We believe the downgrading will have a detrimental effect on the local community and our members.

Workers affected by the coronavirus outbreak could have to go into quarantine or self-isolation to prevent the further spread of the virus. Right now millions of UK workers don’t earn enough to get this protection. And workers with existing sick pay schemes should be paid at the full rate offered by the employer while in isolation, and not be considered as on annual or unpaid leave. No one should worry about falling into debt or struggling to pay their bills when they’re ill or have to self-isolate. If people aren't compensated for the time spent at home, the risk people go to work and spread the illness increases. The government must ensure everyone gets decent sick pay, however much they earn.

I'm Peter Moorhead, I have worked for social care provider AFG for over 20 years. In 2019, AFG care workers took strike action against our employer because we were not being paid the minimum wage for so-called "sleep in" shifts. As UNISON's convenor (lead representative) for AFG, I was involved in supporting our members in their fight for fair pay. AFG did not react positively to the strike action. Recently, I have been informed by AFG that they are going to make me redundant and scrap any provision for a UNISON convenor at the care provider. We feel that AFG have unfairly selected the UNISON Convenor position for redundancy and that in reality this is about AFG responding to last year's industrial dispute by trying to shut down any worker representation at the organisation. AFG did not enter into meaningful consultation and their decision potentially amounts to trade union victimisation. This is bigger than my job though. With over 750 UNISON members working for AFG across the North West, the removal of the position will severely impact on the industrial relation with AFG and also hamper the day to day needs of UNISON members. Please sign this petition calling on AFG to do the decent thing and reverse their decision to make me redundant. Thank you for your support, Peter Moorhead (UNISON Convenor- AFG)

15.3 The role of the FRS in statutory duty of flood response has been set in the Devolved Administrations, but not England. Recommendation 39 of the Pitt Review stated that: “the Government should urgently put in place a fully funded national capability for flood rescue with Fire and Rescue Authorities playing a leading role, underpinned as necessary by a statutory duty”. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/715483/mafp-review-2018-final-report.pdf Fire & rescue services are best placed to co-ordinate flood rescue operations but, if, budgets continue to be cut, there is a real danger that they will only be able to respond to emergencies where they have a statutory duty to do so.

The Central Plaza hotel in Carlisle City Centre had stood empty and neglected since 2004. The costs incurred in making the building safe are believed to be running at around £900,000 and the demolition costs are reputed to be in the region of £1.3 million. The Victoria Viaduct was closed for two months in 2018 as works to ensure that masonry would not fall from the top of the crumbling building were undertaken. The disruption of traffic and pedestrians led to the closure of nearby local business Carlisle Bed Centre. The City Council were to take further measures under the Building Act 1984 s78 Dangerous Buildings - Emergency Measures, to ensure that the abandoned property did not present an immediate danger to people in or around it as sections of the interior began to dangerously collapse again in October 2019. The City Council was forced to close off the Victoria Viaduct road again, causing significant traffic disruption into the City centre from the West, and demolition crews moved in to take down the building due to further collapse and safety concerns in December. As only the Treasury can profit from any subsequent sale of the land through the Crown Estate, we believe that the financial costs incurred should be picked up by the Exchequer and not the City Council and council tax payers of Carlisle.

The run-up to Christmas is busy and stressful for everyone working in retail, and in connected jobs like warehouse and distribution too. Retail workers have been putting in long, tough shifts to help customers get ready for Christmas, and they barely have the time and energy to make their own preparations. When Christmas comes, far too often they don’t get a decent break, with a late finish on Christmas Eve and then back to work early on Boxing Day morning. More than three-quarters of workers surveyed by Usdaw said that working over the Christmas period means that they spend too little time at Christmas with their loved ones. Most retail workers are put under pressure to work on Boxing Day, and this even happens in workplaces where it’s supposed to be ‘voluntary’ – that’s why 97% of retail workers think that shops should shut on Boxing Day. #XmasIsNotWorking and that's why we’re calling on retailers to put their hardworking staff first, and keep the shops shut. Find out more about Usdaw’s #XmasIsNotWorking campaign at www.usdaw.org.uk/XmasIsNotWorking

Our NHS is not for sale. Not now, not ever. NHS leaders warned weeks ago that hospitals and patients will pay billions more for drugs in a post-Brexit US-UK deal. Now we have it in black and white. Leaked government documents reveal that Trump and his big pharma cronies want to charge our NHS a lot more for vital drugs. And the US wants "total market access" to public services as a condition for opening new trade talks. That’s code for carving them up and selling them off to the highest bidder. It's never been more important to stand up for our NHS and demand that any future trade deals include cast iron guarantees for public services.

