A 20-foot post box and giant postcard will be visiting towns and cities in the East and West Midlands to highlight the government’s plans to sell off part of Royal Mail to a foreign competitor and we are inviting all MPs, MEPs and Councillors to attend together with the local press and media.
Postal workers will be leafleting and petitioning in town and city centres to galvanise the ever-increasing public support, which seeks to convince the PM Gordon Brown to abandon his ill-thought plans to part privatise the successful public service that is the Royal Mail.
This is part of a national tour from John O’Groats to Lands End which began back in May.
Lee Barron, CWU Midlands Regional Secretary is inviting everyone to attend and said, “We believe, as do the huge number of public that has turned out to support us, that such a move will risk fracturing one of Britain's greatest public services and put our universal (one price goes anywhere) service under direct threat.
“Any investor will only be interested in lining the pockets of their shareholders and not delivering a truly universal first-class service to the public. The CWU in the East and West Midlands are in no doubt that, it will also lead to further job losses and severe reduction in postal services within the region. We should be looking for ways to improve the service not wreck it. Royal Mail is one of the most efficient and cheapest postal services in Europe; they have just announced a doubling of their operating profit, while private mail companies, including TNT, have seen huge profit reductions.”
The Schedule
Monday 22nd June – 11.00am Stoke on Trent – Hanley Town Centre Market Square
Tuesday 23rd June – 11.30am Bilston, Church Street (constituency of Pat McFadden MP Minister responsible for the Royal Mail)
Wednesday 24th June – 11.00am Summer Lane in Birmingham and 12.30 Dresden Place in Coventry
Thursday 25th June – 10.30am Abington Street in Northampton and 2.00pm Clock Tower in Leicester
Friday 26th June – 10.30am Old Market Square in Nottingham
Saturday 27th June – 10.45am Spot Centre in Derby
Midlands TUC Media This blog contains material from the Midlands TUC. Our media releases will appear on this site as well as linking to the Midlands TUC website which hosts our enewsletters and much more.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Unemployment to keep rising until the end of next year, says TUC
Although some economists are saying that the end of the recession may be in sight, the TUC is today (Tuesday) warning that unemployment will carry on rising for many months even after the UK economy has begun to pick up.
Using official figures and comparing the current recession to the economic downturn of the early 1990s, the TUC is predicting that the number of people losing their jobs will carry on increasing until at least the autumn of next year.
There has always been a delay between the economy starting to grow and unemployment beginning to fall, as cautious employers make use of capacity among existing staff before recruiting new employees and want to be sure of recovery before expanding their businesses. In the last recession, GDP began to grow in the autumn of 1991, but it was 18 months later before unemployment started to fall.
But this recession is already proving to be much worse than the 1990s recession. The largest quarterly fall in GDP in the 1990s was 1.2 per cent, but the decline between the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 was 1.9 per cent.
The biggest fall over any four consecutive quarters in the 1990s was 2.2 per cent, yet GDP fell by 4.1 per cent between early 2008 and the first quarter of this year.
During the shallower 1990s recession, unemployment rose for 11 consecutive quarters – a period of just under three years. And unemployment rates did not return to their pre-recession levels for seven years. This time around unemployment has only been rising for five consecutive quarters, suggesting we may only be half way through unemployment rising, and some years before it falls to the level before the recession started.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Some now say that we have a recovery, but even if this is not a false dawn, as others fear, it will be years before the thousands of people who have lost their jobs or who will lose them in months to come will see anything to celebrate.
“That’s why tackling unemployment must remain the Government’s number one priority. Speeding up the process of getting people back into work and into jobs with decent pay will not only benefit the two million people currently out of work, but will also give the economy the spending boost it needs.”
Using official figures and comparing the current recession to the economic downturn of the early 1990s, the TUC is predicting that the number of people losing their jobs will carry on increasing until at least the autumn of next year.
There has always been a delay between the economy starting to grow and unemployment beginning to fall, as cautious employers make use of capacity among existing staff before recruiting new employees and want to be sure of recovery before expanding their businesses. In the last recession, GDP began to grow in the autumn of 1991, but it was 18 months later before unemployment started to fall.
But this recession is already proving to be much worse than the 1990s recession. The largest quarterly fall in GDP in the 1990s was 1.2 per cent, but the decline between the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 was 1.9 per cent.
The biggest fall over any four consecutive quarters in the 1990s was 2.2 per cent, yet GDP fell by 4.1 per cent between early 2008 and the first quarter of this year.
