Workers

Officials hope more casual attire for public servants will save electricity during Iran war as summer approachesPublic servants working for the Tokyo metropolitan government are being encouraged to swap their suits for shorts this summer to combat sweltering heat and rising energy costs caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.Inspired by the country’s Cool Biz energy-saving initiative, Tokyo officials hope the measure will cut dependence on air conditioning. Continue reading...

Campaign is said to be first time Labour-affiliated Unison is lobbying en masse against a key party policyMigrant workers and the UK’s largest union will carry out a mass leafleting campaign in Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham constituency to protest against a planned change in immigration policy.The Labour-affiliated Unison union says the changes will adversely affect migrant care workers. About one-third of all care workers and one-fifth of all NHS workers are migrants. Continue reading...

Survey by global economic forum shows ‘tax wedge’ in Britain increased to 32.4% of income in 2025Business live – latest updatesTaxes on workers in Britain rose at the fastest rate among the world’s richest economies last year, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.With Labour under pressure on the economy amid the Iran war, the OECD said a key measure of the total tax paid by workers and their employers rose by the most in the 38-member club of rich nations in 2025. Continue reading...

Day of action to support workers set for 1 May – who is organizing May Day Strong, and how can people join?Anyone who attended one of the 3,000 No Kings protests in March might have learned of the latest effort to protest against Trump administration policies: May Day Strong.The single-day protest on 1 May is taking its cue from the massive day of action that shut down Minneapolis in January by asking Americans not to shop, work or go to school. Rallies, marches and teach-ins will also take place across the country. Continue reading...

After Guardian reports about danger to V2X employees, sources say state department raised concerns with defense contractorSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US government has called on the defense contractor V2X to evacuate its employees from Kuwait and Iraq, warning the company that they could be targeted by Iran-backed militias, four sources said.The intervention follows reporting by the Guardian that V2X employees were stationed at US military bases in Kuwait, and at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih airbase and Erbil in Iraq. Employees claimed having inadequate protections, receiving limited communications from the company about evacuation plans and being pressured to remain in the Middle East. In Iraq, workers say they are targets of Iran-allied attacks, and one employee was killed in a night-time drone attack in March. Continue reading...

Social media corporation terminated Sama contract after allegations its staff viewed private scenes filmed by Meta’s smartglassesMore than 1,000 low-paid workers in Kenya have been abruptly sacked by an outsourcing company for the US social media corporation Meta, in what activists said was a “shocking” move exposing the precariousness of global south tech workers.Sama, a company based in Nairobi to which Meta outsourced content moderation and AI training work, announced on Thursday that the workers were being laid off after Meta terminated a contract. That came in the after reports some of the Kenyan workers involved in data annotation were asked to view content filmed by the company’s AI smart glasses showing wearers using the toilet or having sex. Continue reading...

Cuts by Snapchat’s parent company come in response to a declining stock price and pressure from an activist investorSnapchat’s parent company plans to lay off 16% of its employees, around 1,000 people, citing “rapid advancements in artificial intelligence”, the social media company told staff on Wednesday in an internal memo. The staff reduction is part of a wave of tech industry layoffs in the past year, with many firms blaming AI for the cuts.Snap Inc’s layoffs follow demands last month from Irenic Capital Management, an activist investor whose portfolio manager wrote a letter to Snap Inc CEO, Evan Spiegel, calling on him to reduce costs and headcount while criticizing the company’s current strategy. In Spiegel’s memo to staff, he claimed that the layoffs would move Snap towards profitability and suggested that artificial intelligence could fill the lack of human labor. Continue reading...

Unite Here co-president demands improvement in working conditions and urges Fifa to keep ICE away from matchesA hospitality union that represents about 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles has threatened to strike during the World Cup if Fifa leaders do not heed their concerns about working conditions and the presence of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).This summer, SoFi Stadium will be thrust into the national spotlight as it hosts eight World Cup matches. Between June and July, Los Angeles is estimated to see 150,000 more out-of-town visitors than typical for the time period. Continue reading...

Seafarer tells of ‘impossible’ situation, with strait still so unsafe that crew would not cross even if told to sailMaritime and port workers: how is the Middle East conflict affecting you?‘You can try to minimise the impact that this situation has on your mental health but it’s becoming impossible.” After six weeks stranded in the Gulf, one of the 20,000 seafarers trapped by Iran’s chokehold on the strait of Hormuz is reaching their limit.Yet with the fragile Middle East ceasefire already fraying, the oil tanker worker – who first spoke to the Guardian a month ago – said any hope they may soon be free to leave had already evaporated, if it ever felt real at all. Continue reading...

Shop workers’ union Usdaw says 59% of its members in its annual survey said they would welcome more security guards in stores Retail workers have called for more security guards in stores after a Waitrose worker was sacked for taking matters into his own hands and confronting a shoplifter.Waitrose has been criticised over its treatment of Walker Smith after the Guardian reported he was fired two days after he stopped a shoplifter taking items from an Easter egg display, including Lindt chocolate bunnies. Continue reading...

