In his fortnightly column MARK SEDDON reflects on the death of Major Oak and why such ancient trees matter to us
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'Build a mass movement to defeat the Tory attacks on strike rights'
FBU general secretary and TUC president MATT WRACK tells Ben Chacko how he sees resistance developing as the first Special TUC Congress since the 1980s meets
FBU leader Matt Wrack
The world’s largest communist party marked its 105th birthday this week — and remains true to its principles and firm in its course, says OLIVER VARGAS
The left has become too reliant on persuasion and too detached from the workplaces and communities it seeks to represent, argues NICK TROY
RAMZY BAROUD highlights how Israel’s ambassador sought to shut down UN officials documenting sexual violence and abuses against Palestinians
The US-Israeli conflict with Iran has had far-reaching consequences, including a boost to Pakistan’s regional standing, argues ROGER McKENZIE
The recent heatwaves revealed how ill-prepared Britain remains for a hotter future – and how unequal the ability to cope with it has become, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
The drive to strengthen European defence is reshaping relations between France, Germany, Italy and Britain, says NICK WRIGHT
THIS weekend’s special TUC Congress — the first since the early 1980s — has been called to address the most draconian anti-strike legislation yet.
Fire Brigades Union Matt Wrack, who as TUC president this year has played a key role in organising this Congress, doesn’t underestimate the challenge facing unions.
The government’s Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act could effectively ban strike action across whole sectors, with ministers defining “minimum service levels” that require everyone to work — in a recent strike in Sao Paulo, a labour court instructed rail workers to run 100 per cent of services at peak times and 80 per cent at other times.
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CWU leader DAVE WARD tells Ben Chacko a strategy to unite workers on class lines is needed – and sectoral collective bargaining must be at its heart
Ben Chacko talks to RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY about how the key to fixing broken Britain lies in collective sectoral bargaining, restoring unions’ ability to take solidarity strike action and bringing about the much-vaunted ‘wave of insourcing’
Incoming Usdaw general secretary JOANNE THOMAS talks to Ben Chacko about workers’ rights, Labour and how to arrest the decline of the high street