Unions

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:

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

Carl Roper

Investment banker attacks workplace volunteers

Jesse Norman MP. Cartoon © Alex Hughes

If I was to tell you that today, a former employee of an industry that in 2009 received a bailout from the taxpayer amounting to over £1 TRILLION (and that still owes over £450 BILLION) was to move a motion attacking volunteer workplace union reps and demanding that unions should be forced to repay employers for the time they have negotiated that allows workplace reps to represent employees and negotiate with employers, you would think I’d taken leave of my senses.

But that’s exactly what is going to happen today when Jesse Norman MP, a former Barclays Investment banker stands up and moves a 10 Minute Rule Bill in the House of Commons.

Posted on January 11th, 2012 by Carl Roper filed under: Union reps

Carl Roper

Tories admit union cash doesn’t influence Labour (well kind of)!

Money laundering?

One of the more spurious yet central reasons why right wing front groups hate union reps getting paid time to represent employees and negotiate with employers is because they’ve convinced themselves that this frees up cash that unions (or at least the minority of them that affiliate) can then give to the Labour party. And a union trying to influence public policy is the thing they hate the most – apart from unions themselves obviously!

But wait – what’s this? It seems that unions aren’t the only groups that give cash to political parties.

Posted on December 9th, 2011 by Carl Roper filed under: Union reps

Paul Nowak

The TPA ‘cost-cost’ analysis of unions

Some things in life are inevitable – death, taxes, change, the seasons. But perhaps nothing is quite as inevitable as the fact that a report from the so-called Tax Payers Alliance will be about as balanced as a two-wheel trike.

Their latest opus sets out what it calls a ‘scandalous subsidy for unions’ conflating facilities and facility time for union reps in the public sector, with other types of support such as that provided through the Union Learning Fund – an initiative that has won widespread support from employers and Ministers alike.

Leaving aside the usual mistakes and/or deliberate omissions (the NFU is a ‘union’ apparently though I can confirm they have not indicated their official support for the TUC’s Day of action on November 30, and there is no mention of the fact that in some cases unions make payments toward the costs of facilities and time-off arrangements) the report’s major flaw is that it purports to highlight the COSTS (allegedly £113m) of such support, but studiously avoids any mention of any BENEFITS that may accrue from such support.

Posted on November 25th, 2011 by Paul Nowak filed under: Union reps

Alice Hood

It’s a ‘Yes’!

Today saw a slew of ballot results for action on public service pensions – with members saying a resounding ‘yes’. Those voting for industrial action today included physiotherapists, radiographers and chiropodists in the NHS and professional, specialist and senior civil servants. It doesn’t quite fit the picture some in the media and government are trying to paint with talk of in the press of ‘union barons’ and all the other old stereotypes.

Posted on November 14th, 2011 by Alice Hood filed under: Union campaigns

Paul Nowak

Don’t listen to the ballot ‘deniers’

Over the next few days unions including UNITE, the GMB and a host of others will be announcing the results of their industrial action ballots over pensions.

As sure as night follows day– and as we saw after the UNISON ballot result last week –right wing commentators and politicians will be out in force bleating loudly about ‘low turn-outs’ and ‘weak mandates’.

Here are five reasons why moans about turnouts and mandates are disingenuous:

Posted on November 10th, 2011 by Paul Nowak filed under: Union campaigns

Carl Roper

Occupy! What’s next for unions and the new social movements?

Poster at Occupy LSX. Photo: victoriaintheworld

It’s not unusual when the TUC’s Leading Change group visits the US each year for the trip to coincide with a significant event that provides a context for the discussions we have.

In 2005 the US Labour movement had split just a few months before we arrived and in 2008 the trip came in the initial aftermath of the financial meltdown and just days before the election of Barack Obama. The context to our visit to Harvard University last week was provided by the Occupy Wall Street and other similar protests in what now amounts to around 900 cities across the globe.

All week, alongside the presentations and discussions on strategies for trade union revival, a debate took place on what, if anything, was the significance of the ‘Occupy’ protests for the anti cuts movement and trade unions and what it would be appropriate for unions to do to provide support.

Posted on October 24th, 2011 by Carl Roper filed under: Unions in the community