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Labour Research March 2019
What implications does Brexit have for the NHS? - Although the NHS staffing crisis pre-dates Brexit, Labour Research finds that the UK’s withdrawal from the EU certainly won’t help matters; Universal Credit makes millions worse off - It’s six years since Universal Credit was introduced. And the government’s welfare reform scheme continues to be mired in controversy; Women's exposure to cancer at work - When it comes to occupational cancers, there remains a distinct lack of focus on how these impact on women workers
News
Private probation firm’s collapse a ‘wake-up’ call, say unions (323 words)
Unions say the collapse of private probation company Working Links is “a wake-up call” and are urging justice secretary David Gauke to bring the ...
Subscribers only
Universities urged to repudiate plans to exploit work of sacked staff (277 words)
Academic staff will be treated like a “disposable commodity” if plans to allow universities to exploit the research of staff who have been made ... Subscribers only
Honda closure a ‘shattering blow’ (239 words)
Confirmation that Honda is set to close its Swindon factory by 2021 with the loss of 3,500 jobs was described as “a shattering body blow at the ...
Open access
Unions back plan to block private firms from landing NHS contracts (329 words)
Unions have backed a Labour party pledge to block private companies from securing NHS contracts.
... Subscribers only
Rail dispute sees breakthrough (195 words)
Substantial progress in talks between the RMT rail union and the management of Northern Rail has resulted in the suspension of the long-running ... Open access
More turbulence hits airline industry (238 words)
Last month, British airline Flybmi cancelled all its flights and filed for administration blaming spikes in fuel and carbon costs and the ongoing ... Open access
Unemployment posts a decrease (201 words)
After three months of increases, unemployment posted a fall, latest official figures show.
... Open access
Inflation lowest for two years (72 words)
Retail inflation fell to its lowest level for over two years on the back of cheaper petrol and domestic energy.
... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (402 words)
Inflation +2.5%, Average earnings +2.8% ... Subscribers only
Union news
GMB deal with Hermes gives ‘a real voice’ in the workplace (298 words)
The collective bargaining deal reached between courier firm Hermes and the GMB general union last month gives couriers “a real voice in the ... Subscribers only
Usdaw recognition boost (236 words)
A campaign by shopworkers’ union Usdaw for recognition at online fashion retailer Boohoo has received a boost from a committee of MPs. The company ... Open access
History project (114 words)
The Unite union has launched a history project aimed at “engaging directly with a new generation of workers and activists”. It is part of the ... Open access
CWU members give refugee support (139 words)
Members of the CWU Race Advisory Committee (RAC) have returned from a mission to distribute supplies to refugees in Calais whose conditions have ... Open access
Rescuer awarded (115 words)
An activist in the Prospect specialists’ union has been awarded an MBE for his part in the rescue of 12 Thai boys and their football coach who got ... Open access
European news
Paternity pay and other improvements on the way (426 words)
The three law-making bodies of the EU, the European Parliament, the Council (representing national governments) and the European Commission, have ... Subscribers only
Most French employee reps in unions (245 words)
The level of union membership in France is low, with only one in nine (11%) French employees belonging to a union.
... Open access
German union membership (91 words)
Membership of the eight unions in the DGB, Germany’s dominant union confederation, fell very slightly last year, down from 5,995,437 to 5,974,950. ... Open access
Czech unions (58 words)
The main Czech union confederation CMKOS has expressed its deep concern at a government proposal to cut 10% of posts in central government to save ... Open access
Belgian call for change in law (105 words)
Following a national strike over pay in Belgium on 13 February which, among other things, halted all air traffic, the unions have said they are ... Open access
Features
Health unions warn over Brexit (2,541 words)
With time rapidly running out for prime minister Theresa May to get Parliamentary backing for a withdrawal agreement and avoid a no-deal Brexit, ... Open access
Universal catastrophe (2,782 words)
Universal Credit, the government’s flagship welfare reform scheme, continues to be dogged by controversy, as Labour Research reports.
... Subscribers only
Recognising women’s cancer risks (2,145 words)
Cancer is the leading cause of work-related death across Europe and is affecting an increasing number of women workers. Labour Research examines the ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Major victory for shop workers in Asda ruling (340 words)
The Court of Appeal last month held that women working in Asda’s retail stores can compare themselves with men working in its distribution depots. ... Subscribers only
Part-time staff secure back-dated holiday pay (128 words)
The latest group of workers to receive pay-outs for backdated holiday pay involves administrative staff, career advisors, science and art ... Open access
Extended redundancy protection for new mums (245 words)
A government consultation proposes to extend current legal protection against redundancy for those on maternity leave for up to six months after they ... Open access
Law Queries
Duty to disclose criminal conviction (346 words)
Q. I’ve just been convicted of drink driving. I don’t need my car for work, and driving is not part of my job. Do I have to tell my employer? ... Subscribers only
End of fixed-term contract (298 words)
Q. I am on a fixed-term contract that is supposed to finish at the end of December. My employer now says it will finish in October because a staff ... Subscribers only
Health and safety reps (156 words)
Q. Our employer is trying to replace our union health and safety reps with employees who are not union members. Can they do this? ... Open access
Law Back-up
Minor historical offences can remain undisclosed (850 words)
The Supreme Court has held that the requirement in some cases to disclose all criminal convictions, no matter how minor or how long ago, is unlawful. ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Black staff endure abuse and bullying (324 words)
Black women professors, who make up just 0.1% of all UK university professors, are facing a culture of bullying and stereotyping, according to a new ... Subscribers only
Full-time mums suffer stress (194 words)
The Prospect professionals’ union has highlighted new research showing that chronic stress levels are up to 40% higher for full-time working mums. ... Open access
Trade union network tackles air pollution (245 words)
Air pollution is an occupational health, as well as a public health, emergency, according to the new Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN).
... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Taking care of workers on the graveyard shift (951 words)
This month, Back-up looks at the health and safety risks associated with night working.
... Subscribers only
Equality news
Age bias is biggest employment obstacle (389 words)
Age discrimination is the biggest obstacle to getting back into employment, according to new research by job search company Jobrapido.
... Subscribers only
Toolkit aims to boost recruitment of women (241 words)
A toolkit that aims to help end outdated employment practices that disadvantage women in the recruitment process has been put forward by an All Party ... Open access
Tackling discrimination (97 words)
The Tell MAMA organisation (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) and the GMB general union Yorkshire region have issued a joint toolkit to help people who ... Open access
Proposals for gender equality (131 words)
Scotland’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls has put forward proposals intended to make Scotland a world leader in gender equality.
... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Training opportunities bypass the low paid (944 words)
New research reveals that the poorest adults with the lowest qualifications are the least likely to get adult training — despite being the group ... Subscribers only
E-views
e-views (522 words)
With the current uncertainty around the Brexit process, things could well have changed by the time this edition of Labour Research is published. ... Subscribers only
News from LRD
LRD AGM's keynote speaker Kendal Bromley-Bewes (196 words)
Marking the TUC’s Year of Young Workers, UNISON’s Kendal Bromley-Bewes (chair of UNISON’s young members’ forum) will open this year’s ... Open access