Labour Research May 2006

The race is on for Olympic profits; Tougher incapacity benefit rules; Strikes in long-term decline?; Time off for council members

News

Local government unions suspend industrial action over pensions (494 words)

Unions in dispute over local government pension cuts have suspended all planned industrial action pending the outcome of new talks with the employers. ...

Teachers' union reports sharp rise in personal injury awards (199 words)

Members of the NASUWT teachers‘ union won a record £7.6 million in compensation last year in personal injury payouts and employment tribunal awards. ...

Unions say weak labour laws lie behind Peugeot car plant closure (286 words)

Trade unions at the Peugeot car plant at Ryton near Coventry have criticised UK labour laws for failing to protect workers‘ jobs following last ...

Tax workers strike in protest at de-skilling working methods (179 words)

Workers at the Lothians tax centre in Scotland took part in a one-day strike last month over new working practices. ...

Thousands of health jobs under threat (218 words)

The National Health Service is facing an escalating jobs crisis. ...

Inflation drops to 1.8% (58 words)

Cheaper food and non-alcoholic drink was more than enough to offset an increase in domestic energy bills to cut inflation in March. The Consumer ...

Unemployment continues to climb (190 words)

The number of people out of work has risen further on both official counts. ...

Key economic indicators

Key indicators (331 words)

February 2005 (r) 5.4% 3.4% 6.0% 5.5% 4.7% 3.4% ...

Union news

Tories complain as unions benefit from £10 million modernisation fund (478 words)

Over 30 union projects including some aiming to enhance work on equality issues or assist in exploiting modern communications technology have just received financial ...

Pensions dispute prompts UNISON to scale back support for Labour Party (220 words)

Public services union UNISON is playing down its decision to suspend support for the Labour Party as a result of its pensions dispute with ...

ASLEF loses tribunal (66 words)

Rail union ASLEF has lost its appeal against an employment tribunal ruling that it unfairly dismissed its former general secretary, Sean Brady. Brady was ...

European news

German Gate Gourmet strikers end dispute (215 words)

Workers for the airline catering firm Gate Gourmet in Germany last month settled their dispute with the company, which broke out last October when ...

French government backs down on youth contracts (325 words)

Faced with a series of massive protests by students and trade unionists, the French government last month withdrew plans for a new employment and ...

European Commission issues new draft of services directive (217 words)

Last month the European Commission produced a revised version of its controversial services directive, two and a half months after the European parliament rejected ...

Features

Companies get set for Olympic contract race (1955 words)

The London Olympic and Paralympic Games will see a huge investment of public and private money in some of the most neglected parts of ...

Forcing sick and disabled people back to work? (1940 words)

In January the government outlined radical proposals for the reform of the welfare state. Consultation on the green paper, A new deal for welfare ...

Strikes figures rebound from historic low (1848 words)

Just 150,000 working days were lost in strikes last year, the lowest level since records began in 1891, according to figures from the Office ...

Taking time off for town hall duties (1685 words)

On average councillors spend 21.5 hours per week on council and political business. If they have a specific responsibility, such as chairing a committee, ...

Law Matters

European court slaps ban on rolled-up holiday pay (222 words)

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has amended its regulatory guidance on rolled-up holiday pay and officially outlawed the practice. ...

Part-time worker loses out on payment for bank holidays (172 words)

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that a part-time worker who did not work Mondays was not entitled to pro-rata time off or ...

Deductions for electricity and gas were unlawful (191 words)

Holiday-camp workers may be entitled to reclaim wages after a ruling that payments for gas and electricity cannot be counted towards the national minimum ...

Reinstated workers "were transferred" (250 words)

Employees dismissed before a business transfer should have been taken on by the new employer when they were reinstated on appeal, the Employment Appeal ...

Law Queries

Continuing discrimination (226 words)

Q: A member brought a complaint of disability discrimination about two years ago but has only just received the final outcome. Is it too ...

Holiday pay (150 words)

Q: Is an employee entitled to carry over holiday to the following year? Our employer has said anyone who hasn’t taken their holiday by ...

Unpaid wages (231 words)

Q: We have learnt that our employer has not been paying workers at one site for their half-hour lunch breaks, to which they are ...

Strike pay (111 words)

Q: How much can an employer deduct for strike pay? ...

Law Back-up

New guidance on disability definitions (916 words)

Because many disabilities and their effects are not apparent in the workplace, disability discrimination claims brought in employment tribunals often begin with a preliminary ...

Health & Safety Matters

TUC's radon guidance (87 words)

The “hidden hazard” of radon gas is being addressed in new guidance from the TUC. ...

Union protests at plan to alter clocks (94 words)

The CWU communication workers’ union is concerned at a parliamentary bill which could create lighter evenings and darker mornings by altering the UK’s clocks. ...

TUC defends injury compensation (62 words)

A new TUC report has refuted claims from insurers and employers that the current system of compensation for personal injury should be overhauled. ...

New licensing regime begins for gangmasters (272 words)

Gangmasters will have to get a licence or face stiff penalties under new regulations introduced last month. ...

Unions call for contingency planning to tackle bird flu (259 words)

Now that bird flu has reached the UK, unions at home and internationally are seeking better contingency plans to protect workers and the public ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Don't be a fool when using a blackberry (911 words)

BlackBerries and similar personal digital devices are increasingly being issued to workers, particularly those whose job requires them to be away from their workplace ...

Equality news

Age Positive Week (54 words)

With five months to go until the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 take effect, the government’s Age Positive Campaign has announced a week of ...

BME women face "double whammy" (193 words)

Unions must establish collective bargaining on race equality if the double discrimination faced by black and minority ethnic (BME) women in the labour market ...

Research finds 26% gender pay gap among apprentices (532 words)

Female apprentices aged 16 to 25 are earning 26% less than their male counterparts, according to new research from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). ...

Stonewall and TUC revise sexual orientation guidance (139 words)

A revised guide to the 2003 employment regulations covering sexual orientation in the workplace has been jointly released by the TUC and gay and ...

Workplace Back-up

Working parents make the most of new rights (837 words)

Maternity and paternity rights and benefits: survey of parents 2005 is the fifth in a series of surveys dating back to 1979, commissioned by ...

News from LRD

Annual report 2005 (164 words)

Last month the Labour Research Department (LRD) published its Annual Report for 2005 (available at www.lrd.org.uk). ...

Executive Committee (94 words)

There were 15 nominations for the 16 places on the LRD Executive Committee and so the following are elected unopposed: ...

Reviews

Chemical warfare in Colombia (151 words)

Hugh O’Shaughnessy and Sue Branford, Latin America Bureau, paperback, 168 pages, £8.99 ...

The economics of overtime working (150 words)

Robert Hart, Cambridge, hardback, 167 pages, £45.00 ...

Marx and other four-letter words (149 words)

Georgina Blakeley and Valerie Bryson, Pluto Press, paperback, 221 pages, £11.99 ...

E-views

e-views (310 words)

This month’s e-view looks at where trade unionists can get information on international issues. First off is the website of the Global Union Research ...