More than 200 jobs could be axed at car parts firm ‘due to Brexit and Covid’
The Canary UK

More than 200 jobs could be axed at car parts firm ‘due to Brexit and Covid’

More than 200 jobs at a car parts firm in south Wales face being axed partly due to Brexit and coronavirus, the company has said. Tory Britain Kautex Textron, which has a plant in Ystrad Mynach near Caerphilly, South Wales, said it was discussing possible staff reductions with its workers as well as the potential closure of the site after 51 years in the town. The plant opened in 1970 and makes car parts including water containers and nozzles. A spokesperson for the company told the PA news agency if the decision was made to close the plant it would work to provide other internal opportunities “to as…

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16 April 2021
Civil servants’ new jobs must be approved after Greensill affair – ex-mandarin
The Canary UK

Civil servants’ new jobs must be approved after Greensill affair – ex-mandarin

A former Home Office boss has said he was “absolutely amazed” to learn a top civil servant was allowed to work as a part-time adviser at Greensill Capital while still in Whitehall. He called for more scrutiny of civil service hires. Sir David Normington, who led the department for five years until 2011, said it is “essential” for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which scrutinises appointments of top civil servants when they leave Whitehall, to sign-off on new moves. It comes after it emerged that former head of government procurement Bill Crothers began working for Greensill as a part-time adviser to the board in September 2015…

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15 April 2021
“This Agreement Protects Jobs”: Four Unions at Rutgers University Reach Historic Deal to End Layoffs
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

“This Agreement Protects Jobs”: Four Unions at Rutgers University Reach Historic Deal to End Layoffs

After a year of layoffs, cuts and austerity, the faculty and staff of four unions at Rutgers University have voted in support of an unusual and pioneering agreement to protect jobs and guarantee raises after the school declared a fiscal emergency as a result of the pandemic. A key part of the deal is an agreement by the professors to do “work share” and take a slight cut in hours for a few months in order to save the jobs of other lower-paid workers. “The historic nature of this agreement is that it encompasses all four unions,” says Christine O’Connell, president of the union representing Rutgers administrators. “This…

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7 April 2021
‘Drastic cuts’ to railway jobs could lead to ‘catastrophic consequences for rail safety’
The Canary UK

‘Drastic cuts’ to railway jobs could lead to ‘catastrophic consequences for rail safety’

Rail union leaders are warning of a national dispute over fears that thousands of maintenance jobs are set to be axed because of massive cuts in spending. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) is seeking urgent talks with the Government over the future of Network Rail, as well as safety and maintenance standards on the railways. RMT officials said they have been told that “drastic” cuts are being planned, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks. The union said it was moving to a “dispute footing” to fight any job cuts, warning that NR was also planning to freeze pay and change working practices. “Kick in…

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19 March 2021
Ed Miliband says the Government ‘cannot afford’ to let Liberty Steel jobs go
The Canary UK

Ed Miliband says the Government ‘cannot afford’ to let Liberty Steel jobs go

The government should consider nationalising Liberty Steel if necessary to save thousands of “crucial jobs”, Ed Miliband has said. Nationalisation Liberty Steel’s future is the subject of speculation after specialist bank Greensill Capital went into administration. Greensill Capital was the main lender to Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance which includes Liberty Steel – the owner of steel plants across the UK. Gupta’s business empire employs around 5,000 people in the UK, a majority of whom work for Liberty Steel across its 11 sites throughout England, Scotland, and Wales, including Scunthorpe, Newport, and Rotherham. Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Speaking to the BBC, the shadow business secretary said…

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18 March 2021
Arcadia’s collapse triggers high street bloodbath with 25,000 jobs on the line
The Canary UK

Arcadia’s collapse triggers high street bloodbath with 25,000 jobs on the line

A high street bloodbath is under way as the jobs of around 25,000 staff at Arcadia and Debenhams hang in the balance.Job lossesSome 13,000 staff at Philip Green’s Arcadia Group face an anxious wait following the business collapsing into administration. And Debenhams, which is already in administration, said it would start a liquidation process after JD Sports confirmed it had pulled out of a possible rescue. The department store has around 12,000 staff.Arcadia’s brands, which includes Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Burton, has hired Deloitte to handle the next steps after the pandemic “severely impacted” upon sales across its brands. Many of Arcadia’s staff worked at its brands’ concessions…

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1 December 2020
Progressives Demand “Corporate-Free Cabinet” as Biden Taps Pharma & Fossil Fuel Allies for Top Jobs
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Progressives Demand “Corporate-Free Cabinet” as Biden Taps Pharma & Fossil Fuel Allies for Top Jobs

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh. Today, climate and racial justice activists are joining unions and newly elected members of Congress to call on President-elect Joe Biden to address COVID, the economy and climate change, and appoint a, quote, “corporate-free Cabinet.” Their push comes as Biden announced several new appointments Tuesday, including Louisiana Congressmember Cedric Richmond to lead the White House Office of Public Engagement. The Sunrise Movement described the appointment of Richmond as a “betrayal” because he’s the leading Democratic recipient of fossil fuel money in Congress. This comes…

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19 November 2020
Progressives Demand "Corporate-Free Cabinet" as Biden Taps Pharma & Fossil Fuel Allies for Top Jobs
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Progressives Demand "Corporate-Free Cabinet" as Biden Taps Pharma & Fossil Fuel Allies for Top Jobs

Climate and racial justice activists are mobilizing with union members and newly elected members of Congress at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee to call on President-elect Joe Biden to address the intersecting crises of the pandemic, economy and climate change. They’re also calling for Biden to create a “corporate-free Cabinet,” following his recent announcement of aides that included people with close ties to the pharmaceutical and fossil fuel industries. Waleed Shahid, spokesperson for the progressive group Justice Democrats, says it will be important to maintain pressure on the incoming administration in order to fulfill grassroots demands. “Unlike President Obama in 2008, there is not much of…

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19 November 2020
Redundancies hit record high as hundreds of thousands lose jobs
The Canary UK

Redundancies hit record high as hundreds of thousands lose jobs

More people were made redundant between July and September than at any point on record, according to new official statistics. It comes as the pandemic laid waste to large parts of the economy. Hard times Around 314,000 redundancies were registered during the three months according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This figure is up by 181,000 from the quarter before. The data suggests that unemployment in the UK reached 4.8% in the three months to September. It’s an increase of 0.7 percentage points on the quarter before, and 0.9 percentage points from a year ago. Meanwhile, around 33,000 people were dropped from payrolls in October. This…

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10 November 2020
Unions call for more measures to protect jobs as furlough scheme ends
The Canary UK

Unions call for more measures to protect jobs as furlough scheme ends

Fears have been raised that people will be pushed into in hardship as government coronavirus support schemes end.Unions are calling for more measures to protect jobs as the furlough scheme ends, saying the new support plans are “not adequate”, while poverty campaigners have concerns about the end of mortgage holidays.With no certainty about whether Covid-19 can be brought under control in the near future and millions of UK people living under further restrictions, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey called on the Government to bring forward clear plans for the protection of health, jobs and incomes.Mr McCluskey suggested that those on low pay cannot survive on two-thirds of the…

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31 October 2020