They have degrees, expertise and years of experience – but can’t find work. For many Americans, AI training has become a last refuge in a brutal job marketWhen Patrick Ciriello lost his job and couldn’t find work for nearly a year, his family’s foundation crumbled.“You hear about people who hit rock bottom,” Ciriello told the Guardian. “Well, I was there.” Continue reading...

Union says new entitlements, part of Employment Rights Act 2025, will help lower-income householdsUp to 9.6 million UK workers are to benefit from the changes to sick pay rules, according to unions. They say the policy has widespread support from voters despite pushback from some businesses.From Monday, about 8.4 million workers who rely on statutory sick pay – the minimum amount employers must pay – will be paid from the first day of becoming ill rather than from day four, according to an analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Continue reading...

PM also criticises business figures and opponents of changes, many of which come into force on MondayWorkers, pensioners and children: all better off. Ignore the critics – we really are standing up for working peopleKeir Starmer has used a series of new workers rights that come into force on Monday to attack the Green party, saying a vote for Labour’s rivals puts such progress on sick pay, parental leave and zero-hours contracts at risk.The prime minister also took a swipe at business figures and opponents of what he described as the biggest strengthening of workers’ rights in a generation, dismissing “vested interests” who had warned against them. Continue reading...

Union boss says workers have received some, but not all, of their paySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Security lines have eased at airports, clearing the worst of the bottlenecks as Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) officers began receiving backpay for working during the government shutdown.Allegations swirl that a broker for Pete Hegseth inquired into an investment in key defense companies before the Iran war began. The Morgan Stanley broker allegedly made an inquiry with BlackRock regarding an investment into a defense-focused equity fund. The Pentagon denied the allegations calling them “entirely false and fabricated”.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport after Donald Trump. This would make the airport the latest in a long list of institutions, government programs, buildings and even money named after the president.The US government has directed all of its embassies and consulates to launch coordinated campaigns against foreign propaganda. Marco Rubio signed a cable on Monday directing the embassies to coordinate with the US military’s psychological operations unit to address disinformation. It suggested using Elon Musk’s social media platform X to carry out the campaign.José Guadalupe Ramos, a Mexican national, becomes the 14th known person to die in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since the beginning of the year. He was found unconscious in his bunk last week at the Adelanto detention center in California and pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby medical center.The army is investigating a helicopter fly-by at Kid Rock’s hillside swimming pool in Tennessee on Saturday. Two army choppers on a training run visited and hovered by the rocker’s house as he saluted them. According to the army, there was no official request for the fly-by, which triggered the administrative review. Continue reading...

Jerry Murrell seemingly alluded to healthcare CEO killing when he explained giving bonus to workers after bungled promotionSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxFive Guys’ chief executive officer, Jerry Murrell, said he gave a $1.5m bonus to employees of his US-based burger restaurant chain because “I didn’t want anybody shooting me” after the company recently “screwed … up” a buy-one-get-one-free promotion.Murrell did not elaborate on the comment, which he gave to Fortune in an interview published on Wednesday – but it came a little more than a year after the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead on a midtown Manhattan street in what was widely considered a murderous rebuke of the US health insurance industry’s profit-driven practices. Continue reading...

Unions and farmers call for government intervention as agriculture, construction and waste industries also at risk from higher pricesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCare workers, tradespeople and transport drivers are being hit hard by ballooning fuel costs, with some industry groups urging the government to roll out assistance packages or even a jobkeeper-style wage assistance program to help businesses avoid laying off staff.Reports of small mining businesses scaling back operations and some construction companies deciding against hiring more apprentices have prompted suggestions the government should step in to help, with the Master Builders Association already forecasting a downturn in the number of homes that will be built this year. Continue reading...

Gavin Newsom set to sign bill to rename 31 March holiday following sexual abuse allegations against labour leaderCalifornia lawmakers have voted to rename Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day in an effort to reconcile the Latino labor leader’s legacy with explosive sexual abuse allegations before the state holiday on 31 March.Democratic governor Gavin Newsom is expected to quickly sign the bill. Continue reading...

Professionals from across Europe urge MEPs to reject plans, saying ‘climate of fear’ could stop people seeking careMore than 1,100 healthcare professionals from across Europe have urged MEPs to reject proposed measures aimed at increasing the deportation of undocumented people, warning they could threaten public health by transforming essential public services, including hospitals, into sites of immigration enforcement.The draft plans, which are due to go to a vote on Thursday, have been in the works since last March, when the European Commission laid out its proposal to target people with no legal right to stay in the EU, including potentially sending them to offshore centres in non-EU countries. Continue reading...

Workers are ‘in the middle of chaos from political games’ as Senate Republicans try to negotiate with Democrats to reopen DHSSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxWorkers with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are reeling from the White House’s deployment of immigration law enforcement into airports as TSA workers enter their sixth week without pay as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown continues.Over 400 TSA workers have quit since the shutdown began in February, with major US airports reporting high call-out rates among workers, leading to longer security wait times. On Sunday, over, 3,450 TSA officers called out of work, with as many as 40% of officers at some airports calling out that day, according to DHS data. Continue reading...

