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Labour Research January 2023
Tory austerity continues to ravage Britain workers have lost a great deal since the 2008 financial crash — but the Tories seem intent on imposing yet more austerity.
Childcare sector experiences huge crisis parents face unmanageable childcare fees while workers in the early years sector are underpaid leading to staff shortages.
Unions campaign against hostile environment unions at the sharp end of government immigration policy are opposing the scapegoating of refugees and asylum seekers.
News
Hundreds of thousands take part in strikes across the UK (332 words)
Last month, NHS workers and civil servants joined the hundreds of thousands of workers taking strike action in sectors including the railways, postal ...
Subscribers only
Employees to be given day one right to request flexible working (288 words)
The government will make flexible working the default and allow employees to request flexible working from day one of their employment. ... Subscribers only
Employers join call to scrap EU Bill (134 words)
The Institute of Directors joined organisations including the TUC, the CIPD HR professionals’ body, the ATLEU and FLEX anti-labour exploitation ...
Open access
Schools Bill withdrawn (79 words)
Education unions have welcomed the announcement that the Schools Bill, which included forcing every school to join an academy trust, will not be ... Open access
Scottish government agrees ‘right to disconnect’ policy (226 words)
The Scottish Government has become the first UK public sector employer to implement a policy on a “right to disconnect”, agreed with the Council ... Open access
Campaigners demand better (296 words)
Anti-poverty campaigners and unions last month joined in a mass lobby of the Scottish Parliament in support of the People’s Plan of Action. ... Subscribers only
Call for universal preschool childcare (158 words)
Unions have welcomed a new IPPR think tank report setting out how a “universal childcare guarantee” for children up to the age of 11 would boost ... Open access
FE re-nationalisation (71 words)
It expects the move to provide a “much-needed cash injection”, similar to that received by schools. It says the FE sector has been “neglected ... Open access
Slight ease in inflation (66 words)
The union-preferred Retail Prices Index (RPI) stood at 14.0% (down from 14.2%). The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 10.7% (down from 11.1%) while ... Open access
Employment rate increases (194 words)
The UK employment rate for August-October 2022 increased by 0.2 points to 75.6% but is still below pre-Covid pandemic levels. ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (410 words)
Inflation +14.0%, Average earnings +6.0% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Unions achieve significant new recognition agreements (442 words)
Despite the current union-management battles raging across the economy, a number of significant new recognition agreements have been reached ... Subscribers only
High Court win over check-off (174 words)
The PCS civil service union has won a High Court claim over HMRC’s removal of the check-off facility, through which members paid their union ... Open access
Kate Bell (130 words)
The TUC has appointed Kate Bell as assistant general secretary alongside new general secretary Paul Nowak. She was previously TUC head of economics, ... Open access
PCS levy (125 words)
The PCS civil service union has established a temporary emergency membership levy to help support members taking part in the current industrial ... Open access
European news
Setback for EU directive on platform workers’ rights (383 words)
The prospects for an EU directive providing greater protection for platform workers appear uncertain. ... Subscribers only
Romania ushers in significant changes to trade union Act (255 words)
The Romanian parliament has finally made changes to legislation passed 12 years ago, which introduced serious restrictions on unions’ rights to ... Subscribers only
New ETUC leader (91 words)
Esther Lynch, the former deputy general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), has been appointed to the top job, replacing Luca ... Open access
Union founder dismissed (85 words)
Major Polish IT company Sii Polska has dismissed an employee who established a union in the business. ... Open access
Pension changes delayed (52 words)
Publication of the French government’s planned changes to the country’s pension system has been delayed. It was anticipated before Christmas but ... Open access
Features
Tories invoke Austerity 2.0 (2,224 words)
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts another bleak and difficult year, with recession lasting throughout most of 2023 and ... Subscribers only
Government fails kids, parents and workers (2,054 words)
... Subscribers only
Resisting the hostile environment (1,883 words)
On 24 November 2022, the TUC, the union-backed Stand Up To Racism campaign and the Care4Calais refugee charity held a vigil to remember the 32 men, ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Unfair dismissal claim no longer admissable (325 words)
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that an employee who appealed her dismissal for gross misconduct and was reinstated had not withdrawn ... Subscribers only
Disability and redundancy (338 words)
Requiring a disabled employee to attend a redundancy selection interview could amount to a substantial disadvantage, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ... Subscribers only
Solicitor at fault for striking out of claim (239 words)
When an Employment Tribunal (ET) strikes out a claim because of a fault of a legal representative, the Claimant’s “remedy” is against their ... Open access
Law Queries
Sunday working (385 words)
nMy employer wants me to work on a Sunday. I don’t want to and thought there were rules around Sunday working. Also, my employer is not offering ... Subscribers only
Settling a claim (410 words)
nA member submitted a tribunal claim but now wants to settle it. Because she went through Acas before starting her claim, she’s not sure if she can ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
How does having a criminal record affect employment? (929 words)
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) conducts criminal records checks and maintains lists of people who are barred from working with vulnerable ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Covid classification should be recognised (277 words)
Health and social care workers experiencing long-term symptoms following Covid infection should be able to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement ... Subscribers only
Union calls out retailer (235 words)
The Usdaw retail union joined Extinction Rebellion activists and the Labour behind the Label workers’ rights group in a protest focussed on the ... Open access
Schools are failing on good ventilation (256 words)
The UNISON public services union says a “drop off” in good ventilation practices in schools is increasing the risk of illness and absence and is ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Back-up
Reports shine a light on unsafe workplaces (878 words)
At the end of November 2022, the ATaC and NORAC asbestos survey industry bodies published the first annual data analysis report into asbestos in UK ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Women workers stymied by pay double whammy (355 words)
The gender equality charity, The Fawcett Society, has released new data showing that women are being disproportionately hit by the combined impact of ... Subscribers only
Part-time work sees divide between rich and poor (290 words)
New research published by the independent think tank, the Resolution Foundation, has highlighted a “part-time work divide” between rich and poor ... Subscribers only
Bullying exposed in london fire brigade (226 words)
An independent report has found widespread racism and misogyny within the London Fire Brigade. The Independent cultural review of London Fire Brigade ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Bullying exposed in london fire brigade (925 words)
In this cost-of-living crisis, wages and earnings are just not keeping up, and many people in work have to claim welfare benefits to get by. That ... Subscribers only