The last few months have been tragic and unsettling with many families’ worlds turned upside down. Millions of workers have had to negotiate with their employers through the pandemic – matters of life and death like safe working practices and PPE as well as issues like redundancy, furlough, homeworking and childcare. These are challenging conversations … Read More
The latest figures on employment and pay, published today by the ONS, which include new experimental data on the number of paid employees shows a sharp decrease of 450,000 between March and April 2020, and a sharp fall in pay. Commenting on the report, TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady says: “These figures are alarming – … Read More
Billionaires are not inevitable (18-05-20) “Our secret superpower is our ability to cooperate”. Not my words, but from a great new book, Human kind : A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman. You may remember him, he’s the guy who called out the super-rich at Davos last year, telling them to pay their taxes. And wondering … Read More
Films on international worker movements – including on Tyneside and Northumberland.
Gail Ward writes: It was with great sadness and shock that I learnt last night of the passing of Seán McGovern, (TUC Co-Chair Disabled Workers Committee and Unite Executive Council for Disability), a giant in trade unionism for disabled people, a friend and activist, pushing disability into the limelight. I have, a few times, taken part … Read More
The Thatcherite mantra that ‘there is no money’ is finished The Lansley Re-organisation resulted in a fragmented public Health Medicine framework. Major disconnects between various units with no over-arching machinery to swing into action. A huge emphasis on “reducing waste” equating spare bed capacity and stock piling with waste, and paring to the bone … Read More
Free posters to celebrate key workers – put one in your window to show your support for key workers everywhere
People will have heard of more deaths in the private care sector in Newcastle today. For info, much of the adult care (care homes and home care) is commissioned by councils not NHS – though sometimes a combination. Most of this provision is made by private sector low waged workers, who are employed … Read More
Remembrance is an act of solidarity (week commencing 27 April 2020) “Remembering the dead, fighting for the living”. That’s the message from International Workers’ Memorial Day which falls tomorrow. It’s never been more relevant. Did you know that every year more people are killed at work than in war? Most don’t die of ‘tragic accidents’ … Read More
“Understandably people are shocked, dismayed, angry but let’s be determined, stay in the party and make sure this can never happen again.“ Comrades will be aware of the directive from the General Secretary’s office this week, advising members not to discuss the actualities within the so-called ‘leaked’ Labour Party Report on Antisemitism, which was commissioned … Read More
We’ll keep this up-to-date as we hear of new links Momentum volunteer/assistance map: TUC Advice 30 March 2020 – Trade unionists might want to sign up for updates here, too: UK-wide Covid Mutual Aid website: Northumberland county council: Ponteland community assistance: This is a ‘hub‘ for those wishing to volunteer to help during … Read More
4. The Socialist Organisations (Derek Gunby’s occasional Labour history series, continued.) updated: 11 May 2020 Click on links below, and download the files. Derek Gunby – The socialist organisations Part 2 The Social Democratic Federation Part 3 The Fabian Society Part 4 The Independent Labour Party By Hexham activist, Bill Haylock, 8 May 2020 John Clare … Read More
Last Monday a work experience student started shadowing me. He’d shown initiative and arranged the placement himself – it’s great to see kids engaging in civic life. It would have been interesting to see a fifteen-year-old’s view of the Combined Authority and the unfolding Covid-19 crisis. Unfortunately, within hours of him starting, he, like the … Read More
A message from Jamie Driscoll Posted by Jamie Driscoll, North of Tyne Mayor on Friday, 20 March 2020
After close contests conducted on a ‘preferential vote’ system members voted to nominate Keir Starmer for Leader and Dawn Butler for Deputy Leader.
With the election of Jeremy Corbyn as party leader, Hexham CLP has gone from strength to strength. It has attracted new members, and built a body of campaigners and activists that any constituency party would be proud of. In the general election of 2017 a well organised local Labour campaign came closer to catching Opperman … Read More