GMB and Unite unions helped save fracking from ban January 27, 2015 Two of Britain’s largest trade unions helped save the fracking industry from a ban on its activities that could have lasted for over two years. Anti-fracking campaigners said yesterday that unions pressured Labour MPs to abstain from a vote on Monday night that would have imposed a moratorium on the shale gas industry’s activities. Tessa [...]
Bilderberg meets today: Here’s the full guestlist June 9, 2016 It may not be quite the shady organisation of conspiracy theorists' fevered imaginations – but the traditionally secretive Bilderberg conference nevertheless courts a certain amount of intrigue. This year, presumably in an effort to increase transparency, the conference's organisers have published a list of everyone attending (lizard people notwithstanding). The list, according to Bilderberg, is about [...]
JCB to axe 400 jobs as global slowdown leaves it in a hole September 22, 2015 CONSTRUCTION giant JCB yesterday said that 400 jobs at the firm are at risk due to a dramatic slowdown in global demand. The firm said that the construction equipment market has slumped in key markets such as Russia, Brazil, China and India. Chief executive Graeme Macdonald said: “The situation is not about to improve.” JCB [...]
Trident debate: Scottish Labour vote against renewal and choose to scrap nuclear missile system November 1, 2015 Scottish Labour have voted to scrap the United Kingdom's Trident nuclear missile system, based in Scotland. The party's conference in Perth saw delegates calling for the system not to be renewed. Some 70.3 per cent of party members voted in favour of unilateral disarmament. In response to the vote a spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn said: “The [...]
Preaching to the choir? Jeremy Corbyn brands Conservatives “poverty deniers” at TUC conference October 27, 2015 Union leaders are singing the praises of newly-elected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn after he used one of his first public appearances as party leader to call the Conservatives “poverty deniers” who spend “billions” cutting taxes for the rich. Corbyn – who has avoided media interviews and has yet to speak in the House of [...]
Steelmaker Caparo set to go into administration, with the loss of 1,800 jobs October 19, 2015 Steelmaker Caparo Industries has gone into administration, PWC has confirmed, as the crisis in the UK's steel sector deepens. Caparo is set to go into administration with the loss of around 1,700 jobs. The news follows the closure of the UK's second largest steelmaker, SSI steelworks in Redcar, which was announced this month. The liquidation will lead to over 2,200 [...]
Five charts showing where political parties get their money August 19, 2015 Unions donated more to political parties than companies did in the second quarter of 2015, while both lagged behind the value of individual donations, according to figures published by the Electoral Commission, the independent party funding watchdog. Overall, 12 political parties registered in Great Britain reported almost £21m in total donations in the second quarter of [...]
Trade union delegates boo Labour leader candidate Andy Burnham in Dublin June 9, 2015 Labour leadership hopeful Andy Burnham faced a tough crowd in Dublin yesterday, where he was booed by trade union delegates. Burnham – who is widely seen as the favourite in a field that includes Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall, Mary Creagh and Jeremy Corbyn – was participating in a GMB hustings event with his fellow candidates [...]
Fracking could cut house prices by up to seven per cent July 2, 2015 Fracking could cut nearby house prices by up to seven per cent and increase the cost of insuring a home, according to previously redacted sections of a government report released yesterday. The Shale Gas Rural Economy Impacts by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) looked at the impact of fracking operations on [...]
New TfL Tube strike chaos looms: Unions on collision course with Tories as government set to unveil tough curbs July 14, 2015 Unions preparing for battle with the government over new anti-strike rules have ratcheted up the heat with the threat of another Tube strike. Ahead of the introduction today of the Trade Union Bill – aimed at severely limiting strike action – the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) yesterday said it would join the [...]