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Richard Exell

Richard Exell

I am the TUC’s Senior Policy Officer covering social security, tax credits and labour market issues, including the debates about the European social model and labour market flexibility. I also represent the TUC on the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, as well as with Unemployed Workers’ Centres.

  • Richard Exell Richard Exell

    The massive turnout on 30 November

    Striking workers and supporters marching on 30 November. Photo: TUC

    We’ve always said that the November 30 strike was a tremendous success. Once you take into account the number of workers taking part, the range of unions and occupations – some of whom had never struck before – the level of support across the country was brilliant.

    Of course, some publications and commentators had decided even before the strike took place that it was a flop.

    Well, today’s monthly employment figures from the Office for National Statistics provide a definitive rebuttal. They include the first set of industrial dispute statistics covering November and they show that the number of working days “lost” to disputes (the ONS’s language, not mine) in November was the highest for 20 years:

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    Posted on January 18th, 2012 by Richard Exell filed under: Union campaigns

  • Richard Exell Richard Exell

    Pay bargaining and injustice

    On 21 February the TUC will be holding its annual Pay Bargaining Forum with Incomes Data Services. (More details, or register) It’s about equipping union representatives with facts and arguments that will be useful in the 2012 pay negotiations; this is the bread and butter of trades unionism, but we’re consciously putting that in the context of unions’ long-term struggle for a fairer world.

    So in addition to a practical “Pay Negotiators’ Tool Box” we’ll also be looking at how to challenge the fragmentation of bargaining and taking on some of the myths that are being promoted by our opponents. A good example of this sort of thing is the Chancellor’s claim in his Autumn Statement that:

    “public sector pay has risen at twice the rate of private sector pay over the last four years.”

    In a brilliant recent post, Alastair Hatchett of IDS (who’ll be one of the speakers at the conference) took this claim apart.

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    Posted on December 19th, 2011 by Richard Exell filed under: Union reps