We need to look after our social care package. We need to look after people better who are in social care. One of the most important things is to fund them properly.
Happy birthday NHS and here’s to at least another 72 in good health.
The NHS is in the public eye like never before and we need to keep it there. This weekend when many people are celebrating the 72nd anniversary of its forming there are so many things that we need to be aware of. Obviously the Coronavirus pandemic has been and is still a major cause for concern.
In the last two years our political work has paid dividends in this region with successful campaigns to, save jobs and stop closures such as Bombardier, ABC council and Harland Wolff in Northern Ireland and Cammell Laird on Merseyside to name just a few.
It is now around 100 days since lockdown and the health and safety along with the lives of our members and the public has been the major battle for us. The aftermath in economic terms now needs to be brought into focus as we face a major new challenge. Redundancies.
In tackling the threat of cut backs by employers and government, we need to use all options to try and avoid redundancies at every opportunity.
Parents going hungry to feed their children and food bank organisers panicking as they see a future which is only going to get worse as companies start to shed jobs.
Poverty is a health hazard. It damages people physically and mentally. It humiliates and causes major stress. Imagine the shame that not being able to feed your family properly would cause, the stress and pain of having to bear public humiliation. This wasn’t unusual, as we also heard that schools who were trying to access the vouchers couldn’t log onto the system and had to tell parents their visit to the supermarket to feed the kids was on hold again. Absolutely unacceptable way for people to be treated in this day and age, in this country.
The team at GMB trade union Reachout have been working alongside Marek, the Lancs police and PAN Lancashire Anti Slavery Partnership in raising awareness of some of the challenges faced in addressing Modern Day Slavery.
Arthur, who was the clear underdog, had decided to stand simply because “someone told him he couldn’t”.
GMB trade union members and representatives, please find the latest wages and inflation report attached, as well as the latest key figures document that includes the updated October 2019 contribution rates as agreed by GMB union Congress.
Headline twelve-month inflation rates in May were:
RPI: 1% (down from 1.5% in April)
CPI: 0.5% (down from 0.8% in April)
GMB trade union members at ASDA have concerns over safety in ASDA stores for staff and customers
Since the beginning of June we have had an increasing number of GMB union members contacting us, who are very anxious and concerned over what appears to be ever increasing numbers of customers in stores. Both myself and our National Union Reps, Cath and Jane have raised informally through the correct process, but the calls reporting this have increased mainly from the Manchester cluster stores, although not exclusively Manchester.
Today’s job losses will be felt by every member of our unions– it is a bitter blow.
Urgent strategy needed to defend Northern Ireland’s Aerospace sector in face of mass jobs threat
Bombardier plans for 600 redundancies comes only days after similar announcements elsewhere in sector
Stormont Executive challenged over inaction in face of mounting threat to vital Aerospace sector
Address:
GMB trade union
North West & lrish Region
Regional Office
Columbus Quay
Riverside Drive
Liverpool
L3 4GB
Phone: 0151 727-0077
Email:info@gmbnorthwest.co.uk
