Cost of living crisis The pandemic has inevitably harmed the economy and inflation has risen to levels unseen for 30 years. This cost of living crisis is biting with the cost of food and fuel rising and wages stagnating. According to the Resolution Foundation, the Chancellor’s failure to support families through the crisis today, and to cut their taxes in the future, means that absolute poverty is expected to rise by 1.3 million people next year, including 500,000 children. Support key workers Throughout the pandemic our staff have kept the railway running because it’s been a vital service to ensure key workers in healthcare, food distribution and many other relied-upon services could keep running. It is wrong to punish those who have to use public transport and as workers are returning back to the office they should be able to use affordable and reliable public transport. On average, staff commuting from Chelmsford to London spend 13% of their earnings on travel costs. In France, a similar journey from Étampes to Paris would eat up just 2% of the average worker’s wages. Bring passengers back to rail A thriving leisure and tourism economy relies on its railway for day trips and to welcome international visitors. In many cases the high fares in the UK is prohibitive and off-putting. But freezing fares passengers would be encouraged to choose rail over aviation and road. Linking the network with Europe through Eurostar would benefit reciprocal travel. Invest in rail Putting money into the rail industry is good for the economy. The National Infrastructure Commission found that if rail investment is increased by 50%, the rail sector would contribute an additional £5.6billion to the economy, with an extra 104,000 individuals employed in the industry as a result. And Oxford Economics’ research calculated that for every £1 spent in rail, £2.50 of income was generated in the wider economy. Freezing fares opens up the networks and boosts the economy. Environmental targets We cannot ignore the climate crisis and public transport is part of the solution to help us reduce the country’s carbon footprint, and providing efficient and affordable alternatives to traveling by road and air. Bringing the cost of rail travel is crucial to meeting these targets. Public Health England published statistics that demonstrate that air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to health in the UK, with between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths a year attributed to long-term exposure. Instead of bailing out airlines, the government should invest in rail and stop putting CO2 into the atmosphere. We call on the government to prioritise investment in rail, reduce fares for workers and commit to reversing the damaging effects of the climate emergency.

Millions of us across the country rely on train services every day to get to work, go to school, and as a greener option for travelling across the country. But the UK government is cutting Network Rail’s annual expenditure by £100 million. More than 2,600 dedicated railway workers will lose their jobs, their livelihoods and careers. That means fewer staff to undertake vital maintenance work, fewer inspectors on board trains, fewer route controllers to keep services safe and functional. It’s impossible to make those cuts without cutting corners on safety. We don’t want to see commuters packed like sardines into unsafe trains. We don’t want cuts that could make accidents more likely and increase the possibility of trains flying off the tracks. We deserve safe, reliable and affordable and well maintained trains for all. The UK government must recognise the world's most successful railways are in public ownership, and backed by sustainable government funding. We demand a better vision for the future of Britain’s rail. We want the UK government to put safety and livelihoods first. Sign the petition to stop this jobs disaster and the largest cuts to public rail services in a generation.

Lloyds Banking Group has announced that it will reward its shareholders with a £1.4 billion pay-out and a £2 billion buy-back scheme after making astronomic profits of £5.9 billion after tax in 2021. But in spite of these incomprehensible numbers, the bank has abandoned its workers to the cost of living crisis by implementing a pay rise which is well below inflation levels. For years, many of us have served the bank on low salaries of around £22,000 - answering phone-calls night and day, protecting customers from fraud, & inputting information. We and our families now stand to be pummelled by the cost of living crisis - which will see the biggest drop in living standards since the 1950s - while the bank stands back & willingly lets it happen. How can it be fair to pay shareholders billions, while we can barely keep our heads above water? Instead of being the CEO who prioritised already-wealthy shareholders and abandoned workers in the middle of a catastrophic living-standards crisis, we demand that Charlie Nunn do the right thing and meet our demand for an inflation-matching pay-rise. While this would be a drop in the ocean for the bank - it would make a world of difference to us.

No matter their postcode, every young person deserves face to face teaching from a qualified and professionally registered teacher. No matter their postcode, every young person deserves the same high standards of teaching as a first choice and a priority. No matter their postcode, every young person deserves to learn in a safe, accessible, and encouraging environment. This is entirely contrary to the position which the EIS believed had been agreed with remote learning platform provider, e-Sgoil, locally. A further statement from the EIS Local Association is https://www.eis.org.uk/Western-Isles/Statement EIS members are asking that: • Further clarity is given on these proposals. E-Sgoil is not a presenting centre, it is not a school. It is a remote learning platform provider and has a national role as such. It should not be used to undermine physical teaching and learning in the Western Isles. • Full consultation be undertaken with parent councils, pupils and staff via their trade unions – as is the recognised mechanism for consultation. • Status quo remains until agreement is reached on these proposals. • The maintenance of face-to-face teaching as a first choice; and a • A fully funded teaching provision on sustainable permanent contracts as a priority. Further EIS priorities for the local election can be found https://www.eis.org.uk/Western-Isles/Manifesto Add your name to the petition and show the Comhairle you support the call for face to face, fully qualified teachers to provide education in Na h-Eileanan an Iair/Western Isles. #ValueEducationValueTeachers #ComhairleMustConsult

