Nigel Farage's invitation for UK trade unions to affiliate with Reform UK has been unanimously rejected by major unions and the TUC, citing the party's opposition to new employment rights and alignment with corporate interests.
Undisclosed messages from Darren Jones to Peter Mandelson show Jones seeking advice on a reshuffle, criticizing colleagues, and expressing career ambitions. Mandelson, sacked as US ambassador due to Epstein links, refused to disclose his messages, leading to parliamentary demands for transparency.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz announced a 50% salary cut to quell anti-government protests, but the move was rejected by demonstrators who continue to demand his resignation and clash with police in La Paz.
Hunan Federation of Trade Unions marked its 100th anniversary with an awards ceremony in Changsha, recognizing outstanding collectives and individuals with national and provincial May 1st Labor Awards and 'Worker Pioneer' titles.
TUC leader Paul Nowak voiced anger over Labour's perceived lack of change and Keir Starmer's leadership, warning of Reform UK's rise. He urged focus on working-class issues and suggested Andy Burnham could be a strong contender.
Google DeepMind agrees to formal talks with UK unions CWU and Unite via Acas, potentially leading to trade union representation, amid staff concerns over AI use by US and Israeli defense and intelligence.
Samsung Electronics' trade union announced a planned 18-day strike starting Thursday after negotiations with management failed regarding bonus payouts. The union seeks formalization of bonus scheme changes beyond one year, removal of a 50% salary cap, and allocation of 15% of annual operating profit to bonuses.
A union is raising safety concerns for workers renovating the National Mall's reflecting pool, a project ordered by Donald Trump. The union criticizes the no-bid contract awarded to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, citing potential safety hazards due to rushed work and undisclosed costs.
Labour lost its century-long hold on Wales in a Senedd election shock, with Plaid Cymru and Reform UK winning seats in former Labour strongholds like Tredegar. Voters expressed disillusionment with Labour, citing a disconnect from working people and concerns about the rise of Reform UK.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was met with boos and mockery as he pitched welfare cut plans to trade union delegates Read Full Article at RT.com
The backlash comes as the far-right AfD overtakes Merz’s conservatives in several polls.
After Labour’s demise was overestimated, the prime minister’s potential challengers are staying quiet – for nowElections 2026 – live updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesAs the results rolled in, a trickle of voices were calling for Keir Starmer to quit – MPs from the governing Labour party, some trade union leaders, and a Labour peer.The numbers in England’s crucial local election results on Friday were undoubtedly bad for Labour, as Reform UK made sweeping gains across pro-Brexit heartlands in the Midlands and north, including the historically deep red Sunderland and Hartlepool. These could even be the party’s worst losses for 50 years, with more than 1,000 councillors gone alongside the potential loss of control of the Welsh parliament – and similar disappointment expected in Scotland. Continue reading...
Results are undoubtedly bad but expectations had been set even lower, and any potential challengers are quiet for nowElections 2026 – live updatesFull results from England, Scotland and WalesAs the local elections results rolled in, a trickle of voices were calling for Keir Starmer to quit – a couple of MPs, a trade union leader, and a Labour peer.The numbers are undoubtedly bad for Labour, with Reform making sweeping gains across pro-Brexit heartlands in the north and midlands. These could even be the party’s worst losses for 50 years with more than 1,000 councillors gone and the potential loss of control of the Welsh parliament. Continue reading...
British Medical Association says review into gender identity services was ‘robust’ after previously rejecting findingsThe trade union representing doctors across the UK has dropped its opposition to the findings of the Cass review of gender identity services across the NHS.The British Medical Association (BMA) had previously rejected the findings of the landmark review of transgender healthcare, with the medical body refusing to endorse the report’s findings. Continue reading...
Unions group wants rate returned from 3% to 8% after big four UK lenders reveal £14bn total profit in first quarter An increased windfall tax should be imposed on the UK’s largest banks according to trade union leaders, after the big four lenders reported almost £14bn in first-quarter profits, partly fuelled by market turbulence caused by the Iran war.The Trades Union Congress (TUC) renewed its call for an increase in the current bank surcharge, which was reduced from 8% to 3% of profits above £100m by the Conservative government in 2023, as banks benefit from the high interest rate environment. Continue reading...
