Muck makes money
The water industry is in crisis, like the rest of capitalism. Water quality targets are missed, companies are heavily in debt, infrastructure needs investment. But profits and dividends are up...
Britain must have investment
There is capital – plenty of it – that could be used for investment here in Britain but instead countless billions of pounds are invested overseas. Meanwhile employment and living standards here suffer…
Families don’t grow under capitalism
It’s getting harder and harder to build a family in Britain – and in particular to start one before your thirties. High house prices and low wages mean many are forced to wait longer than they want…
Sex, gender and women’s rights
When women’s rights in Scotland were sacrificed in the name of “progress”, Scottish women decided to fight back. A new book tells their story…
200 years of railways
This year marks the bicentenary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. It will rightly be celebrated with events throughout the year…
Grangemouth: Rally against closure
Hundreds of oil workers from the threatened Grangemouth refinery, delegations from other refineries around the country, and their supporters, marched on Holyrood in Edinburgh on 28 November.
Threat Of War: Campaign at Lakenheath
The campaign against the return of US nuclear weapons to British soil after a 15-year absence is gathering pace.
Water: Thousands march
On 3 November, over 15,000 protesters gathered in central London for the National March for Clean Water. There were simultaneous demonstrations in Glasgow and Belfast.
Rising water bills condemned
19 December 2024
Water bills will rise by more than one-third over the next five years, much of it in 2025. The regulator, Ofwat, previously said that that the price rises would far less. Unions and campaign groups have condemned the move.
Britain up for grabs
19 December 2024
The number of British companies sold to foreign investors continues to rise, up sharply on last year. This is not “investment” but amounts to selling British industry on the cheap.
Farming under threat
18 December 2024
Farmers continue to campaign against tax changes and other threats to farming. This focuses attention on food production and the condition of our countryside.
Nationalisation…or not
18 December 2024
The government proposes to return most passenger rail services to public ownership. This will not necessarily improve services. Key areas are left out, so the industry will remain fragmented.
Pay agreement at Rolls-Royce
18 December 2024
Rolls-Royce aerospace workers have eventually settled a multi-year pay agreement after prolonged negotiations. The industry has often led the way on pay levels, but that may change with the employers exploiting fragmentation and outsourcing.
Pay review sparks outrage
17 December 2024
The government has announced a public sector pay rise of 2.8 per cent for 2025. Unions have denounced this as a cut in real pay. They are gearing up for a fight on pay again.
More delay to nuclear power for Britain
16 November 2024
The government is delaying the use of small modular nuclear reactors in Britain. And it is not committed to support Rolls-Royce as a provider, although it is a world leader in the technology.
Post Office closures
14 November 2024
The Post Office has announced plans for job losses and closures in the wake of the Horizon scandal. The Communication Workers Union has called for a halt, and will fight the job losses if the plan goes ahead.
Budget: reality bites
2 November 2024
Details of the Budget were widely trailed beforehand. But behind the headlines and promises there is much that should concern workers.
Change the climate of debate
The new government has shown that all parliamentary parties are essentially the same in their attitude to British workers. This is underlined by the government’s cowardly attack on the living standards of the more vulnerable section of our class.
CPBML Congress Summary published
The CPBML has published a new document that brings together the major lines of thought to emerge from its Congress in June this year.
Stand up for the arts!
Struggle is under way to reverse decades of decline in culture funding. From Cardiff to Nottingham, from Edinburgh to Birmingham and beyond, those who work in the arts are fighting for their future…
No, the NHS is not broken
The government is keen — alarmingly keen — to say that the NHS is “broken”. You might almost think that ministers would like it to be…
Not a skills shortage, more a training blockade
It’s bad business as usual: employers and their governments continue to blockade training for British workers. It’s no accident, either, rather a deliberate policy…
Warmongers, not peacemakers
25 October 2024
The defence pact with Germany just announced is the latest step in the Labour government’s warmongering. Since the election, Starmer and his ministers have actively ramped up NATO commitments in the name of “defence”.
One era ends in Scotland – time to build a new one
The departure from the political stage of many leading separatists, be it through illness, death, scandal or retreat, marks the end of an era for Scotland and a new opportunity in the quest for a united British nation…
Grangemouth: the myth of a ‘just transition’
Look behind the fine façade of the Just Transition Commission, and all you find are false promises, lack of transparency, indifference, and inaction by governments ducking their responsibilities…
Clean water – a clear demand
The Labour government’s new water bill is a fraud. It will do nothing about the debt that continues to hamstring the industry. And nothing, either, about the blatant failure to maintain minimum environmental standards…
Rail success in Bristol
Bristol celebrated a new station at the end of September. This is the result of a long and determined campaign, which has further improvements in its sights.
University pay still not settled
Pay for university workers is still not settled. The five unions representing higher education workers submitted a claim in April, but there’s no agreement.
Carbon Capture: Three schemes announced
The government has announced funding of £22 billion for carbon capture schemes.