What we're reading Archives

Three years of silence – the government’s response to electronic balloting must be lost in the post

You can order your shopping, pay your bills and even vote in many political party ballots online. But when it comes to voting in union elections, the government insists only paper postal ballots will do.

Unions mobilise to turn the tables on wage-theft in hospitality

Hospo Voice and ACTU have launched Mobilise – an app based on OUR WalMart’s Work-it AI advice and community platform, which aims to help organise Australian hospitality workers.

The benefits of technology at work should be for everyone, not just employers and big tech companies

The use of new technology to manage how we work has risen during the coronavirus pandemic. But without new rules on how we deal with this, it could mean working people losing out – two thirds of workers say there is no consultation when new tech is introduced into the workplace. Trade unions are working to change that, Mary Towers blogs for the TUC.

Which unions are the most influential on Twitter 2020?

Simon Parry’s annual roundup of how unions score using Kred’s Twitter influence measurements.

How ‘virtual CIOs’ can help trade unions join the digital revolution

TechMonitor interviews Simon Parry, vCIO at the TUC, about how unions might benefit from more CIO-type roles.

A brave new world of work

Union Dues podcast interviews Christina Colclough on how the response to the pandemic has accelerated the rate of digital change at work, and what unions need to do to protect their members.

National Education Union steps up school closure campaign with new ‘Escalation’ app

Paul Waugh covers NEU’s new organising tool around escalating Covid concerns in schools into collective action. It’s a great project, allowing a process to happen at scale, supporting reps’ personalised needs and giving the union responsive insights.

Collective voices on data

Andrew Pakes blogs on Prospect’s fringe event on worker voice in data and technology at Congress 2020 – Taming the algorithm.

Trade union website league table 2020

Simon Parry has ordered all TUC affiliate unions’ websites by domain authority again for this year. Who’s had the gains and falls in online influence in 2020?

How to use webinars to reach workers and win change

Lockdown has presented huge challenges for unions. TUC Education has been using webinars to deliver training and support to union reps.