Times: Business Chief’s “Being Held To Ransom”

According to the front page today’s Times (August 21st, 2024) ‘businesses’ have warned the Labour Government that that strengthening trade union rights could “damage growth” and that “employers fear they are being held to ransom”.

According to Times – business chiefs raised their concerns at the meeting with Angela Rayner and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds last week. 

One senior executive of “a FTSE company” (un-named) moaned to the Times that they’ve already got unions “knocking on the door” gleeful about the new powers coming their way. Oh dear!

With the current Tory opposition, looking and sounding ‘dazed and confused’ it was always going to be down to the right wing media to form an opposition to Labour.

The Mail, Express, Sun, Times, Torygraph, GB News and others – (with the BBC hanging onto their coat tails) have resurrected ‘union scaremongering’; ‘beer and sandwiches at number 10”; ‘secret deals with union barons” about the New Deal For Workers’ and the considerable number of improved protections and proposed changes to current anti union laws.

In Labour’s manifesto there are 48 pledges – count ‘em! 

Ending zero hours contracts, ending fire & rehire, bringing in day one employment rights, fair pay agreements, improvements on equalities legislation, ending the use of agency workers during disputes, union access to workers and many individual protections including improvements on bereavement leave, sick pay, legislation to protect the terminally ill at work, protection for interns, introducing modern electronic balloting and workplace ballots – to name a few.

None of these – and other pledges were secret – and were in the manifesto and Labour proclaimed them during th general election campaign.

Attempts to destabilise Labour by the right wing media was to be expected. It happens every time.

As I have previously stated:  “In my experience every time a Labour Government proposes pro worker employment legislation – from the National Minimum Wage, the Health & Safety At Work Act, protection during collective redundancies, equal rights for woman, part time and agency workers etc the Tories, the CBI, the Institute of Directors and parts of the media predict any new legislation to protect workers will damage the economy, create unemployment or mean the end of the world as we know it.”

Earlier this year Peter Mandelson in the Sunday Times poked his oar in advising Labour not to “rush” changes to employment rights. He was roundly derided. Labour Together also warned Labour to “asses reforms on the private sector” something that would happen anyway once consultation on the Employment Bill started. 

Rupert Soames, the president of the CBI also gave press briefings to the media (supposed private feedback) – advising against ‘a European model ’of employment rights’. Again he was roundly derided by the Labour Party and unions. 

It took the Times 7 days to produce a non story with Government officials insisting “no specific gripes were raised at the gathering of ministers, trade unions and business leaders”.

Well it is the summer holidays after all…..

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TUC: Scunthorpe Steelworks – Time To Act To Future-Proof Jobs

By Ali Poncia, TUC Policy Officer Decarbonising Industry

A major threat to the UK’s steel industry is brewing at Scunthorpe’s steelworks. We must act now to prevent thousands more job losses in steel and future-proof our vital manufacturing industry.

The planned closure of the Port Talbot blast furnaces and likelihood of mass redundancies has gained significant media attention in recent months. But there are mounting fears that another major threat to the UK steel industry, with much less coverage, could soon be unfolding at Scunthorpe’s steelworks.

British Steel, the Chinese-owned company that runs the steelworks, has put forward a proposal to government and secured planning permission to close its blast furnace operations and switch to electric arc furnace (EAF) recycled steel production, reportedly seeking £600m government support. This switch could reduce steel production capacity in Scunthorpe by 50% and would likely make more than 2,000 of the current 3,200 workforce redundant, with much further reaching impacts on the thousands of jobs that rely on the steelworks, either directly within the supply chain, or indirectly as local businesses that rely on steelworker custom.

Whilst rapid decarbonisation of steel production is a necessity, and a transition to EAF production does cut emissions, this single-track strategy at both Scunthorpe and Port Talbot will leave the UK without primary steel production, and has been heavily criticised as ‘decarbonisation on the cheap’. This approach will ultimately lead to offshoring of jobs and emissions as the UK will be forced to resort to imports to fulfil its demand for primary steel, likely resulting in a higher overall carbon toll.

In Europe, every major steelmaking country is pursuing a combination of green hydrogen-based primary steelmaking and EAFs, with substantial public investment and a central focus on job security.

Steelworkers have long been advocating for investment in upgrades to steelworks that cut emissions, as a means to futureproof the skilled and good quality jobs offered by the industry, and the climate movement stands in their support.

