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Workplace Report June 2016
Regional allowances - Higher housing costs go a long way to justifying paying a London allowance, but other high-cost areas also compensate staff; [b Information & consultation - It’s been the unions that have used the Central Arbitration Committee over rights to information and consultation; Latest case law on contracts of employment and tribunal procedures
Pay and prices
Pay deals rise down to 2.1% (248 words)
The percentage rise in collectively agreed pay deals dipped in May.
...
Open access
Labour Research Department’s Payline Database (226 words)
Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered)
... Open access
Full-time weekly average earnings (42 words)
All workers £643.10 All male £697.00 All female £560.80 Managers £995.70 Professionals £813.70 Assoc professional £692.90 Admin & ... Open access
Average weekly earnings (AWE) (152 words)
Total pay including bonuses. Percentage annual increases
... Open access
XpertHR (19 words)
Median increases for three months to May 2016 ... Open access
Prices (77 words)
1 Retail Prices Index (RPI),
Jan ’87=100 ... Open access
Inflation forecasts (38 words)
Fourth quarter 2016 ... Open access
Bargaining news
GMB wants boss to face MPs over work practices (781 words)
Nick Beighton, chief executive of global online clothing retailer ASOS, could be the next boss in line for a grilling at the House of Commons, if the ...
Subscribers only
Royal Mail, BT deals good for staff living standards (433 words)
The CWU communication workers’ union and the Unite general union – representing managers – are both recommending their members’ accept ... Subscribers only
Healthy living a feature of two Scottish pay deals (284 words)
Two pay deals with a health twist have been negotiated by the PCS civil service union in Scotland.
... Subscribers only
Defence of services central to youth workers pay claim (303 words)
Unions representing youth and community workers put forward a detailed pay claim last month which ranged from the defence of youth services to ... Subscribers only
Employers use new National Living Wage to cut other conditions (484 words)
Implementation of the statutory National Living Wage is continuing to have a troubling impact for some workers. Among recent settlements, employer ... Subscribers only
Mixed results in deals over performance-related pay (277 words)
Performance-related pay remains part of some pay deals, but will end at a Scottish quango.
... Subscribers only
Strike brings improved offer at National Museum Wales (293 words)
The long-running dispute at National Museum Wales (Amgueddfa Cymru) over employer plans to end premium payments for weekend working has been settled ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Women need to save more to close gender pension gap (402 words)
Women in their twenties and thirties are not saving enough for their pensions and may be at risk of poverty in retirement, because they put their own ... Subscribers only
Abuse of migrant workers not direct discrimination (253 words)
Abuse of migrant domestic workers, on grounds of their status as vulnerable migrants, does not amount to unlawful discrimination, the Supreme Court ... Subscribers only
BECTU to put Project Diamond on ice? (186 words)
Entertainment union BECTU is warning it may boycott the equality monitoring project, Project Diamond, on the grounds that the BBC, ITV, Sky and ... Open access
Shared parental leave (84 words)
Employers that enhance shared parental pay are twice as likely to receive shared parental leave requests as those who offer the statutory rate, ... Open access
Learning and training news
Skill-shortage vacancies increase by 43% (211 words)
A buoyant labour market meant skill-shortage vacancies presented a growing challenge for employers in filling their vacancies, according to the UK ... Open access
Boost for housing apprenticeships in Scotland (78 words)
A joint plan to boost the number of apprentices employed by housing associations and co-operatives has been announced by Skills Development Scotland ... Open access
Recruitment and organisation news
Victory over subs collection (322 words)
The PCS civil service union may take further legal action against the government following its major recent success around the check-off system of ... Subscribers only
Corbyn commits to national civil service bargaining (104 words)
PCS has welcomed a commitment by Jeremy Corbyn that the next Labour government would restore national negotiations in the civil service — last seen ... Open access
Official figures show increase in union membership (135 words)
Union membership among employees rose very slightly in 2014-15, from 6.46 million to 6.49 million, according to the latest official statistics.
