Human Times

UK Edition

17th April 2026

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THE HOT STORY

Unite holds talks with Reform over Birmingham bin strike

Unite has held private talks with Reform UK about resolving Birmingham’s ongoing bin strike, amid expectations the party could gain influence on the council in next month's local elections. Discussions focused on potential solutions to the year-long dispute, which stems from job cuts linked to equal pay rulings at Birmingham City Council. Unite is engaging multiple parties to secure support for its demands. The meeting reflects shifting political dynamics in the city, where polling suggests no party may gain overall control next month. Endorsing most of the union's key demands, a Reform spokesman said: "The council has wasted £34 million already on this dispute. They have argued about the legal risks involved, but while Unite have published their legal advice on equal pay, the council has not produced any evidence or provided documents to back up their arguments."

The Times

AI READINESS

Report: What Your People Really Think About AI

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Download the report here

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Women's voices to be at the heart of renewed health strategy

Women across the country will be better heard and served under plans set out in the renewed Women’s Health Strategy. The government said the strategy would include a new standard of care to ensure women were offered pain relief for invasive procedures, such as fitting a contraceptive coil and hysteroscopies. Feedback would be directly linked to provider funding via a new trial, giving women more power to effect change if they have a poor experience. Action would also be taken to ensure women no longer face long waits for diagnoses for conditions such as endometriosis, which can take a decade to diagnose. Dr Sue Mann, NHS England’s clinical director for women’s health, said: "Too many women are still dismissed for serious symptoms that impact on every part of their lives, whether that’s menstrual pain, irregular periods, or hot flushes and brain fog that affect many women experiencing the menopause. The renewed Women’s Health Strategy will build significantly on the work the NHS has been doing to ensure women are heard and get the specialist care they need."

GOV.UK

BBC News

The Guardian

People in England’s poorest areas live less than 50 years in good health, ONS says

People in England’s most deprived areas spend less than 50 years of their lives in good health, a 20-year gap compared with those in the richest areas, according to official data. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) research showed that inequality of healthy life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived areas of England was 19.3 years for males and 20.1 years for females.

Financial Times

The Standard

WORKFORCE

Educational psychologist shortage puts SEND reforms ‘at risk'

Pupils in some areas are 20 times less likely to receive support from an educational psychologist because of a chronic shortage of practitioners, according to the Education Policy Institute (EPI). James Zuccollo, the think tank's director for school workforce, said: “This report highlights a stark reality: we cannot deliver the government's goal of inclusive mainstream education while the educational psychologist workforce remains critically under-resourced. The £1.8 billion ‘experts at hand' programme provides a welcome framework, but its sufficiency is entirely dependent on a stable EP pipeline. Given the length of specialist training required, the government's three-year delivery timeline is at risk without additional investment to reach adequate staffing levels.”

Schools Week

The Independent

Next generation to study and work across Europe as UK rejoins Erasmus+

Britain and the EU have finalised an agreement to reintegrate the UK into the Erasmus+ programme by 2027. The initiative will allow over 100,000 students, apprentices, and young people to study and work across Europe. Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: "Erasmus+ offers transformative opportunities to enhance young people's life chances." The UK secured a 30% discount on the contribution rate, ensuring a fair deal for taxpayers. The British Council will serve as the National Agency for Erasmus+, supporting participants and organisations in maximising their opportunities across Europe.

FE News.co.uk

TAX

Taxpayers urged to claim PAYE refunds before window closes

Taxpayers are being urged to claim PAYE refunds before the window closes. Individuals are being advised to check whether they have overpaid tax before a refund deadline for claiming it back from HMRC expires.

Financial Times

Birmingham Mail

ECONOMY

UK economy grew 0.5% in February

The UK economy saw growth of 0.5% in February, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the biggest monthly rise in more than two years. The ONS said the services sector, which accounts for more than three-quarters of the economy, grew by 0.5%. Production output also grew by 0.5%, while construction rose by 1%. The ONS also revised its estimate for January up to 0.1%, having previously said there had been no growth in the opening month of the year. In the three months to February, GDP grew by 0.5% - up from 0.3% in the three months to January. With economists having forecast that the economy would grow by just 0.1% in February, Deutsche Bank's Sanjay Raja said the actual figure had "smashed expectations." However, analysts expect the conflict in the Middle East to have a negative impact on the economy.

INTERNATIONAL

Brazilian labour inspector fired for adding China's BYD to 'dirty list'

Reuters reports that Luiz Felipe Brandao de Mello, Brazil's top labour inspector, has been fired for adding Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD to a so-called 'dirty list' ‌of employers accused of subjecting workers to conditions described by the government as similar to slavery. Mello disobeyed an order from Labour Minister Luiz Marinho to leave the automaker off Brazil's labour abuse registry, said sources. "The dismissal of the secretary signals an escalation of political interference in labour inspections," Brazil's national association of labor inspectors, Anafitra, said in a statement. Brazil's Labour Ministry said the dismissal was "an administrative act."

Reuters

World Bank chief sounds alarm on looming jobs crisis

World Bank President Ajay Banga has raised the alarm about a substantive shortfall in jobs for the 1.2 billion people who will reach working age in developing ‌countries in the next 10 to 15 years. At current trajectories, such economies will generate only about 400 million jobs, leaving a deficit of 800 million jobs, Banga told Reuters. He said his discussions with officials in developing countries showed their interest in creating more, and better, jobs for the next generation.

Reuters

India to decide women's quota bill

India is preparing for a redrawing of its political map, driven by what the government says is a push to reserve one-third of seats for women in parliament and state assemblies. To do that, the government will unveil a constitutional amendment - requiring a two-thirds majority - backed by a three-day special session from Thursday. Women make up only about 14% of India's 543 lower house MPs. The reform would raise that to roughly a third, closer to global norms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (which loosely translates from Hindi to Saluting Women Power Act) as a historic leap, calling it "among the most significant decisions of our times," and arguing it honours women's empowerment. But opposition parties say a simple women's quota is being tied to a controversial redrawing of constituencies - a wider political overhaul masquerading as a gender reform.

Bloomberg

Financial Times

BBC News

White House study says DEI hurts productivity

A White House study argues that race-based hiring policies have reduced productivity in industries that adopted them. Using minority representation in management as a proxy for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) adoption, the authors say productivity in those industries was 2.7% lower by 2023 and estimate a 0.34% hit to US output. “There is nothing inherently less productive about minority workers or minority managers,” the study says. “The issue is rapidly promoting unqualified workers in order to meet racial quotas set forth by DEI.” The report observes that the “previously virtually unknown” position of chief diversity officer became the “fastest-growing C-suite executive position.” However, some aspects of the study could raise questions about its conclusions, the Wall Street Journal notes.

Wall Street Journal

OTHER

Deprived schools 'need bigger share of nurseries cash'

Ministers have been warned that a capital grant for schools to open and expand nurseries needs to be better targeted at deprived areas so that it helps those most in need. Most of the schools successful in applying for the grant to open new nurseries have fewer pupils eligible for free school meals than the national average, Tes analysis has found. Carl Cullinane, director of research and policy at the Sutton Trust charity, said: “Young children from low-income households stand to benefit the most from high-quality early education and childcare, but significant inequalities in access and attainment risk holding too many of them back.”

Tes

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