UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Friday 27 December 2013

A Christmas Tale from King’s (Cross) - A Wise Man Writes...

Even UNISONActive loves a good Christmas story, and the Guardian has provided a tale will all the best ingredients – Santa, the elves, Lapland... and an explanation of exactly where Tory policies are taking us. Read it and make one New Year’s resolution, to get rid of this government. Oh yes you will.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2013/dec/22/santa-elves-living-standards-surveillance

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Back your local firefighters

Tonight members of the Fire Brigades Union will be taking further strike action across England and Wales in defence of their pensions. Strikes will take place between: 7pm and midnight on Tuesday 24 December; 6.30pm on Tuesday 31 December and 12.30am on Wednesday 1 January and 6.30am and 8.30am on Friday 3 January. FBU members in Scotland will join in a Britain wide voluntary overtime ban next weekend. Show some festive solidarity with FBU pickets at your local fire station this evening!
http://www.fbu.org.uk/archives/9243

Sunday 22 December 2013

10 reasons to oppose Trade Unions

Never mind Democracy feel the Zero-Based Review

Ahead of the 2015 general election, the Labour Party has published a discussion document on the future of public services. According to the New Statesman, ‘Labour’s Zero-Based Review’ contains the ‘most explicit statement yet that the party will cut departmental spending in 2015-16 and will not borrow to meet day-to-day spending’. A prospectus of an incoming Labour Government continuing the austerity squeeze on public services will be greeted with dismay by trade unionists and Labour supporters. And while the document embraces concepts such as ‘iron discipline’ and ‘value for money’ readers will search in vain for any reference to enhancing ‘democracy’ or ‘democratic accountability’
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/12/balls-reaffirms-labours-commitment-cuts-2015
http://www.yourbritain.org.uk/uploads/editor/files/Zero_Based_Review.pdf

Earthquake by Aimé Césaire

such great stretches of dreamscape

such lines of all too familiar lines

                                         staved in

caved in so the filthy wake resounds with the notion

of the pair of us? What of the pair of us?