Great Britain: with five weeks to go before the general election the TUC disparages the Tory government’s economic record

On 07 November the TUC published an analysis showing that since the previous 2017 election, called for by the then Tory PM Theresa May, the UK economy has fallen into the ‘relegation zone’. Using data from the OECD the trade union confederation’s analysis shows that in the space of two years UK GDP grew just 1.3% on average compared to 2.7% for other advanced nations. The TUC also noted the lamentable fact that the OECD even ranked the UK 31 out of the 35 nations.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

In its report the union confederation also showed that UK total investment fell at an annual average rate of -0.2% between Q2 2017 and Q2 2019 and compares this to average growth of +3.4% across the rest of the OECD. Similarly, UK exports fell at an annual average of -2.6% over the same period compared with average growth of +3.4% across the rest of the OECD.

For the TUC, the workforce is shouldering the burden of the UK’s poor economic performance. The prolonged weakness of GDP growth has resul

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Germany: major day of union action in the automotive industry ahead of collective bargaining
A few weeks before the start of collective bargaining in the German metalworking sector, the IG Metall trade union mobilised nearly 175,000 workers across more than 200 industrial sites on 21...
22 September 2026
UK: clothing retailer Next allowed on appeal to pay warehouse workers more than store staff
The news. On 7 September 2026, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled in favour of clothing chain Next, which pays warehouse staff more than store staff. At first instance, the Leeds tribunal had...
21 September 2026
Denmark: government seeks to temporarily maintain early retirement age at 64
The news. On 12 September, the Danish government confirmed that the age limit for early retirement (“tidlig pension”) will remain at 64 for individuals born between 1963 and 1965, for...
21 September 2026
EU: insurance sector social partners commit to addressing violence and harassment at work
The news. The trade union UNI Europa Finance and the employers’ federations Insurance Europe, Amice and Bipar signed an addendum to their 2022 joint declaration on diversity and inclusion on...
18 September 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Italy: Enel signs agreement to manage the effects of AI on work
An agreement signed at the end of July by the electricity company Enel (31,000 employees) and the unions Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, and Uiltec is pioneering in the Italian energy sector. It aims to...
7 September 2026
2
Italy: artificial Intelligence on the menu of Barilla’s new company agreement
Prior consultation with trade unions on innovations related to artificial intelligence, strengthened training, and progress on parenthood: these are the main new features of the agreement signed...
2 September 2026
3
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
4
Germany: a high-tension start to the social and political year
The German government must finalize its major reforms (pension funding, corporate competitiveness, and labor law) while the chancellor’s popularity hits an all-time low and three regional...
5
Germany: working time dispute between Mercedes and the IG Metall Union
The news. At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz asked employee representatives and the IG Metall union to agree to an increase in the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, without any...
16 September 2026
6
Sweden: IF Metall union forced to end industrial dispute with Tesla
The news. After three years of conflict, the Swedish union IF Metall announced it would suspend its strike actions against Tesla starting Wednesday, August 19, after the American automaker...