Fact Service August 2020

Issue 33 (20/08/2020) - Teachers' unions slam exam results 'chaos'; Inflation rises to 1%; Coronavirus continues to hit economy and mood; One in three expects no return before 2021; Confederations condemn Belarus violence; Apprenticeship news; Unions launch Stonehaven family fund; Report makes case for flexible season tickets; M&S job cull shows need for high street action; TUC to hold 152nd annual congress

Issue 32 (13/08/2020) - Jobs drop shows UK 'on cliff edge'; One in three firms expect to cut jobs; Top pay plateaus; TUC calls for law on workplace temperatures

Issue 31 (06/08/2020) - Support grows for furlough extension; TUC: no forced return for shielders; Furloughed workers to get full redundancy pay; Mask use up, along with confidence in eating out; Union offers school uniform aid; Sacking shows need for cash payments; Unions oppose BT and BA redundancies

Issue 33

Teachers' unions slam exam results ‘chaos’ (295 words)

Education unions have welcomed the government’s last minute U-turn on exam results, days after they condemned exams regulator Ofqual’s chaotic ...
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Inflation rises to 1% (174 words)

Inflation has increased faster than expected according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which show that Consumer ...
Open access

Coronavirus continues to hit economy and mood (311 words)

The latest figures from the ONS on the economic impacts of coronavirus provide a snapshot of business conditions and confidence for the period 13 to 2 ...
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One in three expects no return before 2021 (160 words)

One in three workers believes they won’t be back in their workplace until at least next year, according to a YouGov survey for e-learning company ...
Open access

Confederations condemn Belarus violence (182 words)

Three leading trade union confederations have condemned the treatment of trade unionists and others peacefully protesting against the recent ...
Open access

Apprenticeship news (311 words)

Nursing unions have welcomed the announcement of up to £172m funding for apprentice nurses but stressed the need for more action. ...
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Unions launch Stonehaven family fund (66 words)

Rail unions Aslef and the RMT have set up a fund to support the families of those affected by the crash of a train at Stonehaven, Scotland, which ...
Open access

Report makes case for flexible season tickets (186 words)

With rail fare rises now to be set at 1.6% from January in line with the latest RPI figure (see page 129), the RMT has released a report showing how ...
Open access

M&S job cull shows need for high street action (240 words)

The announcement that 7,000 jobs are to be lost at Marks & Spencer – shortly after 2,500 were axed at retailer Debenhams – has led ...
Open access

TUC to hold 152nd annual congress (92 words)

The TUC’s 152nd annual congress is going ahead this year from 14 to 15 September as a virtual event. ...
Open access

Issue 32

Jobs drop shows UK ‘on cliff edge’ (1,289 words)

The number of workers on UK payrolls plummeted by 730,000 between March and July, according to the latest figures from the Office of National ...
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One in three firms expect to cut jobs (527 words)

A third of UK employers expect to cut jobs by October, according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and ...
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Top pay plateaus (464 words)

Independent think tank the High Pay Centre, working with CIPD, has released its assessment of CEO pay in FTSE100 companies during 2019. This shows ...
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TUC calls for law on workplace temperatures (201 words)

The recent heatwaves have led the TUC to call for flexibility on the part of employers and for a new law on maximum temperatures in the workplace. ...
Open access

Issue 31

Support grows for furlough extension (544 words)

The Labour Party has begun campaigning against the gradual winding down of the CJRS furlough scheme, which is due to end on 31 October. As of 1 ...
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TUC: no forced return for shielders (323 words)

The TUC has asked employers not to demand that shielded workers – who have been self-isolating due to health conditions that make them vulnerable ...
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Furloughed workers to get full redundancy pay (196 words)

Furloughed employees who are laid off will receive redundancy compensation based on their full normal pay rather than the wages received during ...
Open access

Mask use up, along with confidence in eating out (358 words)

The latest weekly survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) of the social impact of Covid-19 again provides some potential glimpses of hope ...
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Union offers school uniform aid (135 words)

Public services union UNISON has responded to the difficulties being experienced by members on low incomes by offering help with the cost of school ...
Open access

Sacking shows need for cash payments (191 words)

General union the GMB has pointed to what it describes as a “tragic story” to highlight the need to preserve the cash industry. ...
Open access

Unions oppose BT and BA redundancies (457 words)

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has urged BT to scrap 150 planned redundancies, pointing out that in its quarterly trading update the company ...
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