AFP reports that over 10,000 metal workers protested in Brussels yesterday over the controversial EU climate package – currently under negotiation – which they fear will damage their industry. The European Metalworkers' Federation criticised in particular the EU's plan to force European heavy industry to pay for emissions permits from 2013, saying the proposal "endangers prod...

Not a post directly related to trade unions - but thought it worth mentioning that yesterday I unexpectadly got the chance to go and see the Revd. Jessie Jackson speak at Liverpool University. Jackson’s life has been devoted to the struggle for equality in the US and elsewhere and he...

I came across this short piece on the Politics Home site today discussing the influence (or lack of) of unions on recent policy announcements by the government. Apparently trade unions (and am I being paranoid in thinking that the way the piece is worded suggests that the author thinks that the...

A recently received mis-typed email revealed a wider truth. On Wednesday 3 December, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called a day of action to draw attention to the continuing downward spiral of the economy of Zimbabwe - join their protest here. The latest phase is characterised by...

When you think about it, Trade Unions tend to be little more than shills for communism. Take this report which says that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) has called on the Government to nationalise the Irish banking system as a means of addressing the current financial crisis and the lack of credit for small businesses. Trade unions said that nationalisation was their preferred option. So...

Watch this blog for further details of a UNISON Branch meeting at lunchtime on Thursday 4 December. This will be immediately before a meeting of Lambeth's "Joint Strategy Forum" where the trade unions meet the Council's political and managerial leadership. Come to the branch meeting to help us word the following questions; read more

Labour is bankrupt and not just in the moral sense. But it appears that the financial crisis afflicting the governing party has been solved - thanks to those nice people in the Trade Unions. Britain’s biggest Trade Union saved Labour from bankruptcy by guaranteeing its finances in a secret deal that the party is refusing to make public. Unite, which has given £13.4 million to Labou...

The Green Party Trade Union Group has had an active year - working with trade unions, spreading the news of the work on workers rights being carried out by our MEPs, Assembly Members and councillors, organising a Climate Change Trade Union conference, taking part in campaigns, etc, etc. But we need some financial assistance as we are not funded by the national party or anyone else, and need to rai...

Some people on the Right who oppose the idea of bailing out the US car makers like to blame the trade unions in the US car industry for its poor performance. They thus exaggerate the amount that car workers are earning to suggest that they are over-paid and so this is why their company is in difficulty. In fact, Ezra Klein points out that the workers earn about $24 an hour (£18) and about $10 in ...

On Thursday I went to Congress House for an informal meeting of National trade union pension/Capital Stewardship officers, trade union staff pension trustees and lay pension trustees and nominated representatives. The TUC pension policy officers organise these meetings and the aim is to try and...