Prem Sikka dissects the Westminster governments series of economic and financial initiatives On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Covid-19 to be ‘a public health emergency of international concern’. This provided ample warning and time for the Westminster government to manage the economic consequences of the pandemic. Its response has been chaotic […]
Roz Foyer reports on what’s been happening in Scotland’s workplaces The STUC supports the Fair Work Convention’s vision that by 2025 people in Scotland should have a world-leading working life where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society. The Convention’s Fair Work Framework (FWF) goes on to define Fair […]
Stephen Smellie charts a way out of the crisis in both short- and medium-terms Thousands have died in care homes in a fragmented service delivery model designed to generate a market, where operators’ desire to make profit rather than provide quality care is the driving force and where public accountability is weak and regulation light. […]
Megan Gordon reports that a bad situation is getting worse – so much more funding is needed Imagine that you have a partner who constantly belittles you and your children. Or, who controls where you go, who you speak to and what you wear. Imagine that they humiliate you, and that sometimes they are violent. […]
Allyson Pollock and Louisa Harding-Edgar say there is also an opportunity to end the neo-liberalism that got us to this point There is no doubt that the Westminster government’s delay in implementing public health measures to prevent COVID-19 has cost thousands of lives and enormous hardship for the many millions of people plunged into unemployment […]
Andrew Watterson says unions must be part of the post-crisis economic and social reconstruction Pandemics cannot be avoided but COVID-19 has shown that Britain could and should have done a lot better to protect its workforce, protect the public and, hence, protect the economy too. April saw the Society of Occupational Medicine along with a […]
Stewart Forrest says it should not have taken a crisis to recognise the crucial role of retail workers When the Coronavirus hit our shores, the shopping public panicked in the aisles of our supermarkets. Suddenly, the world understood the essential role retail workers have in keeping our communities fed, healthy and safe. Finally, Usdaw’s consistent […]
Mags Hall argues that the precedents being set can be used to open up a greener and fairer future There are no silver linings to the coronavirus pandemic. Nature is not ‘healing itself’. We are mourning the loss of our loved ones, our communities, our ways of living. But riding underneath all this, we still […]
Ben Kritikos says a bad situation is getting worse as governments ignore the tenants’ plight The coronavirus pandemic has widened what were cracks in our social welfare into yawning chasms. The economic downturn resulting from social distancing and lockdown measures taken to tackle the spread of this virus has worsened an already-dire situation for precarious […]
Mick Cash says though there is ‘clear and present’ danger, we have a political opportunity on our hands It goes without saying that the Coronavirus pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge for the rail industry. Throughout this period, the RMT’s absolute priority is protecting our members’ health, safety and livelihoods and we have worked with […]