During the shallower 1990s recession, unemployment rose for 11 consecutive quarters – a period of just under three years. And unemployment rates did not return to their pre-recession levels for seven years. This time around unemployment has only been rising for five consecutive quarters, suggesting we may only be half way through unemployment rising, and some years before it falls to the level before the recession started.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Some now say that we have a recovery, but even if this is not a false dawn, as others fear, it will be years before the thousands of people who have lost their jobs or who will lose them in months to come will see anything to celebrate.
“That’s why tackling unemployment must remain the Government’s number one priority. Speeding up the process of getting people back into work and into jobs with decent pay will not only benefit the two million people currently out of work, but will also give the economy the spending boost it needs.”
Monday, 15 June 2009
The 4th TUC Social Policy Forum
The Welfare Reform Bill is the most controversial social security legislation since 1997, and a possible indication of what the next round of welfare state reforms may look like, whichever Party wins the next general election. Reforms such as tougher benefit rules for parents and disabled people, a new ‘work for your benefits’ scheme and more contracting-out of Jobcentre Plus services have all raised the highest level of trade union concern about benefits policy for several years.
That is why the next TUC Social Policy Forum will be entirely devoted to the Welfare Reform Bill. TUC Social Policy Forums are unique in providing a channel for discussions of policy that also pay full attention to associated workplace and industrial issues, and the speakers therefore include experts from both unions and external organisations. The Forum will take place at Congress House at 10.30 on Friday 3 July. Places are free, and you can register using the attached form or online: visit http://www.tuc.org.uk/events/detail.cfm?event=3107
That is why the next TUC Social Policy Forum will be entirely devoted to the Welfare Reform Bill. TUC Social Policy Forums are unique in providing a channel for discussions of policy that also pay full attention to associated workplace and industrial issues, and the speakers therefore include experts from both unions and external organisations. The Forum will take place at Congress House at 10.30 on Friday 3 July. Places are free, and you can register using the attached form or online: visit http://www.tuc.org.uk/events/detail.cfm?event=3107
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Unite March for Jobs
Thousands of trade unionists from all over the country decended on Birmingham to march for jobs. During the current recession thousands of manufacturing, retail, finance and construction jobs have been lost. The rally at the end of the march was addressed by a number of senior trade union figures including Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary and the joint General Secretaries of Unite - Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Midlands TUC reaction to the 2009 Budget
Responding to the 2009 Budget today (Wednesday), Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Roger McKenzie said: “There is much to welcome in this Budget, particularly action on youth unemployment, some first steps in creating a fair tax system and better support for the unemployed.
“There is some help for construction and a Strategic Investment Fund provides real resources for Monday’s welcome industrial strategy. Pensioners will welcome the increase in capital disregards. This budget clearly acknowledges that the Government has a central role to play in turning the UK into a competitive low carbon economy.
“But it is does not bring the same boldness and vigour to getting the real economy right as the Government showed in dealing with the banking collapse. The biggest drain on the public finances will be continuing mass unemployment and we needed a bigger and better targeted stimulus to the economy today. A half per cent boost in public spending is not enough this year. Next year’s tightening is too much, too soon and is based on an optimistic assumption that the recovery will start this year.
“In particular cuts in public spending – and these are cuts, not efficiency savings – are absolutely wrong at a time when there is a collapse in demand in the private sector.
“So while we can welcome some significant changes in direction and good individual policies, this is still some way short of what was needed to maximise the fight against unemployment and ensure that we emerge from the recession as a fairer, greener and better balanced economy.”
“There is some help for construction and a Strategic Investment Fund provides real resources for Monday’s welcome industrial strategy. Pensioners will welcome the increase in capital disregards. This budget clearly acknowledges that the Government has a central role to play in turning the UK into a competitive low carbon economy.
“But it is does not bring the same boldness and vigour to getting the real economy right as the Government showed in dealing with the banking collapse. The biggest drain on the public finances will be continuing mass unemployment and we needed a bigger and better targeted stimulus to the economy today. A half per cent boost in public spending is not enough this year. Next year’s tightening is too much, too soon and is based on an optimistic assumption that the recovery will start this year.
“In particular cuts in public spending – and these are cuts, not efficiency savings – are absolutely wrong at a time when there is a collapse in demand in the private sector.
“So while we can welcome some significant changes in direction and good individual policies, this is still some way short of what was needed to maximise the fight against unemployment and ensure that we emerge from the recession as a fairer, greener and better balanced economy.”
