UK’s largest fibre glass factory to close as rescue talks collapse Business The government’s industrial strategy was at risk of smashing into pieces after it emerged the country’s largest fibre glass factory is set to close. The Japanese owners of Electric Glass Fiber UK’s factory in Wigan, near Manchester, which produces materials used in electric cars and wind turbines, decided to close the site at a meeting [...]
Green light for Sizewell C as £14.2bn to go to major nuclear project as part of Spending Review Politics The UK’s nuclear energy capacity is set to receive a major boost after the government confirmed it would put up the funds for the Sizewell C plant, ending months of uncertainty. Funding for the project is set to be announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves alongside a decision on the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) competition at [...]
Ed Miliband’s net-zero plans risk causing blackouts, says Union boss Business The boss of one Labour’s largest supporting unions has urged Sir Keir Starmer to ignore the “false prophets of climate fundamentalism” and rethink the current net-zero timetable. Writing in the Times, GMB General Secretary Gary Smith warned the government’s pledge to transition to clean power by 2030 could lead to blackouts akin to those in [...]
Asda equal pay dispute advances as UK supermarkets look on nervously February 3, 2025 Asda workers equal pay can advance to the final legal stage after the Tribunal ruled some of their jobs are of equal value to the jobs in the distribution centres
Royal supplier Bidfood ‘the new P&O’ as unions claim thousands face being fired January 20, 2025 Bidfood, which delivers food for the likes of Manchester United, Five Guys and Subway, has been compared to P&O ferries after two unions claimed thousands of workers could be fired and rehired on ‘worse terms and conditions’. The GMB and Unite unions have said the company, which also delivers food for the army, prisons and [...]
Labour pulls back from ‘day one’ protections as it unveils workers’ rights overhaul October 10, 2024 Labour has pulled away from its pledge to give employees protection from unfair dismissal from the first day in a job, according to reports, as it unveils its long-awaited package of employment reforms today. The Employment Rights Bill, which Labour promised to introduce within its first 100 days, is set to be laid before Parliament [...]
Storm’s brewing as Tetley Tea braced for further strikes October 9, 2024 Tetley, one of the nation’s favourite tea brands, is braced for further disruption as a major row over pay continues. The GMB Union has announced 12 more strike dates which will see almost 150 workers walk out in a dispute over what it describes as “poverty pay”. The dates of the planned industrial action are [...]
Asda workers ‘owed over £2bn in back pay’ as 159 MPs write to bosses September 24, 2024 Retail workers at supermarket giant Asda are owed more than £2bn in back pay, according to the GMB Union. The claim comes as 159 MPs wrote to bosses at the Leeds-headquartered company calling for an end to “pay discrimination” of its supermarket workers. The politicians have also called on TDR Capital, which is about to [...]
Asda: Huge equal pay court case starts amid demonstrations September 9, 2024 A court case over equal pay involving more than 60,000 Asda workers has started amid demonstrations being staged in Brighton and Manchester. The GMB union, which has said the case is the biggest ever in the private sector, is arguing that the predominantly female retail workforce is paid up to £3.74 an hour less than [...]
Amazon announces pay rise for its operational employees September 4, 2024 Online giant Amazon has announced a pay rise for its operational staff. The minimum starting pay for frontline operations employees will increase to between £13.50 and £14.50 an hour, depending on location. For those with 36 months’ service, the increase will be to between £13.75 and £14.75 an hour. Amazon said the increase was worth at least 9.8 [...]