PCS news digest 10 August

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10 August 2012

This weekly news digest is a summary of news, campaign articles, media releases and reports from the past week

10 August

GMB calls for Olympic jobs legacy – Union-News

GMB is calling on employers across the UK to assist union members employed as Olympic security staff to find work after the games to stop them being returned to the dole, reported the Union-News website.

Owen Jones: It’s not competitive spirit that poor kids lack, but fields on which to compete – Independent

Only state intervention can counter the massive advantages the most privileged schools have, reported the Independent.

HMRC to recruit 1,000 extra staff – Liverpool Echo

Revenue and Customs is to recruit up to 1,000 extra staff to tackle delays in getting through to call centres.

9 August

UK trade deficit at 15-year high – BBC

The UK's trade gap widened sharply in June, to its worst level since comparable records began in 1997, reported the BBC.

Civil servants bear the brunt as Francis Maude cuts £5.5 billion – Guardian

Higher savings than predicted include a £1.5bn cut to jobs in further bad news for Whitehall, reported the Guardian.

Thousands more jobs to go in new civil service cuts – Daily Telegraph

The civil service is facing a new assault from the coalition after minister promised to quadruple Whitehall savings to £20 billion a year, reported the Daily Telegraph.

London is the ‘global capital of money-laundering’ – Private Eye

Britain is still the money-laundering capital of the world, according to a special six-page investigation published in this fortnight’s Private Eye.

8 August

Home secretary advised of legal challenge over privatisation – PCS

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka has written to home secretary Theresa May to highlight serious concerns over the privatisation of a government helpline and to advise her of a forthcoming legal challenge.

Pile the pressure on Turkish Airlines to reinstate aviation workers - LabourStart

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is calling on Turkish Airlines sponsors Manchester United and Barcelona football clubs to urge THY to end its heavy-handed approach and to talk to the workers’ union, Hava-Is, reported LabourStart.

UK economic woes looking less like a blip and more like a slump – TUC

The UK's dire economic performance is causing permanent damage and putting thousands of jobs on the line, according to TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

7 August

Thousands of workers ‘blacklisted’ over political views – Independent

The Independent reported that the surveillance and blacklisting of thousands of workers, including some suspected by construction companies of being left-wing troublemakers, should be immediately investigated by the privacy watchdog, it was urged.

Olympic success but sports club suffer millions of pounds of cuts – False Economy

As a point of Olympic interest the False Economy website has compiled a long list of recent cuts to small sports clubs, groups and associations.

6 August

Ministers to be given say in civil service appraisals – Guardian

Ministers are to be given formal input into the annual appraisal of their civil servants – affecting their grade and bonuses – in a fresh drive to clarify the accountability of officials to the government, reported the Guardian.

Petition to scrap NHS pay cartel nears 20,000 – have you signed yet? – Union-News

A petition calling on the government to quash the NHS pay cartel in the South West is fast approaching 20,000 signatures, reported the Union-News website.

5 August

The women changing Britain’s unions – Observer

With unemployment among women at a 20-year high, a new wave of female union leaders and activists has come to the fore, reviving the fight for workers' rights when they are under greater threat than ever, reported the Observer.

New disability test will ‘cause suicides’ – Morning Star

Disability activists have said that Tory plans to put millions of benefits claimants through a gruelling new tickbox test will drive a wave of suicides among those who see payments slashed, reported the Morning Star.

4 August

Poor families lose out in council tax benefit cuts – Independent

Low-income families could lose hundreds of pounds a year under controversial coalition moves to slash council tax benefit payments, reported the Independent.

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