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Nottingham should be one of the first to gain from new jobs scheme, says TUC
The TUC is calling on the Government to inject £2 billion into new work schemes for the long-term unemployed today (Tuesday), the day before the new unemployment figures are due out.
The TUC believes that £2 billion could create at least 100,000 new paid work experience jobs in areas of the UK suffering from high levels of unemployment, and that Nottingham should be one of the first places to gain from the scheme.
The new jobs would be targeted at those finding it particularly hard to find work during the recession, such as the long-term unemployed and young people. People on the work experience schemes would be supported by training opportunities, and given assistance with finding more permanent work and arranging childcare.
Under the TUC proposals, the jobs would last for up to a year and would be offered to those who have been claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) for more than six months. Participation in the scheme would be on a voluntary basis. The jobs would be created in areas of value to the community, such as childcare, sports, transport and energy-saving (such as home insulation) and workers would be paid at the going rate for the work.
The TUC believes the jobs could be run by a combination of local area partnerships, unions and Jobcentre Plus, and that costs involved in setting up the programme would more than offset the expense of supporting workers who go on to become unemployed for five or ten years.
The TUC has identified a number of towns – outside of London – with the most people who have been claiming JSA for more than six months. The TUC believes the first 50,000 jobs created through the paid work experience programme should be set up in these areas to get the scheme up and running quickly.
Birmingham (10,000 new jobs), Belfast (6,000 new jobs) and Liverpool (5,000 new jobs) should see the creation of the most new jobs under the TUC’s proposals. Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham (3,500 new jobs) and Cleveland would also be amongst the first towns to benefit from the programme.
The London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Haringey, Lambeth and Southwark should be the first in the capital to roll out the scheme, says the TUC.
TUC Midlands Regional Policy and Campaigns Officer Alan Weaver said: ”In previous recessions well-qualified workers who have lost their jobs have tended to find work again quite quickly. However, younger workers and low-skilled employees who have been unemployed for a long time can find their already limited opportunities back into work squeezed even more during a recession.
“Properly defined new work schemes have proved successful in the past, and the
Government needs to do all it can to minimise the grim impact of the recession, and ensure that the UK is poised ready to make the most of opportunities for recovery.”
The TUC’s call for an intermediate labour programme is part of the TUC’s 2009 Budget submission. The full submission is available at: www.tuc.org.uk/extras/2009budgetsubmission.pdf
The TUC believes that £2 billion could create at least 100,000 new paid work experience jobs in areas of the UK suffering from high levels of unemployment, and that Nottingham should be one of the first places to gain from the scheme.
The new jobs would be targeted at those finding it particularly hard to find work during the recession, such as the long-term unemployed and young people. People on the work experience schemes would be supported by training opportunities, and given assistance with finding more permanent work and arranging childcare.
Under the TUC proposals, the jobs would last for up to a year and would be offered to those who have been claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) for more than six months. Participation in the scheme would be on a voluntary basis. The jobs would be created in areas of value to the community, such as childcare, sports, transport and energy-saving (such as home insulation) and workers would be paid at the going rate for the work.
The TUC believes the jobs could be run by a combination of local area partnerships, unions and Jobcentre Plus, and that costs involved in setting up the programme would more than offset the expense of supporting workers who go on to become unemployed for five or ten years.
The TUC has identified a number of towns – outside of London – with the most people who have been claiming JSA for more than six months. The TUC believes the first 50,000 jobs created through the paid work experience programme should be set up in these areas to get the scheme up and running quickly.
Birmingham (10,000 new jobs), Belfast (6,000 new jobs) and Liverpool (5,000 new jobs) should see the creation of the most new jobs under the TUC’s proposals. Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham (3,500 new jobs) and Cleveland would also be amongst the first towns to benefit from the programme.
The London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Haringey, Lambeth and Southwark should be the first in the capital to roll out the scheme, says the TUC.
TUC Midlands Regional Policy and Campaigns Officer Alan Weaver said: ”In previous recessions well-qualified workers who have lost their jobs have tended to find work again quite quickly. However, younger workers and low-skilled employees who have been unemployed for a long time can find their already limited opportunities back into work squeezed even more during a recession.
“Properly defined new work schemes have proved successful in the past, and the
Government needs to do all it can to minimise the grim impact of the recession, and ensure that the UK is poised ready to make the most of opportunities for recovery.”