... Open access
European news
Polish national minimum wage to rise by whopping 8.1% (419 words)
In a surprising development, the Polish government has proposed that the national minimum wage should go up from 1,850 zł (£326) a month to 2,000 ... Subscribers only
Finnish unions finally banish their concerns to back pact (305 words)
Finland’s “Competitiveness Pact”, which will freeze pay and worsen conditions, has been backed by a number of unions which previously opposed ... Subscribers only
Four more German deals with real-terms increases (268 words)
Recent weeks have produced four more agreements in Germany providing increases of 2.0% or more this year, at a time when prices are more or less ... Subscribers only
Law - Contracts
Contracts - the law (354 words)
Employment rights depend, as a minimum, on the presence of an “employment relationship”. There are important legal distinctions between an ... Subscribers only
Mutuality of obligation relevant to definition of ‘employment’ (493 words)
Dr Windle and Mr Arada worked as professional interpreters for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) on a “by assignment” basis. ... Subscribers only
Commission should be included in calculating statutory holiday pay (454 words)
Mr Lock is a UNISON member. He was employed as a salesman by British Gas Ltd, which paid Lock basic salary plus commission based on the number of ... Subscribers only
Handbook was incorporated into employees’ contracts (575 words)
Mrs Sparks was one of seven claimants in this case, who were supported by Prospect, the union for professionals, the FDA union for senior managers ... Subscribers only
No compensation for injury to feelings over rest break (316 words)
Ms Gomes was employed by Higher Level Care Ltd, a business providing accommodation and support for vulnerable young people. Gomes was employed from 1 ... Subscribers only
Law - Tribunal procedures
Employment tribunals - the law (716 words)
Nearly all tribunal claims must be brought within three months less one day of the matter complained of. Tribunals can extend the time limit in an ... Subscribers only
Tribunal erred over presentation of second claim (597 words)
Ms Adams was employed by British Telecom until 1 October 2014. On 18 December 2014, she gave Early Conciliation (EC) notification to Acas. ... Subscribers only
Tribunal can hear discrimination claims against regulatory bodies (522 words)
Dr Michalak was dismissed by her employer, an NHS Trust, and pursued successful tribunal claims in relation to this. The Trust also referred Michalak ... Subscribers only
One-month extension for claim applies to ‘corresponding date’ (429 words)
Mr Tanveer was dismissed from his employment with East London Bus and Coach Company (ELBCC) on 20 March 2015. His solicitor gave Acas Early ... Subscribers only
Health & safety news
Black NHS staff suffer at NHS Trusts in England (374 words)
Black and minority ethnic NHS staff are more likely to be bullied, harassed and abused than white staff, according to newly published figures.
... Subscribers only
Hazards 2016 (46 words)
The 27th National Hazards conference will be held on 29-31 July 2016 at Keele University, Stoke-on-Trent.
... Open access
TUC calls time on asbestos (306 words)
The TUC has published new guidance to help health and safety reps get rid of asbestos from their workplaces. It is urging them to press their ... Subscribers only
PCS stress survey (132 words)
Last month, public and commercial services union activists at the PCS annual delegate conference voted in favour of a union-wide survey of “the ... Open access
Unsafe duty systems (152 words)
Delegates at the Fire Brigades’ Union annual conference in May made clear that they will continue to fight fire and rescue services’ growing use ... Open access
Health & safety - HSE Monitor
Management failures at BT attract over £1m in fines (441 words)
Last month, BT was fined £660,000 and ordered to pay £60,000 in costs after pleading guilty to health and safety breaches which led to two CWU ... Subscribers only
New carcinogen limits mean greater protection for workers (269 words)
In May, the European Commission proposed changes to the Carcinogens and Mutagens directive that would limit workplace exposure to 13 cancer-causing ... Subscribers only
Needlesticks campaign (96 words)
Public services union UNISON has welcomed an HSE report on an inspection campaign to ensure the prevention and management of sharps (or needlestick) ... Open access
HSE goes commercial (182 words)
The HSE is recruiting a new commercial director “to shape and deliver significant growth in HSE’s commercial portfolio”.
... Open access
Features
Most allowances just help towards for high cost of living (2,839 words)
Recent data on housing and other household costs illustrate the high cost of living in London and certain other parts of the UK and the continuing ... Subscribers only
Workers want information and voice on employers’ affairs (1,944 words)
A Workplace Report survey of applications to the Central Arbitration Committee watchdog over the information and consultation regulations finds that, ... Subscribers only