Fact Service November 2017

Issue 48 (30/11/2017) - New minimum wage rates set for April 2018; Economy - no change and outlook gloomy; Commons committee's pension inquiry; Equal parental leave; Misery caused by tax and welfare reforms; Ownership of UK shares; Plans for national retraining scheme

Issue 47 (23/11/2017) - Bad news Budget


; Factory output rises
; MPs' draft Bill on gig economy exploitation

; Fight over universities pension scheme


; Tribunal fees refund scheme rolls out
; Pay cap hit for workers

Issue 46 (16/11/2017) - Rights in gig economy; Data shows no let-up in rise of retail prices


; Inflation eats away at earnings growth; UK unemployment - numbers and rate down

Issue 45 (09/11/2017) - Real Living Wage rises


; Work-related stress and ways to tackle it
; Pregnant women and unfair redundancy

; Short-sighted approach to training
; Bogus self-employment in road transport; Vital statistics on health and safety

Issue 44 (02/11/2017) - Tribunal fees rear their ugly head again
; Safety reps @ 40

; Annual survey of hours and earnings 2017


; Mental health - thriving at work




Issue 48

New minimum wage rates set for April 2018
 (324 words)

Recommendations by the Low Pay Commission (LPC) for above-inflation-rises in statutory minimum wage rates from 1 April next year have been accepted ...
Subscribers only

Economy — no change and outlook gloomy
 (380 words)

The Office for National Statistics has said that the UK economy, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), was estimated to have increased by 0.4% ...
Subscribers only

Commons committee's pension inquiry
 (470 words)

An inquiry into the possibility of introducing collective defined contribution (DC) pension schemes to the UK pensions market has been launched by ...
Subscribers only

Equal parental leave
 (254 words)

Financial services group Aviva has announced a new group-wide policy to offer men and women equal parental leave. 
 ...
Subscribers only

Misery caused by tax and welfare reforms
 (383 words)

The poorest in society are being hit the hardest by changes to tax, social security and public spending reforms, and are set to lose 10% of their ...
Subscribers only

Ownership of UK shares
 (254 words)

The rise in UK shares owned outside the country has continued, latest official figures show.
 ...
Subscribers only

Plans for national retraining scheme 
 (274 words)

Chancellor Philip Hammond has confirmed the launch of a national retraining scheme to help workers build the skills they need for the future economy ...
Subscribers only

Issue 47

Bad news Budget
 (669 words)

Chancellor Philip Hammond introduced his second Budget with bad news.
 ...
Subscribers only

Factory output rises
 (196 words)

UK factories boosted their output in September, official figures show.

 ...
Open access

MPs' draft Bill on gig economy exploitation
 (627 words)

A draft Bill to close loopholes that allow companies to use bogus “self-employment” status as a route to cheap labour and tax avoidance in the ...
Subscribers only

Fight over universities pension scheme
 (402 words)

The University and College Union (UCU) is gearing up to fight the closure of the universities superannuation scheme. 
 ...
Subscribers only

Tribunal fees refund scheme rolls out
 (110 words)

All those eligible for employment tribunal fee refunds can now apply, following a successful opening phase of the scheme, the Ministry of Justice has ...
Open access

Pay cap hit for workers
 (283 words)

The public sector pay cap has reduced spending power in England by £8.5 billion this year according to new analysis by the TUC. 
 ...
Subscribers only

Issue 46

Rights in gig economy
 (256 words)

There has been a gain and a setback on the rights of people working in the gig economy.
 ...
Subscribers only

Data shows no let-up in rise of retail prices
 (438 words)

Retail price inflation has resumed its upward rise after a month of no change.
 ...
Subscribers only

Inflation eats away at earnings growth 
 (663 words)

Workers saw their living standards hit as earnings growth once again lagged behind inflation.
 ...
Subscribers only

UK unemployment — numbers and rate down
 (598 words)

Official figures show unemployment was down once again.
 ...
Subscribers only

Issue 45

Real Living Wage rises
 (541 words)

At least 150,000 UK workers are set for a pay rise as new rates for the real Living Wage rates have been announced.
 ...
Subscribers only

Work-related stress and ways to tackle it
 (596 words)

The levels of ill-health caused by workplace health are laid bare in a new report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which shows that, for ...
Subscribers only

Pregnant women and unfair redundancy
 (303 words)

The harsh impact of unfair redundancies on pregnant women and new mothers is revealed in a report from Maternity Action.
 ...
Subscribers only

Short-sighted approach to training
 (254 words)

Just one in three workers (33%) say their employer offers regular training opportunities, according to the TUC. And one in four workers (24%) say ...
Subscribers only

Bogus self-employment in road transport
 (463 words)

The use of sham and bogus employment practices and agency worker abuses in the road transport industry is going to be tested at an employment ...
Subscribers only

Vital statistics on health and safety
 (161 words)

The overall number of workers fatally injured at work in Great Britain fell last year.
 ...
Open access

Issue 44

Tribunal fees rear their ugly head again
 (307 words)

The Conservative lord chancellor David Lidington has told MPs that his department intends to bring back employment tribunal fees.
 ...
Subscribers only

Safety reps @ 40
 (333 words)

The TUC has produced a new leaflet and web page to celebrate 40 years of union health and safety reps and committees.
 ...
Subscribers only

Annual survey of hours and earnings 2017
 (953 words)

Full-time average weekly earnings increased nominally, but lost ground in real terms, while the glacial pace of closing the gender pay gap continued ...
Subscribers only

Mental health — thriving at work
 (510 words)

Mental health problems are forcing thousands of people out of work, a government-commissioned report finds.
 ...
Subscribers only