Devolution an obstacle to tackling coronavirus
4 May 2020
How is devolution to Scotland and Wales helping Britain tackle the coronavirus pandemic? Not at all.
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News
Celebrate May Day in song
30 April 2020
On this May Day – Friday 1 May – with workers around the world unable to gather in numbers to celebrate the day, we invite all our readers to raise a glass in solidarity and sing the traditional Communist anthem, The Internationale.
Tourism shutdown tipping Windsor into bankruptcy
30 April 2020
It’s come to something when income from a tourist attraction – a royal tourist attraction at that – is the only thing that stands between a local authority and bankruptcy.
Fighting Covid-19: from north to south
30 April 2020
Stories are beginning to emerge which point to the resourcefulness and humanity of ordinary people in extraordinary times. When workers use their initiative, there is no end to what they can achieve.
West Country rail a cornerstone of economic recovery
30 April 2020
The future for rail is looking brighter in the West of England with the acknowledgement that it can contribute to rebuilding the economy after the Covid-19-induced setbacks.
Glasgow marks Workers Memorial Day
30 April 2020
Glasgow Trades Union Council marked Workers Memorial Day on 28 April by taking part in the Britain-wide “one-minute silence” tribute to those who have died in the health and caring professions during the current crisis.
PPE shortage exposes folly of relying on imports
30 April 2020
Last week Nissan started to make gowns for NHS trusts at its Sunderland plant. The development attracted wide press coverage – but in fact it is a sign of a serious problem with government policy.
Fighting Covid-19
Throughout Britain people are working out for themselves what they can do in the fight against Covid-19 Here are just two examples…
Farming - The new 'land army'
Thousands applied to become agricultural and horticultural workers after appeals by government and farmers for a new “land army” to help prevent millions of tonnes of fruit and vegetables going to waste during the coming period.
Universities - Mortgaged to the hilt
Coronavirus is exposing how deeply higher education has mortgaged its future to the international markets.
European Union - Fake news? Really?
Take a look at the latest publication from the European Union’s External Action Service (EEAS). It indicts China and Russia for spreading fake news, including “claims that the EU is disintegrating in the face of COVID-19”.
Use cash for services - RMT
Transport union RMT has called on the government to ensure that its support for the regional bus industry during the coronavirus epidemic will be used to protect workers and maintain services.
Union reps take responsibility to keep ambulances running
Media descriptions of “health heroes” often stops at doctors and nurses. At the front of the front line, though, are the ambulance services.
Creatives organise to survive
Workers in the creative industries across Britain have sparked their trade unions into urgent action to save jobs for the future, act on behalf of freelancers threatened with destitution and safeguard the pay and conditions of full-time employees who are “furloughed”.
Thousands apply to new 'land army' - yet chartered flights still arrive
16 April 2020
With massive spikes in workers looking for farming jobs, some farmers are still chartering flights to bring in workers from eastern Europe.
Creative workers in fight to save their industries
16 April 2020
Workers in the creative industries across Britain have sparked their trade unions into urgent action to save jobs for the future.
Musicians go online to keep link to audiences
16 April 2020
Ingenious online schemes are keeping skills alive, encouraging others to join in, and raising morale in difficult times.
Unison reps take responsibility to keep ambulance services running
14 April 2020
London’s ambulance service has been under heavy strain. But it has not buckled. Key to its resilience has been the acceptance of responsibility by the main trade union, Unison.
Bus support must protect workers and services, says RMT
5 April 2020
Transport union RMT has called on the government to ensure that its support for the regional bus industry during the coronavirus epidemic will be used to protect workers and maintain services.
Mortgaged to the hilt, universities look to cut jobs
4 April 2020
Britain’s universities are among those making workers redundant, as coronavirus exposes the extent to which higher education has mortgaged its future to the international markets.
Fake news? They're having a laugh
2 April 2020
Looking for light relief in this grim situation? Then take a look at the latest publication from the European Union’s External Action Service.
Coronavirus forces farmers to turn to British workers
31 March 2020
In a marked change of attitude, the National Farmers Union has announced a new era of recruiting British workers for seasonal work.
Workers demand safety in Scotland
30 March 2020
Unions are rapidly reaching agreements to protect workers and maintain vital services in the face of the coronavirus epidemic.
Brexit means Brussels, says EU
27 March 2020
Nearly four years after the Brexit referendum, the EU is still clinging to the hope that it can keep control of Britain away from the British people, according to a leaked document.
Coronavirus: Cuba leads the way
27 March 2020
During the coronavirus pandemic Cuba is standing out as a shining example of international solidarity and the expertise and medical treatments possible when a country is run in the interests of its people.
Government stalls urgent action on air passenger duty
12 March 2020
Airline pilots trade union BALPA reacted with dismay to the budget announcement of increases in airline passenger duty. It had been calling for a six-month suspension.
Poll finds support for public services
11 March 2020
A new poll conducted by Survation has found that voters believe that the privatisation of public services as increased regional inequality and harmed “left behind” parts of the country.
Chinese set to seal British Steel takeover
5 March 2020
Chinese firm Jingye Group has confirmed plans take over British Steel at a price of £70 million, and to invest more than £1 billion in the company, which collapsed in May last year.
RMT ballot brings tube strike closer
2 March 2020
Widespread industrial action on the tube has moved a step closer as transport union RMT prepares to ballot its members on strikes over pay and hours.
New leaflet: Unity, not separatism
Once again the SNP is calling for a second referendum on Scottish “independence”.