PCS news digest 9 March

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9 March 2012

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

9 March

People earning more than £150,000 enjoy £15,000 worth of tax breaks – TUC

People earning £150,000 or more enjoy tax breaks worth more than the annual salaries of nearly eight million workers, according to a new TUC report.

Ofcom looks at stripping Murdoch of BSkyB – The Independent

A special team at the media regulator Ofcom is examining whether James Murdoch is fit to remain chairman of BSkyB and if News Corp should be stripped of its stake in the broadcaster because of the phone-hacking scandal, reported the Independent.

8 March

Homelessness jumps by 14% in a year – Guardian

The number of people officially classed as homeless in England has jumped by 14% – the biggest increase for nine years – as what charities have described as a "perfect storm" of rising repossession rates and unemployment drives thousands more families into temporary accommodation.

13 days to save the NHS from privatisation – Morning Star

The nation was urged to pull together with "just 13 days to save the NHS" as thousands demonstrated outside Parliament against the big government sell-off, reported the Morning Star.

7 March

“Inexcusable” that public sector workers should take more pay freezes and cuts – Union-News

A consensus with the Tories on austerity, on attacking public sector workers will not work, reported the Union-News website

Government efficiency scheme wastes millions – PCS website

Government schemes intended to save money have massively backfired - overspending by £500 million.

6 March

Union alarm at plan by ministers to ease regulation of gangmasters – Guardian

Ministers want to ease regulation of gangmasters, just a few years after a crackdown on rogue employers who force vulnerable people to work in poor conditions for low pay, reported the Guardian.

Unite slams more RBS job losses – Union-News

Unite described as “outrageous” the announcement that RBS is cutting 300 staff and shipping 200 jobs to India.

5 March

IoD calls for deeper cuts and lower taxes for rich – Financial Times

George Osborne should commit to deeper public spending cuts and reduce taxes on rich individuals and companies, the Institute of Directors has said, reported the Financial Times.

Child benefit cuts to be diluted – Daily Telegraph

George Osborne is preparing to water down plans to strip middle class families of child benefit in an attempt to head off a back-bench rebellion, reported the Daily Telegraph.

4 March

Police are linked to blacklist of construction workers – Observer

Security services 'gave data to clandestine organisation funded by major names in building industry', reported the Observer.

Tax change to cost working families £3,800 a year – Independent on Sunday

Nearly 900,000 of the nation's poorest people face losing thousands of pounds in income from next month because of cuts to tax credits, official figures reveal, reported the Independent on Sunday.

3 March

Dale Farm: The human cost of prejudice – Red Pepper magazine

As the displaced residents of Dale Farm in Essex face another round of forced evictions, Elly Robson from Red Pepper talked to some of the families and examined the discrimination they face.

Tribute to anti-workfare campaigns – PCS

The work of the growing campaigns against workfare that are successfully exposing the unfair treatment of young and unemployed people was praised by PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka ahead of a day of national action by Boycott Workfare.

Public and Commercial Services Union