The Union Advantage

#TUC14 On the eve of the annual Trades Union Congress in Liverpool, the TUC has today published The Union Advantage, a guide to how unions make work better and society fairer. The guide demonstrates the benefits of unions not only to individual workers but to employers and society as well. These include:
•55 per cent of unionised workplaces had pay rises in 2011, compared to just 35 per cent of non-unionised workplaces
•16 – 24 year-old union members earn, on average, 33 per cent more than non-union members of the same age
•Union members have 3.8 days more paid leave on average than non-union members
•Unionlearn improves Britain’s skills base and it supported 219,000 learners through apprenticeships, numeracy, literacy and other learning programmes in the year to March 2014
•Union health and safety reps save taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds each year by reducing lost time from occupational injuries and work-related illness, according to government research.

https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/TUC_UnionADV.pdf

Anatomy of Migration by Rani Drew

Older than time, migration is the story
of survival. Change and betterment,
desire and dreams put motion into feet.

The first stirrings begin in the brain. Reason
catalogues gains and losses, credits and
deficits. Movement becomes compelling.

New visions bring desires to the heart.
Collaborator of the brain, it fantasises
greener places on the other side of the globe.

Austerity wrecks lives - Manchester march and rally tomorrow

North West unions are organising a demonstration against austerity in Manchester tomorrow. Assemble Castlefield Arena (off Deansgate) at 11AM. Speakers include Dave Prentis and Christine Blower NUT General Secretary. UNISON Regional Convenor Angela Rayner called on branches and members to support the mobilisation saying 'we know that austerity has a tremendously negative impact on our public services, welfare state, jobs and wages. We need to demonstrate to show the current Government (and any future Government) that we’re not prepared to accept permanent austerity'
http://www.unisonnw.org/sat6sep/
http://www.unisonnw.org/we-need-to-break-the-chains-of-austerity/

Israel’s Crimes in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge – Extraordinary session of the Russell Tribunal

The Russell Tribunal completed its deliberations on 17 March 2013. The final report made a wide range of recommendations to address the unacceptable impact on Palestinian people as a result of the Israeli governmen's apartheid policies.

Following Israel’s aggressive war in Gaza in recent weeks the Tribunal has convened an extraordinary session to be held in Brussels on 24 and 25 September. This session will look into Israel’s Crimes (including War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and the Crime of Genocide) during the still ongoing “Operation Protective Edge” as well as third States complicity.

Two in five part-time jobs pay less than the living wage

Excellent research by the TUC highlights the prevalence of low pay across the UK, north and south, with women workers bearing the brunt of poverty pay: 'In West Lancashire for example, almost three-quarters (73.9 per cent) of women working part-time earn less than the living wage. West Somerset has the next highest proportion of low-paid, part-time female workers, where more than two-thirds of women earn less than the living wage'
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economic-issues/labour-market-and-economic-reports/labour-market/equality-issues/living-wage-out

Travel Tickets by Samih al-Qasim

On the day you kill me
You'll find in my pocket
Travel tickets
To peace,
To the fields and the rain,
To people's conscience.
Don't waste the tickets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samih_al-Qasim