In July, Community Trade Union addressed a rally outside Tata Steel’s London HQ in support of steelworkers, alongside climate organisations including Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and Green New Deal Rising. This followed an open letter signed by more than 30 climate groups in the UK calling on government to halt Tata Steel’s current proposals and negotiate an alternative that secures jobs and future-proofs the industry.

In April, a Unite the Union handed a 30,000 strong petition to local politicians in support of steel jobs at Scunthorpe. Workers’ voices must be included in the plans that directly affect their livelihoods, they must have a seat at the negotiating table that has so far been reserved only for government and steel companies.

More than forty years on from the closure of Shotton steelworks in North Wales that left 6,500 workers jobless in a single day, we now have four decades’ worth of hindsight into the local economic devastation and political disillusionment caused by policy decisions that decimate industry with no credible protections for impacted workers and communities – communities which are failed again and again. Decarbonisation that excludes workers and fails our communities is wholly unacceptable, and entirely avoidable.

The government has earmarked £2.5 billion for steel decarbonisation under its new National Wealth Fund, and Jonny Reynolds, the recently appointed Secretary of State for Business and Trade, has voiced a strong commitment to support steelworkers: “Decarbonisation does not mean deindustrialisation, and I will be working to safeguard jobs […], securing the future of steelmaking communities for generations to come”.

Scunthorpe is now at a crossroads with an ever-shrinking window of opportunity: the government must deliver on its commitment to leverage decarbonisation that brings workers along, or else risk sacrificing a critical industry and further breaking the trust of communities already repeatedly betrayed by false promises.

Right wing media outlets are quick to push out the narrative that jobs must be sacrificed under the climate agenda. Across the UK, the stakes of failing to deliver on the just transition are high, with far-right groups seeking to stoke division and offer a home for anger amongst those failed by the state.

But it’s possible to get the transition right, too. In Scunthorpe, that would mean at the very least:

•Meaningful engagement with steelworkers’ unions to develop transition plans,

•A package of public and private investment, agreed between government, British Steel, and unions, conditional on

•Guarantees to protect jobs and support workers through the transition.

Getting it right offers the potential to not only retain and revitalise a thriving steel industry, but also to form the bedrock of a genuinely worker- and climate-friendly industrial strategy.

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Labour Moves Closer To EU

Ever heard of the Product Safety and Metrology Bill? You will do. It is part of Labour’s massive legislative programme and the innocuous sounding bill has already led the Sunday Express to brand it a “Brexit betrayal”. But was it really?

The bill will give Labour the power to recognise EU product safety rules updated by the EU where appropriate, saving money and time for businesses trading in the EU, something hard pressed companies and some trade unions have been demanding.

The bill also undoes some of the Tories Retained EU Law Bill which let individual ministers change or entirely scrap laws inherited from the EU (including ‘bonfire’ of EU employment rights – which the Tories were forced to abandon).

Labour’s bill will make it easier to align with EU agri-food standards which helps companies trying to do cross-border business in the UK.

Although not a done deal the UK manufacturers body Make UK said the bill “removes the uncertainty” created by the Tory Retained EU Law and gives the British government the “future ability to assess and implement EU product regulatory requirements into UK law for specific manufacturing product markets and categories.”

If all goes smoothly we expect more from the Labour government on alignment – crucial for trade unions will be making sure the UK implements new employment protections that have been introduced in the EU since Brexit such as those giving rights to  digital and platform workers.

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Unite Statement On Far Right Thuggery

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TUC Statement On Far Right Violence

We stand together in peace and solidarity with the people of Southport following the horrific events that took place on Monday 29th July have left us all in shock.

Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who have died and are receiving treatment for their injuries. They should be the priority for everyone who cares about what has happened

Instead some have sought to use the tragic event in Southport to divide and spread hate – based on mistruths and false information. Far right thugs have taken to the streets of Southport, Hartlepool and London to attack Police and emergency service workers, to target Muslim communities with xenophobic hatred and to despoil the memories of those whose lives were so tragically cut short.

We must not let them get away with their lies and division.

Trade unions have always been at the heart of efforts to unite communities and stand against hate. But the challenge feels even more urgent now.

Whilst what took place in Southport leaves a dark shadow, we have seen some of the best of us. Our emergency service workers who rushed to danger, who provided and continue to provide life-saving care.

Our public service workers providing ongoing care and support and practical help.

Our teachers and support staff in the schools attended by young people affected and our community organisations who have stepped up to help and provide counselling.