Measures announced to tackle the cost of living crisis at last week’s Spring Statement are woefully inadequate. A full-time worker on the minimum wage will see their pay fall by £200 a year – in real terms – if inflation hits 8% as predicted. And the TUC estimates that energy bills will rise ten times faster than wages this year. Britain faces the worst living standards crisis in generations and millions of families are at breaking point. The government must act to bring down energy bills and boost pay, Universal Credit and pensions.

NHS workers (e.g. Porters, Cleaners, Catering, Security) who are employed by ISS, a private company that is contracted by Calderdale & Huddersfield Foundation Trust to run non-clinical services, want an end to their minimum wage rates, terms and conditions. As NHS workers they are demanding alignment with the NHS “Agenda for Change” contract that would see their pay, terms and conditions significantly improved. Every day since March 2020, our members have put themselves at risk; at risk of getting infected and at risk of infecting their family. We clapped for them, we labelled them heroes and yet these local NHS heroes face the indignity of being treated less than; to be employed as NHS workers, but not paid as NHS workers. The Trust outsourced their responsibility to ISS and in return ISS have raced to the bottom to set these workers on minimum pay. We are simply demanding that this be corrected, that the Trust recognise its responsibility to these NHS heroes and take action to end poverty pay at Calderdale Royal Hospital.

It is vital that Scotland's ferry services support communities' recovery from Covid-19 and this is best achieved through public ownership and the full participation of communities, workers and passengers. The current Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service operated by CalMac expires in September 2024, RMT is opposed to privatisation and wants all ferry services to be in the public sector. That's why we have launched the campaign for a People's CalMac. We are calling for: More investment - for more reliable, frequent and additional services. More affordable - with fairer ferry fares, including for commercial drivers. More of a say - with a stronger voice for communities, passengers and workers. More good jobs - already employing 1700 people, CalMac is at the heart of Clyde and Hebrides communities, as well as Scotland's maritime industry. Please sign our petition and write to your MSP and Councillor - you can find a model letter of the RMT website here - https://bit.ly/3JvK2Ip

Yesterday, 800 workers at P&O Ferries were sacked via Zoom call. This shameful act is devastating for these workers, their families and communities. This is a national scandal – it can’t ever be allowed to happen again. This must be turning point for workers’ rights in the UK. The government can stop this, but they will not act unless thousands of us speak up. If callous acts like this are allowed at P&O, they can happen anywhere.

Dundee City Council are trying to force through a disruptive restructure of all secondary schools in the area. If the changes were to go ahead, the council would band subjects together under one faculty. The council would remove principal teachers from secondary schools and replace them with a new position – “faculty heads”. The plans mean there would be fewer teachers in our already under-resourced schools and yet more disruption to students’ learning. The changes would significantly increase workload for teachers – that means less one-to-one time with students. We must show the council leader how many of us support these workers.

We must stand strong against bad bosses unnecessarily attacking workers and using anti-trade union tactics. Coventry City Council and their Labour Leader, George Duggins have failed the people of Coventry and they have failed the workers. Can you help us by writing an email to him, asking him to reinstate Pete, stop union-busting, stop strike breaking and pay the rate?

Pete is one of the 75 refuse workers in Coventry City who have been on an all-out strike since 31st Jan over a pay dispute. • The Council is reported to have spent in the region of 2.8 million of taxpayers’ money trying to break the strike and using contractor Tom White Waste to break the picket. • It would cost less than £300,000 to resolve the dispute, but it seems Coventry City Council is hell-bent on wasting taxpayers’ money. • Just recently, Coventry Council published an important untrue statement, saying the bin lorry drivers earn up to £52,163 a year. The truth is the hourly pay rate is £11.49-£14.37 meaning the lowest-paid earns a basic wage of just £22,183 a year. • This council has a history of wasting taxpayers’ money, including on fat cat salaries and golden handshakes. • Former deputy chief executive, Martin Yardley, was given more money than any other council staff member in the whole country in 2019/20 pocketing £573,660. • In 2018, the retiring finance chief waltzed off with just shy of £450,000. An attack on one is an attack on all! Please sign the petition

Sign our petition to demand fair fares and a properly funded railway that protects rail services, staffing and the climate.