Cost of Living crisis

Tories’ ‘despicable attack’ on striking ambulance workers fails to dent national action

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tories-despicable-attack-striking-ambulance-workers-fails-dent-national-action

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HEALTH Secretary Steve Barclay was accused of launching a despicable attack on striking ambulance workers today after he claimed that they have made a “conscious choice to inflict harm” on patients.

Mr Barclay’s inflammatory attack caused fury among union leaders, who accused ministers of causing a year-round mounting death toll of patients through NHS underfunding, understaffing and government failures.

Figures released today shows a 133 per cent increase this year in patients dying while waiting in ambulances to be transferred into hospital, with the reasons for the delays including overflowing A&E departments, lack of beds and staffing shortages.

The number of deaths increased from 40 to 93 and the number of patients who suffered “severe harm” due to delays tripled from 51 patients to 154 in a year.

The figures, obtained by the GMB union using freedom of Information regulations, compared the years 2020-21 with 2021-22 and added to the anger provoked by Mr Barclay’s accusation.

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Continue ReadingTories’ ‘despicable attack’ on striking ambulance workers fails to dent national action

High Court gives unions green light to challenge government’s anti-strike regulations

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/high-court-gives-greenlight-legal-challange-unions-against-governments-anti-strike

UNIONS will be taking legal action against the government’s strike-buster agency worker regulations after the High Court granted permission for the challenge today. [yesterday]

The judicial review of anti-worker rules has been brought by 11 trade unions, co-ordinated by the TUC, to protect the right to strike.

Reports suggest that the government is considering new ways to undermine industrial action amid a surge in strikes across the country.

The 11 unions — Aslef, BFAWU, FDA, GMB, NEU, NUJ, POA, PCS, RMT, Unite and Usdaw — have taken up the case against the government’s new regulations, which allow agency workers to fill in for striking workers.

The unions argue that the regulations are unlawful as ministers failed to consult unions as required by the Employment Agencies Act and as they violate fundamental trade union rights protected by Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

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Continue ReadingHigh Court gives unions green light to challenge government’s anti-strike regulations

30 million in UK ‘priced out of decent standard of living by 2024’

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Image of cash and pre-payment meter key
Image of cash and pre-payment meter key

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/12/30-million-in-uk-priced-out-of-decent-standard-of-living-by-2024

Thirty million people in the UK will be unable to afford what the public considers to be a decent standard of living by the time the current parliament ends in 2024, according to a study.

The New Economics Foundation, a left-leaning thinktank, said rising prices, below-inflation increases in earnings and projected increases in unemployment would result in 43% of households lacking the resources to put food on the table, buy new clothes or treat themselves and their families – a 12 percentage point rise compared with 2019.

The NEF said its calculation that by 2024 almost 90% of single parents and 50% of workers with children would fall below a minimum income standard showed the need for a radical overhaul of the welfare system.

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Continue Reading30 million in UK ‘priced out of decent standard of living by 2024’

Jeremy Corbyn clearly illustrates why nurses’ pay demand is affordable

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Jeremy Corbyn MP, former leader of the Labour Party

https://leftfootforward.org/2022/12/jeremy-corbyn-clearly-illustrates-why-nurses-pay-demand-is-affordable/

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The prime minister Rishi Sunak has argued the RCN’s inflation-busting pay claim is “unaffordable”.

However, the former leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn has summed up why this is palpably untrue. He tweeted, “The cost of meeting nurses’ demand for an inflation-busting pay rise: £1.6 billion. The cost of Rishi Sunak’s bank tax giveaways: £7.3 billion. If we can afford handouts for the rich, we can afford to meet the basic needs of those who keep this country afloat.”

While the government is content to give tax breaks and handouts to the mega-rich, they’re leaving the people who keep the NHS running to chose between heating and eating.

Continue ReadingJeremy Corbyn clearly illustrates why nurses’ pay demand is affordable

Millions of pensioners face ‘winter from hell’ as temperatures drop below freezing

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/millions-older-people-face-winter-hell-temperatures-drop-below-freezing

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Age UK says research has revealed that more than 10 million older people have already cut back on heating in their homes for fear of soaring bills.

Energy prices in the UK last month became the highest in the world.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director, said: “We know that rising energy prices will put nearly a third of older households in fuel poverty this winter, meaning older people in approaching three million homes will be worrying about how to keep warm as temperatures plummet this week.

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Continue ReadingMillions of pensioners face ‘winter from hell’ as temperatures drop below freezing