What's New

Here are the latest additions to the TUC web site.

Documents

What Price Cheap Clothing?
The collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh provided an horrific, unpleasant reminder of the significant differences in labour and other standards in areas of the world in desperate need for economic development. The 1990s and early 2000s saw a huge exporting of employment in the clothing and textile sector to low paying parts of the world. In the north east alone over 10,000 jobs disappeared, contributing to the shockingly high rate of unemployment of women aged over 50, large numbers of which were employed in the factories right across the region supplying the likes of Marks and Spencer and Next, among others. Read more...

Equality, 21 May 2013

British workers have suffered 8.5 per cent real-term wage drop, says TUC

British workers have suffered seen the value of their real wages fall by 8.5 per cent over the last three years, according to new analysis from the TUC today (Tuesday).

Economy, 21 May 2013

Ministers must not ignore failings of the Work Programme, says TUC
Responding to today's (Tuesday) report by the Work and Pensions Committee, which says that Work Programme providers are failing to meet their basic targets and are doing very little to help disadvantaged job seekers, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:

Economy, 21 May 2013

Tell Debenhams and GAP to back Bangladesh safety plan
Over 30 major retailers have signed a significant new union-backed safety accord for Bangladeshi textile workers. However Debenhams and GAP are still holding back from signing. Please help us ask them to change their mind.

International, 20 May 2013

TUC calls on MPs not to exempt public officials from recognising equal marriage
As amendments to the Equal Marriage Bill are discussed in parliament today (Monday), the TUC has called on MPs not to exempt public officials from recognising equal marriage.

Equality, 20 May 2013

TUC Protest re continued assassinations of trade unionists in Guatemala
To coincide with coordinated action being taken by the International Trade Union Confederation to protest at the deaths over the last 3 years of 56 trade union leaders and activists the TUC General Secretary has written against to the Guatemalan president. The TUC is also supporting organising work by Guatemalan unions and lobbying the government to take a firmer line on the need for action to protect our colleagues.

International, 17 May 2013

Events

Women Chainmakers Festival
In 1910 the Women Chainmakers' of Cradley Heath fought and won a dispute that doubled their wages and gave them the rate agreed by The Chain Trade Board. Each year the midlands trade unions celebrate their achievements with a festival in the heart of Cradley Heath, where the Chainmakers' fought - and against the odds - won their battle.
8 June 2013

Confidence Building/Women and Mentoring in unions
A South West TUC Women's Committe event - this seminar will give women the opportunity to hear about a groundbreaking mentoring project and explore what could be done in the south west.

A flyer about this event is available at: http://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/589/SWTUC_women_confidence_building_event_flyer.pdf
15 June 2013

Links

The Women's National Commission
Equality, 21 May 2013

Right to request time to train
The new right to request training will be in operation from April 6 2010. The TUC has long campaigned for workers to have statutory rights relating to training and enthusiastically support the introduction of this right. Guidance for workers on how the right will work is available from the government's direct gov website on the enclosed link.
Health and Safety, 21 May 2013


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