Updated 1:19pm 25 May 2013

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Kevin Rowan

Kevin Rowan

Kevin Rowan column

Last week saw real public interest in the business of government, around the smoking aspects of the Health Bill, and this is because there was a clear link to the direct impact on individuals.Read

Kevin Rowan column

The Irish Ferries dispute, probably understandably, attracted little attention in the North-East.Read

Kevin Rowan column

For the workers at Circatex in South Tyneside, wondering about the survival of their company, and bringing with it the threat of redundancy, is an all too familiar experience.Read

Kevin Rowan column

With the highest rates of incapacity benefit claimants in what is the smallest regional economy in the country, it is understandable why there was much North-East interest in last week's launch of John Hutton's Green Paper, Empowering People to Work.Read

Kevin Rowan column

This is certainly not the first time I have used this column to write about second-hand smoke and ill-health at work but, hopefully, it could be the last.Read

Kevin Rowan column

The headline- grabbing irony that in April there will be free bus travel for pensioners, but less buses, has caused a mixture of reactions - from disbelief that this can be happening, anxiety that pensioners are getting blamed for a reduction in public transport services, to frustration that current public funding arrangements are, yet again, penalising the people of the North-East and Cumbria.Read

Kevin Rowan column

Among the New Year's resolutions made little over a week ago many people, mostly men, probably committed to spending less time at work and making more effort to spend `quality time' with their families.Read

Kevin Rowan column

Many people are unclear about what their income in retirement will be. Increasing numbers of people are not only not saving for any kind of pension provision, they haven't even started thinking about it yet.Read

Kevin Rowan column

It is uncanny that in the 24 hours at the end of last week there was: a protest against cutting rail services in the region, headlines about `eye-watering' price increases on GNER, road congestion in the region at its most severe levels to date, the Audit Commission exposing a missed target for increasing bus travel.Read

Kevin Rowan column

Much has been made of the Prime Minister's decision to try to negotiate a change in the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy in return for a reduction in the UK's rebate from the Union.Read

Kevin Rowan

A year's deliberation later, we will this week receive the Turner Commission review of pensions in the UK.Read

Kevin Rowan column

I am a big supporter of measures to help people access employment opportunities and to help people enjoy a career as well as have time for a fulfilling and balanced life outside work.Read

Kevin Rowan

When ministers stumble upon a successful sound bite, it is amazing how you then hear it from different quarters.Read

Kevin Rowan column

Most people may not be aware of it, but today is `ban bullying at work day'.Read

Kevin Rowan column

Despite almost 30 years of equal pay legislation, it remains the case that women are still lower paid than men. This applies to women who do similar jobs to male workers, and it is also a factor of employment segregation, the fact that women are more concentrated in lower paid jobs than men, and also that women are much less likely to access training than male counterparts.Read

Kevin Rowan column

According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK population will top 60 million by the end of the year, a figure boosted by workers from the new member states of the European Union.Read

Kevin Rowan column

Is this a case of bad government?Read

Kevin Rowan column

Like everyone else, no doubt, I enjoyed immensely being reminded by our Prime Minister last week in his tumultuous Labour Conference speech, that we live in a fast-moving global environment and that we need to be "ahead of the curve", open and international in our aspirations and activities. Sentiments I wholly agree with.Read

Kevin Rowan column

Segregation may begin at school, but it becomes race discrimination at work.Read

Kevin Rowan column

Can we really tackle global poverty? I was pleased to hear a radio advert last week suggesting that one of the key aims of the UK's presidency of the European Union will be to work towards this.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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