Mind-bending reality by Tim Richards‏

You find weirdos in all sorts of places.
I found some in my college
on the Corporate Board.

Declining value of public sector pay - time to stop the rot‏

Median pay deals in the UK rose slightly from 2.0% to 2.2% in the three months through to November, according to the latest survey by Incomes Data Services (IDS).

Unions & The Law‏

In 2010 trade unions looked on with disbelief as High Court judges granted injunctive relief to employers over minor balloting irregularities – thus overturning democratic decisions of workers to take strike action in high profile disputes such as the BA cabin crews.Radio 4’s Unreliable Evidence last night explored the law relating to trades unions and industrial action.

A dangerous social experiment‏

In the 1980’s the response to the Thatcherite regime of outsourcing was for some progressives to suggest that the way forward to protect public service ethos would be to establish worker cooperatives or not-for-profit trusts. Margaret Hodge and others are rehashing the same arguments now in the name of new labour.

Keith Faulkner RIP - a loss to the whole movement‏

The trade union movement has lost a great servant in Keith Faulkner. Quietly effective and described by TUC colleagues as "invincible and at the hub of everything, not only organisation wise, but physically too!" he had that rarest of gifts, the ability to implement a plan and make things happen.

Rerun of Airplane?‏

In the 1980’s the American satirical film Airplane made great comedy. In one famous scene the bogus runaway plane went from one gate to another whilst a frantic airport announcer shouted the gate numbers continually going up saying ‘now gate 8 now gate 9 now gate 10’. It’s a bit like the numbers game when it comes to local government job losses.

St Georges nurses vow to defend the NHS

Nursing and NHS professionals at St Georges, Tooting, South London started 2011 by taking time out at lunch time to protest at the Governments planned NHS reforms and decision to cut £10bn a year from the NHS through so called efficiency savings.

Organising in the Community and Organising in your Union‏

UNISON Northern regional convenor Clare Williams has nailed the key arguments about organising in the latest issue of Red Pepper: http://www.redpepper.org.uk/community-coalition/   Citing the example of the Northern Public Services Alliance and welcoming the recent statements from UNISON and PCS leaderships about working together, she restates the arguments about unions listening to workers to develop an agenda, organising with them to build sustainable campaigns and listening to workers as service users as well as public sector employees.

General Strikes & the Law - a response‏

The comment by Government Minister Francis Maude that “no-one is talking about a general strike – that would be illegal' reflects a complacent assumption of the Tories that the current represive anti union laws are the natural order of things.

Say NO to divisive Health deal‏

English employers have offered a "deal" to NHS workers of no compulsory redundancies in exchange for a two year incremental freeze on top of a two year pay freeze. This site does not allow the length to go into the full social, economic and service based arguments on why UNISON should reject this offer so I will simply focus on one reason why we should be saying "No" with a united voice.

Why should a General Strike be unlawful in Britain?‏

“No-one is talking about a general strike – that would be illegal. We hope not....we’re not persuaded that changes are needed, because while you can have a vote for a strike with relatively small numbers taking part, that doesn’t mean that they’ll all come out on strike” said Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude when explaining to the Sunday Times why the Government would not be introducing new anti strike laws in the short term - as demanded by employers organisations such as the CBI.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8236175/Francis-Maude-Coalition-will-not-ban-strikes.html

Midwives shortage

Maternity units across Britain are struggling to cope with an increased birthrate, while the birthrate has increased by 19 per cent the number of midwives has gone up by just 12 per cent - 3,500 short of the number needed.

NUPGE makes a stand over membership raiding‏

UNISON sister union NUPGE is in conflict with the Canadian Labor Congress (CLC) over the latter's failure to deal effectively with the practice of raiding (poaching) of one union's members by another.

Portraiture by Angela Readman‏

Outside the job centre
he sells his enterprise:
a painting, his Sistine: