Robinson successfully defended his school from closure, fought for the unification of the teaching unions, mentored future trade union leaders and transformed teaching at the Marx Memorial Library, writes JOHN FOSTER
Time to make politicians pay for attacks on our services
As we face savage cuts to our pay and conditions while the executive gravy train chugs on, Unite is putting the Scottish government on notice as workers prepare for a massive wave of resistance, writes DEREK THOMSON
Members of Unite, Unison, GMB, and the EIS trade unions stage a lunchtime protest outside City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow, where they are will calling on the city's politicians to refuse to make any further cuts by setting a one year no-cuts budget, February 19, 2025
A judge in a German court ruled that the ban activity imposed on renowned Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah was unlawful, reports LEON WYSTRYCHOWSKI
At the very moment Britain faces poverty, housing and climate crises requiring radical solutions, the liberal press promotes ideologically narrow books while marginalising authors who offer the most accurate understanding of change, writes IAN SINCLAIR
From Gaza protest bans to proscribing Palestine Action, political elites are showing a crisis of confidence as they abandon Roy Jenkins’s apologetic approach for Suella Braverman’s aggressive ‘hate march’ rhetoric, writes PAUL DONOVAN
ANSELM ELDERGILL examines the legal case behind this weekend’s Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival and the lessons for today
Ben Chacko talks to RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY about how the key to fixing broken Britain lies in collective sectoral bargaining, restoring unions’ ability to take solidarity strike action and bringing about the much-vaunted ‘wave of insourcing’
The summer of 1950 saw Labour abandon further nationalisation while escalating Korean War spending from £2.3m to £4.7m, as the government meekly accepted capitalism’s licence and became Washington’s yes-man, writes JOHN ELLISON
ONLY a few years ago as the pandemic ravaged the globe, Scotland’s public-sector workers were hailed as heroes. People stood on their doorsteps, clapping in gratitude for the tireless NHS staff and all those in public services who kept society running during the darkest days of crisis.
Fast forward to today, these same workers find themselves on the front lines again — not against a pandemic, but against the government, politicians and mainstream media who seem determined to dismantle the public services workers fought so hard to sustain.
Across Scotland, local councils are leading an assault on the foundations of public-sector work. Aberdeen City Council are planning to unilaterally impose a 35-hour workweek, cutting workers’ wages by up to 104 hours per year. This will impact roughly 3,300 roles if this disgraceful proposal goes ahead.
More from this author
Derek Thomson pays tribute to the grassroots activist who had a rare skill in finding solutions to difficult union issues, whose Fife roots and unpretentious nature made him a popular unifying figure
Scotland’s rapidly growing support for Reform UK is the result of a profound crisis of trust in mainstream politics — one that progressives share, and must harness, writes DEREK THOMSON
DEREK THOMSON salutes Unite’s string of inflation-busting victories from bakeries to airports, but slams Labour and the SNP’s inaction over the Grangemouth refinery closure and badly fumbling the Just Transition process
Unite demands action to protect Scotland’s vital industrial asset — from sustainable aviation fuel to new green projects, we are ready to outline a vision for the refinery’s survival, writes DEREK THOMSON
