Back the People, Not the Spivs Unite Urges Government

September 30th, 2009 LONDON - Rob MacGregor, Unite national officer, said: "This agreement is a smoke screen designed to deflect criticism away from those who brought our banking system to its knees. The industry remains over populated with the greedy, arrogant and corrupt.

September 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Commenting on the announcement today (Thursday) by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) of its new plan for the future of the business, Unite national secretary for the automotive sector, Dave Osborne said: "Earlier this year, this company and our union agreed a framework agreement intended to support JLR through this tough economic period. Our members said then that JLR could not be trusted to uphold that agreement.

September 8th, 2009 LONDON - Diageo's announcement today (Wednesday 9th September) to reject proposals by the Scottish Government that would safeguard jobs has outraged Unite, the UK's biggest union. Unite is also furious that Diageo has made the announcement before the conclusion of the 90-day consultation period.

July 16th, 2009 LONDON - Commenting on the report out today (Friday) from the influential Select Committee on Business and Enterprise, which calls for government to stop dragging its heels on support for the car industry, Tony Woodley, Unite joint general secretary, said: "This report hits the nail on the head. More than seven months on from the establishment of the Automotive Assistance Programme, we are yet to see a penny paid out to car and components companies.

July 6th, 2009 LONDON - Unite, the UK's largest union, today (Tuesday) welcomes the BERR Select Committee report entitled 'Post offices- securing their future', but expresses disappointment that the committee has not been bold enough in recognising that a bank based at the Post Office would only deliver a number of the points that the committee acknowledges in its report. Paul Reuter, Unite National Officer responsible for the Post Office, said: "This is a good report which acknowledges that there should be no more branch closures.

April 28th, 2009 LONDON - Following the news today that Midlands-based van manufacturer LDV will go into administration on May 6th with the loss of around 900 jobs directly and thousands more in the wider supply chain, Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite said: "Two months ago I warned that without rapid intervention to support LDV while it sought a new buyer, the company would collapse. "Unless the government acts to provide a small but vital aid package of just GBP4 million, barely a year's bonus for a bailed-out banker, then LDV will go into administration on May 6th - and take with it thousands of jobs in our manufacturing heartland.

April 6th, 2009 LONDON - Rob MacGregor, Unite national officer, said: "The news that 4,500 RBS staff in the UK are to lose their jobs is truly devastating. Unite is appalled that thousands of people, who form the backbone of the RBS operations, are to be made redundant.

March 17th, 2009 LONDON - Rob MacGregor, Unite national officer, said: "Another review with more rhetoric than substance will do nothing to reassure consumers or staff in the financial services industry. Action is well over-due by those who oversee the UK's financial services sector in order to overhaul the flawed sector and bring back trust.

March 12th, 2009 LONDON - Unite, the UK's biggest civil air transport union, welcomes the announcement today (Friday) from the High Court that the challenge to the expansion of Stansted airport has been suspended. Steve Turner, Unite National Officer, said: "We are delighted at this decision today and hope we can now move on and develop an expansion programme at Stansted airport.

March 12th, 2009 LONDON - Unite the union which represents hundreds of Forest Commission workers has today welcomed the Scottish Government's announcement to abandon proposals to lease up to 25% of Scottish woodlands to private companies. Unite, the UK's largest trade union, has also reiterated its call for the Scottish Government to also abandon its proposals to scarp the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board (SAWB) which protects the terms and conditions and sets the wage levels for 25,000 workers in Scotland's agricultural sector.

September 17th, 2009 Union returning to AFL-CIOPITTSBURGH — One of the unions that left the AFL-CIO in a bitter dispute that split the labor movement four years ago is coming back to the labor federation. The union of hotel, restaurant and clothing workers known as UNITE HERE is bringing its 265,000 members back a day after Richard Trumka became the newest AFL-CIO president.

March 21st, 2009 AMRITSAR - Radio Pakistan appears determined to continue to propagate a policy of 'divide and rule' in India. In its recent Punjabi Darbar program, it urged both Muslims and Sikhs to unite against Hindus, by calling the latter as the 'enemy'.

May 15th, 2009 KUALA LUMPUR - Temples in Malaysia should be used to unite the Malay Indian community, the Tamil Nesan quoted Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) secretary-general Dr. S. Subramaniam, as saying.

April 13th, 2009 SILCHAR - Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani for releasing the terrorists during Kandahar hijack episode in 1999-2000. "Even the Parliament was attacked during Advani's tenure as Union Home Minister.

June 13th, 2009 Guatemala urges 2 swine flu-hit towns to shut downGUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala's government is asking two towns to close down nearly all public venues to prevent the spread of swine flu. Health Secretary Celso Cerezo said the virus has infected 96 people in the Central America country, including 11 in the last 24 hours.

April 27th, 2009 PRETORIA - South Africa's president-elect Jacob Zuma has said his government will work to unite the nation. 'Working together we will make it a government for all South Africans,' Zuma said, while addressing the media shortly after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced the election results Saturday night.

July 17th, 2009 Union sets strike vote on Barclays pension closureLONDON — Britain's Unite union said Friday it will ask members to vote next month on whether to strike against Barclays Bank because of the proposed closure of a final salary pension plan. The union, which represents 25,000 employees of the bank, said walkouts would be staged in September if members approve the strike call.

June 10th, 2009 Zimbabwe PM urges US support despite abusesWASHINGTON — Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is urging the United States to support his government despite abuses by his coalition partner, President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai plans to make his case Friday in a meeting with U.S.

September 29th, 2009 HYDERABAD - Calling arrested Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy a "role model" for the youth, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) Tuesday also urged people to unite against "state terror". The CPI-Maoist, in a statement, termed the operation against their cadres a "cruel war" led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P.

May 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Tuesday asked the central government to urgently provide all necessary assistance to the West Bengal government to carry out relief and rehabilitation operations in the state hit by Cyclone Aila. The cyclone battered coastal West Bengal and hit Kolkata Monday as it uprooted trees, electricity poles and thatched homes, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, killing 27 people and affecting 110,000 others.