So many other individuals, local businesses and organisations who are giving their time and expertise. They all deserve our gratitude. They have discharged their duty professionally, diligently and with compassion for their community.

Once again, it is a diverse range of front-line workers and community activists who have stepped up to repair the damage – material, physical and emotional.

Southport and our communities across the country do not need to meet violence with further violence. Whipping up hate and fear is not acceptable.

As trade unions, we will continue to work with our members in workplaces across the country, to provide practical support and solidarity and defeat the narrative of hate.

Our unions call for an end to the violence and intimidation, and for all those who perpetrate these acts to be brought to justice.

Unity is our strength, and we will stand firm against those that aim to pit different workers and communities against each other.

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Top Ten Global Digi-Tech Companies 2024

A recent study has ranked the Top 100 digi-tech companies in the world in 2024, highlighting these tech titans’ financial prowess and innovative capabilities. 

It is worth noting that these companies are not unionised.

According to the study by tech industry experts at coveragely.com, Alphabet ranks 1st with an overall score of 100. It has a net asset value of $293 billion, the highest globally. With a market cap of $2.28 trillion and an annual revenue of $318 billion, Alphabet showcases exceptional financial strength and profitability, boasting an operating margin of 25.49%.

The company’s solid financials include total assets valued at $407 billion and liabilities of $115 billion. Alphabet’s workforce of 180,900 employees each generates a remarkable $1.8 million in revenue, underscoring its efficiency and productivity. These metrics collectively make Alphabet a leading example of technological and financial excellence.

The study by tech industry experts at coveragely.com analyzed various financial metrics, including market capitalisation, revenue, operating margins, revenue per employee, and net asset values, to rank the companies shaping our tech-driven world.

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Labour Needs A Plan To Neutralise Farage

First published in the Morning Star July 19th

Like many Morning Star readers I had to do a ‘double take’ when the General Election exit poll predicted Reform would win 13 seats.

The final figure turned out to be five – all of them middle-aged blokes with short attention spans, who get rattled at tough questioning, whose economic policies are “shallow and inconsistent” to quote political commentator Steve Richards and which fail to stand up to any scrutiny –  coupled with a half baked view of the world – based winding the clock back to 1950s.

The coverage of Reform in the media following the election result on July 4th was at times staggering.

Anyone would think Nigel Farage had been elected Prime Minister. The fact is that too many media outlets still give him an easy ride and indulge his ‘cheeky chappie’ image.

Farage is a clever communicator, who can turn a phrase into a slogan, seize on unfounded prejudices and push the envelope as far he can go.

He admits to nothing – including Brexit – which he said had nothing to so with him and blames everyone else for running an organisation of individuals who pay a fee to be candidates and who appear to be misfits, cranks, ex National Front supporters, UKIP and Brexit Party veterans, racists, mysoginists and pub bores.

Reform is one-man band,  a company of which he is the main shareholder – not a political party with a financial sugar daddy in Richard Tice (among others) who Farage elbowed out of the way  to take over the leadership.

Despite this Reform polled14%. TV vox pops still show he has support among working people who buy into the easy slogans and prejudices, often saying Farage speaks ‘common sense’.

The current investigatory work being undertaken by Byline Times journalists into bogus Reform candidates and electoral irregularities is to be commended.

I had to laugh when Ben Habib, one of Farage’s most trusted supporters – who failed to win a seat but had dutifully appeared at every opportunity on breakfast time sofa’s and on late night panels defending Farage and Reform was unceremoniously dumped from his job as Farage’s deputy – claiming not to know why.

The new Labour Government now has enormous powers and opportunities to tackle the grievances Reform exploits head on and challenge their lies and the BBC’s love affair with Farage has to change too.

His easy access to the airwaves must stop and he should be treated just like the leaders of other small parties as well as facing robust scrutiny.

In the meantime, expect the Mail, Express, Sun, Telegraph and GB News to regroup and become the opposition to Labour as the Tory electoral catastrophe hits home.

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Samsung Workers Launch Indefinite Strike

Thousands of South Korean workers employed by electronics and tech  giant Samsung, one of the world’s largest smartphone and AI chip makers have gone on indefinite strike after the management of the company failed to respond for requests for discussions on pay and conditions.

Workers formed the National Samsung Electronics Union representing 30,000 staff – about a quarter of Samsung workers in South Korea. Samsung Electronics has a total workforce estimated at 268,000 globally across 74 manufacturing sites and sales outlets.

There are about 120,000 workers in South Korea. Workers are described as ‘sub-contractors’. Samsung Electronics Service is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics and relies on in-house subcontractors who are managed by Samsung.