• House Republicans are advancing a resolution this week to affirm support for over 100,000 DHS employees, including 50,000 TSA frontline workers, unpaid for 37 days due to Democrats' refusal to fund the department. • The shutdown has led to $1 billion in monthly unpaid wages, coinciding with elevated terror threats including recent attacks in Texas, New York, Michigan, and Virginia, and FBI warnings of lone wolf attackers and sleeper cells. • Republicans highlight over 10 million illegal immigrants entering under Biden from 160 countries, including 400 on the Terrorist Watch List caught at borders, arguing the shutdown endangers national security.

Medics and officials say there is systematic use of double-tap strikes in campaign to make the south uninhabitableLebanese healthcare workers and officials say Israeli bombings have deliberately targeted medical workers and facilities in south Lebanon, including through the use of double-tap strikes, in what they describe as a systematic effort to make the area unlivable.Since the war began on 2 March, Israel has struck at least 128 medical facilities and ambulances across south Lebanon, killing 40 healthcare workers and wounding 107, according to the Lebanese ministry of health. The war started when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, triggering an Israeli military campaign. Continue reading...

• Federal data reveals the National Institutes of Health has lost about 4400 employees, representing 20% of its workforce, during President Donald Trump's second term due to cuts in staff and research funding. • Former NIH scientists warn the exodus could lead to fewer biomedical breakthroughs, weaker responses to disease outbreaks, and diminished U.S. public health crisis management. • KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan discussed the brain drain on WAMU’s Health Hub on March 18, 2026, with departing D.C.-area workers citing tumult as a key factor for early quits or retirements.

Chair Heather Hallett says pandemic had devastating impact due to NHS being in ‘parlous state’ at timeThe NHS “teetered on the brink of collapse” during the Covid pandemic, and only just coped thanks to the “superhuman” efforts of healthcare workers, an official inquiry has concluded.In a damning assessment of how the UK’s healthcare systems coped with the pandemic, the Covid-19 inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, said the impact was “devastating” due to the NHS being in a “parlous state” before the outbreak of the virus.The NHS entered the pandemic with low bed numbers, high numbers of staff vacancies and high bed occupancy, meaning it was already in a “precarious position” and ill-prepared to deal with a pandemic.There was not enough PPE at the start of the pandemic, meaning healthcare workers had to put themselves and their families at risk to care for patients.Infection control in the early stages of the pandemic was flawed as it assumed Covid-19 was spread by physical contact, rather than being airborne.The “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” public message may have inadvertently led to a decline in hospital attendance of life-threatening emergencies such as heart attacks.80% of healthcare professionals said they acted in a way that conflicted with their values during the pandemic, with some saying they felt they were “playing God” as they were unable to give everyone the treatment they needed. Continue reading...

• Iranian rescue workers are conducting daily recovery operations amid a relentless barrage of US and Israeli air strikes across Tehran, with local authorities reporting over 1,300 deaths. • Rescue team members report working 2 to 10 call-outs per day since the war began, risking secondary explosions while extracting bodies—including children—from rubble. • The Iranian Red Crescent Society workers face severe psychological trauma and show no signs of respite as strikes continue with no prospect of de-escalation.

• Health workers in Massachusetts lobby for bill making assaults on staff felonies, approved by House last November awaiting Senate vote by July 31. • Violence surged post-COVID per surveys; bill mandates hospitals assess risks and implement ongoing safety policies. • "Health care workers don't feel supported," says Cambridge Health Alliance nursing officer; Sen. Joan Lovely optimistic for passage to reduce assaults.

Union says claims involving young women and minors are serious enough to halt annual tributes and open an inquirySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe United Farm Workers union has cancelled celebrations honoring Cesar Chavez, the organization’s co-founder, following “troubling allegations” that Chavez was involved in the abuse of young women or minors.“We have not received any direct reports, and we do not have any firsthand knowledge of these allegations,” the UWF said in a statement on Tuesday. “However, the allegations are serious enough that we feel compelled to take urgent steps to learn more and provide space for people who may have been victimized to find support and to share their stories if that is what they choose.” Continue reading...

• The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released its March 2026 Report to Congress on March 12, 2026, with primary recommendations focused on home and community-based services (HCBS) workforce challenges. • The report recommends that states be required to report hourly wages paid to HCBS workers to better align payment rates with frontline compensation and enable cross-state wage comparisons. • The report also examines behavioral health in Medicaid, the Medicaid Expansion Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid's role for justice-involved youth, and coverage for children in foster care.

The Writers Guild of America East said management has failed to offer fair wages and basic job protectionsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxWorkers at CBS News walked out for 24 hours on Tuesday after a new contract agreement was not reached following the expiration of the contract last week.Some 60 workers at streaming service CBS News 24/7 are represented by the Writers Guild of America East. The union is holding rallies and walkouts at the CBS News broadcast center in Manhattan, New York and at KPIX-TV CBS News Bay Area in San Francisco, California. Continue reading...

• Less than 24 hours before the 98th Oscars on March 15, 2026, crews complete final touches at Dolby Theatre with red carpet rollout. • Event marks Hollywood's pinnacle, setting stage for nominees and stars in live ABC broadcast. • Preparations underscore massive production for global audience across 200+ territories.