The UK Prime Minister may have the regal touch in northern England, but he’s been wrong-footed on the constitutional challenges posed by the Celtic Alliance of first ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, argues KENNY MacASKILL
SHIPPING is the industry which makes modern life possible — and especially in an island nation like Britain, where more than 90 per cent of our trade comes and goes by sea. However, the workers who make shipping possible remain largely out of sight and out of mind.
As the union representing 20,000 maritime professionals, Nautilus is seeking the support of Congress delegates this year to make sure that this often neglected, often exploited and sometimes abused workforce is given greater protection from government and employers.
Ours is a global industry, and it means our members are uniquely exposed to global pressures — whether that means having to fight for jobs where some foreign seafarers in our own waters are working for a fraction of the National Minimum Wage, or running the risk of interception off the Iranian coast or pirate attacks in West African waters.
If Labour is genuinely committed to supporting working-class students it must act urgently to reverse the funding crisis affecting universities and colleges, JO GRADY tells Christophe Domec
DAVE WARD of the Communication Workers Union says unions must step up to meet the challenges of a transformed world of work
More than 100 coastal nations use cabotage laws to protect domestic shipping and seafarer jobs. SASCHA MEIJER of Nautilus International says it’s time for Britain to follow suit
Faced with employer abuse and exploitation, low-paid overseas staff have been the backbone of Britain’s health and social care sectors. The Labour government must abandon plans to punish them with draconian visa restrictions, writes CLARE WILLIAMS, Unison national officer