The Samsung union is affiliated to the Korean Metal Workers Union.

Samsung has a long history of anti unionism, including classic union busting strategies including setting up yellow union (company run non independent unions), and threats of violence and intimidation.

The current strike started as three days of action but escalated after management failed to respond to proposals for negotiations from the union.

Workers are demanding 3.5% increase in base salary and a day off to mark the union’s founding.

Currently 6,500 workers have been taking part in strikes and the union was holding training sessions to organise more workers to join the union.

The union said production on certain chip lines had been affected with equipment running slowly.

In response Samsung said: “Samsung Electronics will ensure no disruptions occur in the production lines. The company remains committed to engaging in good faith negotiations with the union.”

Earlier this year workers held a one day strike – (using annual leave) – the first labour strike at Samsung Electronics.

The strikes come as Samsung recorded a profit of $7.5 billion (£5.84 bn) between April and June, up more than 900 per cent on last year.

The strike comes as workers digi-tech companies are organising into unions with campaigns in Coventry UK at Amazon (GMB), Google and other tech companies in the UK, (Unite, CWU) fin-tech companies such as Klarna in Sweden (Unionen) and gaming, digital and AI companies in the USA, self organised independent unions predominately company wide or site wide unions.

 

For more article on digi-tech union campaigns and AI in the workplace paste these links into your browser.

TUC AI Report, Employment Bill & Organising In Digital & Tech Sectors

AI: Threats & Opportunities For The Media

Labour: Implementing The TUC’s AI Bill Is A No Brainer

https://medianorth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Artificial-Intelligence-and-the-threat-to-Workers.pdf

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How Labour Can Govern For Working People

Paul Nowak, General Secretary, TUC

By Paul Nowak, TUC General Secretary

The trade union movement will work with Keir Starmer to deliver change.

What an extraordinary moment in British politics. Labour back in power with a near-record majority. The Conservatives brutally ejected from office. A dozen cabinet members gone. A red wave in Scotland at the SNP’s expense. But while it’s easy to get carried away by the seismic nature of this election – we cannot afford to be distracted. We have a country to fix.

When I congratulated Keir Starmer my message to him was clear. The trade union movement stands ready to work with the new government to repair and rebuild Britain – and to deliver the change working people desperately need. After 14 years of wretched Tory rule and chaos, I am not blind to the size of the task this incoming government faces.

The Conservatives have left behind a trail of destruction for all to see. Stagnant growth and wages. Rising in-work poverty. Broken public services. The charge sheet goes on and on. But despite all of the damage wrought, I am optimistic. After nearly a decade and a half in opposition, Labour can finally begin transforming the country – an urgent and necessary challenge that must be grasped with both hands. So where should we start?

First and foremost, we need to get our economy growing again. Unions and business have been crying out for years for a proper industrial strategy. The Green Prosperity Plan starts us on the road to economic recovery. And it will be a breath of fresh air to work with ministers who are actually serious about protecting and creating good jobs, and boosting skills and productivity.

But securing growth alone is not enough – we also need better living standards. Labour needs to act urgently to make work pay. We currently have over four million people who are trapped in jobs that offer little or no financial security. This is a national disgrace. The UK’s long experiment with a low-wage, low-rights economy has been terrible for productivity and workers alike. Labour’s New Deal For Working People – delivered in full – will help end the Tories’ race to the bottom on employment standards.

A race to the bottom that has allowed good employers to be undercut by the bad, and scandals like the illegal sacking of 800 seafarers at P&O Ferries go unpunished. Labour’s plans will be a genuine game-changer. Employment rights from day one. A ban on zero-hours contracts. An end to fire and rehire. New rights for unions to access the workplace. And the scrapping of anti-union legislation.

These are all part of a comprehensive new package of rights that will be good for workers, good for businesses and good for the UK economy. Inevitably there will be some siren voices in the business community who will seek to delay and water down this legislation. But it is vital Labour stays the course and ignores the doomsayers. All the tired arguments that have been made against improved rights and protections at work echo those used against the minimum wage – now widely acknowledged to be one of the great policy successes of the last 25 years.

The naysayers were wrong then and they are wrong now. It is also vital that immediate work begins on repairing our crumbling public realm. At the heart of the pressures on our schools, hospitals, prisons and social care system is a huge workforce crisis. Across the NHS and social care alone there are nearly 300,000 staffing vacancies and in education the number of teaching vacancies has more than doubled in the past three years.