The TUC’s call for an intermediate labour programme is part of the TUC’s 2009 Budget submission. The full submission is available at: www.tuc.org.uk/extras/2009budgetsubmission.pdf
Birmingham should be first to gain from new jobs scheme, says TUC
The TUC is calling on the Government to inject £2 billion into new work schemes for the long-term unemployed today (Tuesday), the day before the new unemployment figures are due out.
The TUC believes that £2 billion could create at least 100,000 new paid work experience jobs in areas of the UK suffering from high levels of unemployment, and that Birmingham should be one of the first places to gain from the scheme.
The new jobs would be targeted at those finding it particularly hard to find work during the recession, such as the long-term unemployed and young people. People on the work experience schemes would be supported by training opportunities, and given assistance with finding more permanent work and arranging childcare.
Under the TUC proposals, the jobs would last for up to a year and would be offered to those who have been claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) for more than six months. Participation in the scheme would be on a voluntary basis. The jobs would be created in areas of value to the community, such as childcare, sports, transport and energy-saving (such as home insulation) and workers would be paid at the going rate for the work.
The TUC believes the jobs could be run by a combination of local area partnerships, unions and Jobcentre Plus, and that costs involved in setting up the programme would more than offset the expense of supporting workers who go on to become unemployed for five or ten years.
The TUC has identified a number of towns – outside of London – with the most people who have been claiming JSA for more than six months. The TUC believes the first 50,000 jobs created through the paid work experience programme should be set up in these areas to get the scheme up and running quickly.
Birmingham (10,000 new jobs), Belfast (6,000 new jobs) and Liverpool (5,000 new jobs) should see the creation of the most new jobs under the TUC’s proposals. Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham and Cleveland would also be amongst the first towns to benefit from the programme.
The London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Haringey, Lambeth and Southwark should be the first in the capital to roll out the scheme, says the TUC.
TUC Midlands Regional Policy and Campaigns Officer Alan Weaver said: ”In previous recessions well-qualified workers who have lost their jobs have tended to find work again quite quickly. However, younger workers and low-skilled employees who have been unemployed for a long time can find their already limited opportunities back into work squeezed even more during a recession.
“Properly defined new work schemes have proved successful in the past, and the
Government needs to do all it can to minimise the grim impact of the recession, and ensure that the UK is poised ready to make the most of opportunities for recovery.”
The TUC’s call for an intermediate labour programme is part of the TUC’s 2009 Budget submission. The full submission is available at: www.tuc.org.uk/extras/2009budgetsubmission.pdf
The TUC believes that £2 billion could create at least 100,000 new paid work experience jobs in areas of the UK suffering from high levels of unemployment, and that Birmingham should be one of the first places to gain from the scheme.
The new jobs would be targeted at those finding it particularly hard to find work during the recession, such as the long-term unemployed and young people. People on the work experience schemes would be supported by training opportunities, and given assistance with finding more permanent work and arranging childcare.
Under the TUC proposals, the jobs would last for up to a year and would be offered to those who have been claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) for more than six months. Participation in the scheme would be on a voluntary basis. The jobs would be created in areas of value to the community, such as childcare, sports, transport and energy-saving (such as home insulation) and workers would be paid at the going rate for the work.
The TUC believes the jobs could be run by a combination of local area partnerships, unions and Jobcentre Plus, and that costs involved in setting up the programme would more than offset the expense of supporting workers who go on to become unemployed for five or ten years.
The TUC has identified a number of towns – outside of London – with the most people who have been claiming JSA for more than six months. The TUC believes the first 50,000 jobs created through the paid work experience programme should be set up in these areas to get the scheme up and running quickly.
Birmingham (10,000 new jobs), Belfast (6,000 new jobs) and Liverpool (5,000 new jobs) should see the creation of the most new jobs under the TUC’s proposals. Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham and Cleveland would also be amongst the first towns to benefit from the programme.
The London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Haringey, Lambeth and Southwark should be the first in the capital to roll out the scheme, says the TUC.
TUC Midlands Regional Policy and Campaigns Officer Alan Weaver said: ”In previous recessions well-qualified workers who have lost their jobs have tended to find work again quite quickly. However, younger workers and low-skilled employees who have been unemployed for a long time can find their already limited opportunities back into work squeezed even more during a recession.
“Properly defined new work schemes have proved successful in the past, and the
Government needs to do all it can to minimise the grim impact of the recession, and ensure that the UK is poised ready to make the most of opportunities for recovery.”
The TUC’s call for an intermediate labour programme is part of the TUC’s 2009 Budget submission. The full submission is available at: www.tuc.org.uk/extras/2009budgetsubmission.pdf
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