Reform’s rise speaks to a deep crisis in Establishment parties – but relies on appealing to social and economic grievances the left should make its own, argues NICK WRIGHT
The unions must respond to the era of app capitalism
Apps like Uber, Bolt, Deliveroo and entities like Amazon are major employers — and a major obstacle to traditional post-1945 trade unionism. We too, must update, writes MARTIN SMITH
Members of GMB rally in Coventry during the first ever strike at Amazon in Britain, January 2023
This year’s Bristol Radical History Festival focused on the persistent threats of racism, xenophobia and, of course, our radical collective resistance to it across Ireland and Britain, reports LYNNE WALSH
A maverick’s self-inflicted snake bites could unlock breakthrough treatments – but they also reveal deeper tensions between noble scientific curiosity and cold corporate callousness, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART
Israel continues to operate with impunity in what seems to be a brutal and protracted experiment, while much of the world looks on, says RAMZY BAROUD
A new report by Amnesty International pulls no punches in highlighting the Labour government’s human rights violations of those on benefits, says Dr DYLAN MURPHY
With Reform UK surging and Labour determined not to offer anything different from the status quo, a clear opportunity opens for the left, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
UNION builders are seeing a huge expansion of platform-style working conditions across the labour market, as capitalism pursues its latest ruse to shift business risks from itself to working people.
But organisers are having notable successes building collective power among the digital disrupters — in strike action at Amazon and agreements over access, neutrality and foundation bargaining within Apple, Evri, Uber, Bolt, Boohoo and Deliveroo.
The employment algorithms shared by platform-working businesses have expanded way beyond their original boundaries and into more traditional job areas in the care, construction, retail and education sectors as software rapidly replaces management and HR.
More from this author
Martin Smith speaks to general secretary of the App Drivers and Couriers Union ZAMIR DRENI about his members’ fight against the nefarious methods of exploitation by shadowy app giants like Uber and Bolt
MARTIN SMITH says unions must be proactive if Labour's promises are to be turned into tangible gains for workers
As the prospect of a Labour government becomes increasingly likely, MARTIN SMITH looks at the lessons for unions from the 1997-2010 era and focuses on what our core goals should be today
MARTIN SMITH revisits some core organising principles that were to the fore in battles of the ’90s and which remain just as relevant today