With morale at rock bottom – after more than a decade of Tory vandalism and neglect – Labour has the chance to signal a new direction of travel. We’ve already seen really encouraging commitments on scrapping tax breaks for private schools to fund new teachers in the state sector, and on closing non-dom loopholes to help bring down waiting lists. It’s no secret though that I want the party to go further and that we explore all funding options for rebuilding our public services.

The TUC has previously called for a national conversation on taxing wealth and I remain convinced that policies like equalising Capital Gains Tax with the taxes paid on earnings could bring in much-needed revenues. People voted in this election because they wanted real change – and Reform’s populist insurgence is a timely warning of what happens when governments fail to act.

And this question of delivery is the crux of the matter. After 14 years of national decline the country has finally got the Labour government it desperately needs. I know how ambitious Keir Starmer and his team are to improve working people’s lives, and the trade union movement wants to work with them. Of course there will be moments of tension. That comes with being a critical friend. Our job is to speak up for working people and our members and to make sure their voices are heard at the heart of government – even when the message is difficult.

But the prospect of national renewal is real. Decent jobs, strong public services, a brighter, fairer future for all our children. The work will be hard and it starts today – but together we can realise a better future.

Originally posted on www.newstatesman.com

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Posted in Blogs, Economics, Employment Rights, European Trade Unions, Labour Party, Media, Politics, Solidarity, The Digital Economy and Unions, Trade Unions, Trades Union Congress | Leave a comment

UPDATED : Talks On Investment & Jobs Begin At Port Talbot

The UK steel industry stands on the precipice after Tata Steel announced plans earlier this year to close the blast furnaces at the Port Talbot steel works in July and September 2024, ceasing iron production and decimating what remains of one of the key areas of the UK’s industrial base.
At a time of rising global tensions and fears over security, Unite has said it will not stand by and watch the destruction of another key component of our critical national manufacturing infrastructure, while at the same time increasing our reliance on steel imports.
Unite says that in the coming years there will be a tenfold increase in demand for ‘green’ steel – steel manufactured using electric furnaces.
Unite has produced detailed plans which would result in the creation of jobs and make the UK the European capital of a profitable green steel industry. If adopted this plan would secure this critical industry for generations to come and reduce the UK’s over reliance on imports in what has become an uncertain world. You can’t deliver growth without steel.
The Tata announcement to end virgin steel production at Port Talbot with ‘blast furnace five’ closing this month and ‘blast furnace four’ closing in September, will result In a loss of 2,800 hihhly skilled and well paid employment.
jobs.
Unite’s says that during discussions with the Labour Party the union had secured a commitment that an the expected Labour government would provide £2.5 billion extra investment for UK steel.
Unite and other steel making unions (GMB and Community) asked Tata to wait until the change of government before making any final decision on the future of its blast furnaces and steel production.
Tata has refused to do this and on 31st May it wrote to its employees stating: “Neither the general election nor its outcome has any impact on the timings or our decision to proceed with the winding down of our heavy-end operations (blast furnaces).”
Given Tata’s stance Unite says it had no option but to exercise its mandate for industrial action and begin an overtime ban and announce strike action for next month. When announcing strike action Unite made it clear to Tata that we would ensure that all safety procedures would be met.
Unite says it has repeatedly requested that the company commit to not making any final decisions about the future of the blast furnaces until after the election when meaningful negotiations can be held. The only negotiations Tata want to have is to sell the jobs via redundancy packages. This is not acceptable.
Instead of waiting for a predicted change of Government, Tata has decided to double down, making continued threats to try and stop industrial action on “trumped up technicalities”. If they are successful, Unite says it will re-ballot for industrial action and will continue to do everything in its power to save jobs and fight to stop the destruction of this part of of the UKs critical infrastructure.
Unite has demanded that it waits wait until we have a change of government this week and not make any irreversible decisions and for Tata to enter into meaningful negotiations. Unite says this is the only demand it is making at this point.
Unite says it then can meet with government, other unions and Tata, to negotiate investment in jobs rather than abandoning the steel workers in Wales.

Update: On Sunday afternoon Tata Steel wrote to the steel unions offering to meet unions for fresh talks on the condition strike action in South Wales is called off.

Talks Begin: Talks have now began on investment and jobs and Tata is believed to have offered to discuss future investment in Port Talbot in exchange for unions suspending  future industrial action.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “There is along way to go. They suspend closure, we suspend action.”

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