Responding to the publication today (Monday) of the ACAS report into the Lindsey oil refinery dispute, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “It is hardly surprising that the ACAS enquiry has found that no laws have been broken, as the major union complaint is that the law does not properly protect UK based workers – wherever they were born.
Welcoming the announcement today (Friday) by Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell that Turner & Newall (T&N) workers with asbestos related diseases will be allowed to keep Government compensation alongside that paid by the company, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
One in four (24 per cent) of the workforce went to work despite thinking they were too ill to do so in January, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by the TUC and published today (Friday). And the big majority of those struggled in because they did not want to let others down.
The TUC says the poll paints a very different picture of sickness absence to the caricature that British workers are always taking bogus sickies and stay home at the first sign of a sniffle.
A huge new platform of unions, development agencies, faith and environmental groups plans to tell world leaders attending the G20 summit in April that only just, fair and sustainable policies can lead the world out of recession.
Responding to the latest unemployment figures announced today (Wednesday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
On the day that a further sharp rise in unemployment is expected, a TUC analysis published today (Wednesday) shows that while UK unemployment is lower than the European average it is now increasing twice as fast as the average across Europe (EA15).
Commenting on the Government's announcement today (Monday) of a review of bankers' bonuses, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “The determination of Britain's bankers to hang on to their bonuses show just how broken down the banking model has become.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber today (Monday) argued that the need for equality – offering fair chances, tackling inequality and unlocking the talents of everyone in our society – is greater than ever in a recession.
Commenting on the Bank of England's decision today (Thursday) to cut interest rates to one per cent, TUC Head of Economic and Social Affairs Adam Lent said:
“This was the correct decision and the one the markets expected. The priority now must be to get the high street banks to pass on this cut without delay to businesses and homeowners. Failure to do so will end up prolonging the economic downturn.”
Commenting on the DWP report “Saving For Retirement: Implications of pensions reforms on financial incentives to save for retirement” published today (Thursday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
“This rigorous research shows that the great bulk of people are likely to be better off in retirement when auto-enrolment into an employer scheme or a personal account starts in 2012.