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A repository for reports, opinions and bits of writing on labour, trade union and other issues by a union activist and retired social worker.

Wednesday 28 April 2010

Workers Memorial Day Edinburgh

70% of workplace accidents are due to poor management of health and safety. This means deaths at work are avoidable. But the alarming cuts in public spending which all the main parties have been proposing can only result in more danger for people at work. 

At a time when business and other vested interests are campaigning for proper health and safety laws to be replaced by deregulation, with companies being allowed to carry out their own health & safety audits, trade unions need to ensure that these hard-fought for rights are not eroded when employers campaign against red tape.

Saturday 17 April 2010

In support of free music tuition in schools

STUC 2010: I thought a good way of demonstrating the importance of free music tuition in schools would have been to start off giving you a few bars on my trumpet – an instrument I almost learned to play at school. But then I thought it might not be the best advert for the service.

But that in fact is the point. You don’t have to be great at a musical instrument to gain all the enjoyment and benefits.