [print version]
On 16 January 2024 the eligibility of overseas voters in UK elections will change dramatically – allowing those who don’t live in Britain to influence what happens here.
Cruise operator withdraws conditions threat
1 December 2023
Cruise operator Carnival quickly withdrew an apparent threat to fire and rehire over 900 maritime professionals. After urgent negotiations with their union, the company confirmed it will not do so.
Grangemouth refinery closure threat
1 December 2023
Plans to shut Scotland’s only oil refinery threaten skilled jobs and Britain’s industrial base.
Migration continues to rise
1 December 2023
Recent reports confirm that the government has lost control of immigration as the numbers coming to Britian, legally as well as illegally, continue to rise.
Open door to study in Britain
24 November 2023
The number of overseas students coming to study in Britain has reached a record high. Universities and government welcome this, but it’s to the detriment of British students.
Fight for better conditions in further education steps up
19 November 2023
Further education workers have begun strike action in defence of pay and conditions. Their campaign follows years of neglect by employers and government.