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Fact Service November 2013
Issue 47 (28/11/2013) - Are zero-hours contracts a good thing? Business R&D in 2012; Growth in economy confirmed; Not so amazin' Amazon; UK pension rank; Benefit of working in a unionised workplace
Issue 46 (21/11/2013) - Economic forecasts; Boardroom fat cats up to old tricks on pay; UK is 'scrooge of Europe' over parents; Waiting for recovery in workers' pay; Scotland and Wales take action over blacklisting; Cameron goes for more union bashing; Correction
Issue 45 (14/11/2013) - No joy in average earnings data; Living Wage rises; Unemployment down; Inflation falls sharply; Hidden worth of golden goodbyes
Issue 44 (07/11/2013) - Golden goodbyes; Joint working agreement on racism; Youth workers — Is this the only way Essex?; Factory output up in Northern Ireland; Health and safety in 2012-13; Inheritance in Britain — them that has, gets; Childcare commitments of older parents
Issue 47
Are zero-hours contracts a good thing? (901 words)
Unions have criticised the findings of a survey that found workers were happy with zero-hours contracts. ...
Subscribers only
Business R&D in 2012 (389 words)
Annual business expenditure on research and development (R&D) in the UK fell in 2012 for the first time since 2009, with spending on ... Subscribers only
Growth in economy confirmed (150 words)
The UK economy did grow in the third quarter, latest official figures show. ...
Open access
Not so amazin’ Amazon (275 words)
Staff at online retailer Amazon have to work in conditions that an expert said could cause “mental and physical illness”, according to a BBC TV ... Subscribers only
UK pension rank (231 words)
The UK’s state pension is among the worst in the developed world only topped by Mexico, according to the think tank, the Organisation for Economic ... Open access
Benefit of working in a unionised workplace (243 words)
Employees in workplaces which recognised unions were “significantly less likely” to have been adversely affected by the recession, an ... Open access
Issue 46
Economic forecasts (310 words)
There is growing confidence about the economy in the latest forecasts from around 40 City and institutional forecasters, collated by the Treasury in ... Subscribers only
Boardroom fat cats up to old tricks on pay (250 words)
Total pay for FTSE 100 directors has risen by 14% on the back of payouts on long-term rewards, research has revealed. ... Subscribers only
UK is ‘scrooge of Europe’ over parents (689 words)
The UK ranks last in Europe when it comes to giving new parents well-paid leave following the birth of their child, according to TUC research. ... Subscribers only
Waiting for recovery in workers' pay (266 words)
At 2.5%, union-negotiated private sector pay rises in the year to July had a lower mid-point (median) value than they did in the same period a year ... Subscribers only
Scotland and Wales take action over blacklisting (301 words)
The Scottish government has published guidelines to stop the blacklisting of workers involved in public contracts. ... Subscribers only
Cameron goes for more union bashing (346 words)
Prime minister David Cameron has launched an inquiry into union tactics after the dispute which almost led to the closure of the Grangemouth ... Subscribers only
Correction (62 words)
An eagle-eyed reader has pointed out that last week’s issue gave wrong figures for the Living Wage and National Minimum Wage. ... Open access
Issue 45
No joy in average earnings data (552 words)
Growth in earnings appears to be bumping along the bottom at the moment, as official figures growth of less than 1% for the third month in a row. ... Subscribers only
Living Wage rises (431 words)
The voluntary Living Wage — the hourly rate needed to provide an adequate standard of living — is to rise this month. ... Subscribers only
Unemployment down (651 words)
The number of unemployment people fell by 48,000 to 2.47 million in the three-month period ending September, compared with the previous three-month ... Subscribers only
Inflation falls sharply (477 words)
Retail price inflation hit its lowest level for 13 months, the latest official figures show. ... Subscribers only
Hidden worth of golden goodbyes (124 words)
The Department of Health seems to be hiding the scale of pay-offs to top staff in its latest annual report and accounts covering the financial year ... Open access
Issue 44
Golden goodbyes (228 words)
Nine top officials in government departments or its agencies have walked away with pay offs of £250,000 or more. ... Open access
Joint working agreement on racism (244 words)
Unionlearn — the TUC’s learning and skills organisation — and Show Racism the Red Card have joining up to combat racism through education. ... Open access
Youth workers — Is this the only way Essex? (371 words)
Two stories which show the problems that young people are facing surfaced on the same day. ... Subscribers only
Factory output up in Northern Ireland (165 words)
Manufacturing in Northern Ireland has recently been performing better than the UK as a whole. ... Open access
Health and safety in 2012-13 (468 words)
One hundred and forty eight workers suffered fatal injuries at work in 2012-13, according to the latest official data. The figure was by down 23 on ... Subscribers only
Inheritance in Britain — them that has, gets (210 words)
Official figures for inheritance show that the largest slice of inherited wealth went to a rich elite. ... Open access
Childcare commitments of older parents (449 words)
Employers need to be more sympathetic to requests for flexible working and annual leave from older members of staff — especially during the school ... Subscribers only