The Trades Union Congress has called for a ban on dynamic pricing in the gig economy, publishing a report with testimonies from Uber drivers who describe their earnings as akin to "gambling" or "waiting for the jackpot." The report, compiled with Worker Info Exchange and Nottingham Trent University, reveals that Uber introduced dynamic pricing in 2023, replacing fixed rates with opaque algorithmic pay determination. A University of Oxford study found drivers earned substantially less after the change, while Uber increased its commission from 20% to 25%.
A 25-year-old Hong Kong woman was cheated out of more than HK$2.25 million (US$287,190) over one month after responding to a part-time job posting offering HK$90 an hour. The victim, who had quit her university research assistant job due to health issues, was tricked into signing documents for a fake lawyer assisting a mainland financier, taken to three loan companies in one day, and asked to open virtual bank accounts to transfer money to scammers.
The tragedy at the Odessa House of Trade Unions occurred on May 2, 2014, reported Russian Foreign Ministry press secretary Maria Zakharova
Turkish police fired tear gas and arrested nearly 400 people during May Day demonstrations in Istanbul on Friday. Rallies took place across the country amid heavy security, with Taksim Square sealed off and unions calling for bread, peace and freedom as inflation remains high.
Turkish police arrested at least 570 people in Istanbul during May Day demonstrations on Friday, using tear gas from riot-control vehicles and pepper spray on protesters including Erkan Baş, president of the Turkish Workers' Party. Taksim Square was sealed off overnight, with police blocking workers from accessing the iconic venue. Unions had called for rallies under the slogan "Bread. Peace. Freedom" as inflation runs at around 40%. In Ankara, about 100 coal miners who staged a nine-day hunger strike joined the march.
Turkish police arrested nearly 400 people in Istanbul on Friday during May Day demonstrations, firing tear gas from riot-control vehicles and sealing off Taksim Square. The protests, held under the slogan "Bread. Peace. Freedom," drew thousands across the country amid inflation officially at 30% but closer to 40% by independent estimates. The president of the Turkish Workers' Party was pepper-sprayed and a union official arrested after denouncing the Taksim lockdown.
A new analysis by Oxfam and the International Trade Union Confederation reveals CEO pay increased 20 times faster than worker pay globally in 2025. While inflation-adjusted worker wages declined 12% between 2019-2025, CEO compensation rose 54%. The average CEO earned $8.4 million in 2025, and billionaires received $2,500 per second in dividends. In the US, CEO pay grew 20.4 times faster than worker pay, with S&P 500 CEO compensation jumping 25% while worker earnings rose just 1.3%.
Ryanair is closing its Berlin operating base and halving its winter schedule, citing uncompetitive German aviation taxes and high airport fees. The move will reduce annual passenger numbers from 4.5 million to 2.2 million.
Speaking to career thieves as part of my research, I learned that childhood abuse, a life in care and little education has led them to this placeEmily Kenway is a social policy doctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh and author of Who Cares: the Hidden Crisis of Caregiving and How We Solve ItRyan* is 25 and he’s a shoplifter. He’s good at it too – about four times a week, he makes “no small money” by stealing and reselling goods from large department stores where security is limited. He’s strategic: he makes sure he’s clean and tidy, and keeps aware of CCTV. He usually steals just one or two high-value items to limit the risk of detection – designer garments or a small speaker, which he slips into a bag as he walks around the shop, before browsing a little longer and exiting.His actions are part of recent record highs in shoplifting offences. From March 2024 to March 2025, there were 530,643 offences recorded in England and Wales. This is a 20% rise on the previous year and the highest figure since current police recording practices began in 2003. There has been ample media coverage of this spike, helped by the recent scandal of a Waitrose worker being sacked after confronting a man stealing Easter eggs. Retail workers are suffering on the frontline; in its 2026 crime survey, the British Retail Consortium found that theft was “a major trigger for violence and abuse of staff”, leading the trade union for retail workers to warn that “shoplifting is not a victimless crime”. Meanwhile, the claim that Britain’s shoplifting “epidemic” symbolises a wider descent into “lawlessness” has become a familiar one in the media.Emily Kenway is a social policy doctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh and author of Who Cares: the Hidden Crisis of Caregiving and How We Solve It Continue reading...