Boris Johnson and his hard-right cabinet are not only on the side of the establishment … they are the establishment. And this Tory government isn’t so different from any other Tory government: they will help the rich get richer and make working-class people pay. That’s why the Brexit deal just announced between the EU and UK government would be a disaster for working people. It's clear that the UK government will seek to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU after Brexit. A free trade agreement could shrink the UK economy by 6 per cent, hammering jobs and livelihoods, and putting our NHS and public services at further risk. Leaving the customs union will also make trade more expensive and slower, hitting working people’s pockets. Low income families would be hit hardest. This deal also gives no guarantee that workers’ rights will be protected or keep pace with improvements in the rights of workers across the EU. Add your name to make sure Boris Johnson knows the people won’t accept his deal.

West Yorkshire's bus services are broken. But they could be world class. The new Mayor of West Yorkshire will have the powers to fix our buses by bringing them back into public control. But we won't win this without a fight! Right now, bus companies do what they like and it's a wild west free market. And they're desperate to cling onto that power. Private companies control West Yorkshire’s bus network. They dictate prices, routes and timetables. The result has been catastrophic - passenger numbers have plummeted, prices have risen and services have shrunk. The new Mayor of West Yorkshire, and your West Yorkshire Council Leaders, have the power to regulate our buses. Regulation would mean affordable fares, and more evening and weekend services, all with a smart ticket where daily spending is capped. We need them to hear our message loud and clear, so there is no other choice the day after the election. (Image credit: Michael Taylor)

New research by the MU reveals 48% of members surveyed have been sexually harassed at work, and more than half have witnessed incidents of sexual harassment while working. 61% of musicians who took the survey told us they feel at greater risk of experiencing sexual harassment because of their freelance status. That’s why the Musicians’ Union is campaigning for stronger protections from sexual harassment at work that include freelancers too. Please sign the petition now to show your support. By signing the petition, you are reminding the Government that they have a duty to protect everyone from sexual harassment at work – including you, and musicians and other freelancers you know or whose work you enjoy. PREVENTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK We asked 724 musicians about their experiences of sexual harassment at work. This research shows: • 48% have experienced sexual harassment at work • 58% have witnessed sexual harassment at work • 61% believe freelancers are at higher risk of being sexually harassed while working That’s not all; an overwhelming majority of members who experienced sexual harassment at work said that they did not report their experiences. And who can blame them. We’ve seen first-hand how difficult it is for freelancers to report sexual harassment and get any form of redress. It’s a clear sign that the system is broken, and we’re calling on Government to take this opportunity to fix it. PROTECT FREELANCERS TOO It should not be the responsibility of the self-employed or freelancers to protect themselves from sexual harassment. Do not let the Government forget that it has a duty to protect everyone at work. Add your voice to the call to protect freelancers too.

For too long, disabled workers have faced double discrimination. Not only are they less likely to have a paid job but when they do, disabled people earn much less than their non-disabled peers. New analysis published by the TUC shows that disabled workers now earn a fifth (20%) less than non-disabled workers. It means that the pay gap for disabled workers has widened to £3,800 per year – an increase of £800 over the last year. And the gap will almost certainly increase again as the economic impact of Covid-19 hits. Mandatory disability pay gap reporting would mean bosses had to identify and address poor workplace practices that lead to inequality. Without this requirement progress will be too slow and disabled workers will be consigned to many more years of lower pay and unfair barriers to getting jobs and progressing at work. Disabled people deserve more, they need mandatory disability pay gap reporting – they have waited long enough for fair and equal treatment at work. The government must bring in mandatory disability pay gap reporting for all employers with more than 50 employees.

On Monday (23 September) Thomas Cook the world’s oldest travel agency collapsed into administration with the loss of 21,000 jobs (9,000 in the UK alone) and stranding 150,000 holiday makers. The sudden collapse has left many workers desperate and with no income. Staff were due to be paid on Monday (30 September), but will not now be paid after the business went bust. Two years since Monarch Airlines went into administration with the loss of 2,000 jobs, the government has totally failed to learn lessons or bring in new laws which could have saved these jobs. These are not highly paid workers, many were living pay cheque to pay cheque. Given the dreadful stress this has caused to workers, the priority, now that repatriation of stranded travelled is underway, must be for the secretary of state to fast track the payment of workers’ wages.