Updated 10:35am 11 February 2012:

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Kevin Rowan

Kevin Rowan

Three little ways to help workers

WHILE the raving debate has moved on somewhat to how long the recession will last or what particular alphabetical depiction it represents, the focus must shift more directly to supporting those workers who have lost or are in the process of losing their jobs.Read

Needs of the invisible army not being met

YOU may not have realised, but this week is Carers Week, when the six million people who provide unpaid care to someone they know speak out about their lives, emphasise the impact that caring has on them and seek to highlight the massive, often unseen, contribution they make to our society and economy.Read

Why we must all act responsibly when we vote

IT IS never a good sign when we collectively spend more time talking about politicians than we do about politics. Much as I respect and appreciate the commitment and dedication of most of the local, national and international parliamentarians I encounter in my day job, it is consistently the issues of the day that come out ahead of personal issues of these individuals. There are, clearly, significant concerns regarding the capacity for morality of a whole swathe of elected representatives, from right across the political spectrum.Read

Lecture shone like an emerald

THE Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies at Newcastle University is to be congratulated for the latest of its Regional Insights lectures.Read

A critical chance goes begging

WHAT a disappointment it was that on Workers Memorial Day last month talks on working time regulations between members of the European Parliament and ministers broke down, leaving UK workers exposed to risks to their health not endured by other parts of the European Union.Read

Women are bearing the brunt

WHILE women are currently bearing the worst impact of the recession, it has not gone unnoticed that it was the decisions of white men running our major financial institutions that appear largely responsible for the economic mess that we’re in.Read

Much more accountable way to work

AFTER what has seemed to some to be a somewhat protracted debate, the Government has decided at last to move ahead with the notion of Regional Select Committees.Read

Wisdom on spending is essential

THE CBI-Tory focus on a potential difference between the Prime Minister and the Governor of the Bank of England is sadly concerned with politics rather than a serious economic argument about further fiscal stimuli.Read

Government needs to make work worth the while

THERE are clearly very divergent views about the role of the public sector and specifically public spending during this recession.Read

Great jobs divide

THE numbers of people out of work will continue to rise more sharply and steeply than it has to date and the number of vacancies will, in the short term, continue to decline.Read

Why wage subsidies could shield us from the worst

THE Prime Minister’s speech to the US Congress last week continued to focus on the need for better, global regulation of the banks and finance sector and also emphasised the need to look to the future sources of prosperity, particularly focusing on ‘green’ manufacturing jobs – a sector in which the North East is especially well placed to capitalise on the potential investment.Read

Work must not stop on childcare equality

THERE is a case for applauding the Government’s ambitions to support and encourage a better balance of caring responsibilities between men and women, as announced by the minister for families, Beverley Hughes, last week.Read

Public sector needs to be paid for fairly

ONE of the emerging issues in the economy, one which both the Government here and in other countries can and must address, is the appalling tax cheating that has been going on at both an individual and corporate level – the same individuals and corporations who contradict themselves by suggesting the size of the state is too big and who now are holding out the begging bowl for the Government to pour in taxpayers’ money to bail them out during these difficult economic circumstances.Read

No one is opposed to fairness

THE speed and power of communications in this information age brings with it a degree of responsibility and a need for caution and consideration.Read

Women in the front line as recession bites

NOW that we are formally in a recession the debate will focus on its nature, scale and scope. It is already bad and will get worse before things get better.Read

A chance to address some basic needs

IT might seem odd in the earliest phases of an economic downturn to be focusing on social mobility.Read

North set to suffer more than most

LAST week’s labour market figures demonstrated all too vividly that far from being insulated against the worst impacts of this recession, the North East is already suffering more than other parts of the UK.Read

No place for this macho posturing

THERE is a reasonable argument that the start of a recession is exactly the right time to concentrate efforts on the systems and support processes to enable people to move into employment.Read

We have to keep an eye on older staff

THE headline figures last week showing the number of unemployed workers in the North East topping 100,000 – a rate of 8% of the workforce and the highest rate in the country – was clearly very disturbing news, although not in the least bit unexpected. Read

The end of racism? I think not

APPARENTLY desperately short of good news stories about the United States of America the global media has enjoyed a frenzied feast on the landslide, landmark election of Barack Obama.Read

Author Profile

Kevin Rowan is regional secretary of Northern TUC and also writes a weekly column for The Journal covering all major business issues affecting the North East. Kevin was formerly the regional organiser of the GMB where he was been involved in a series of campaigning issues. He was brought up in Cumbria and studied government and public policy at Northumbria University.

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