Workplace Report July 2020

Self-employment in the covid crisis - the pandemic has highlighted the precarious status of self-employed workers, but has also seen unions stepping forward to lobby, support and Union reps tell us about how they are ensuring safety and decent working as the lockdown eases; Latest case law on contracts and tribunal procedures

Pay and prices

Earnings plateau continues (101 words)

Average weekly earnings stay mostly flat this month as public sector gains are offset by private sector losses. ...
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Labour Research Department’s Payline Database (222 words)

Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered) ...
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Average weekly earnings (AWE) (247 words)

Regular pay excluding bonuses. Percentage annual increases ...
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Full-time weekly average earnings (39 words)

ASHE 2019 median uprated by AWE. ...
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XpertHR (21 words)

Median increases for three months to end of June 2020 ...
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Prices (77 words)

1 Retail Prices Index (RPI), 
Jan ’87=100 ...
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2020 forecasts (40 words)

1 Fourth quarter ...
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Bargaining news

Leak sours pay reviews announcement (800 words)

The Treasury has announced a series of one-year pay settlements for nearly 900,000 workers covered by the pay review bodies (most NHS staff already ...
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Parcels company Hermes is recruiting (400 words)

Parcels firm Hermes is creating 10,500 new jobs and investing £100m in its business, in a sign of the growth in parcels delivery, which the Covid ...
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Uber gambles on Supreme Court decision (330 words)

Uber began what may be its final battle to avoid granting its self-employed drivers “worker” status at the Supreme Court on 21 July. The Court of ...
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North West NHS pay win (157 words)

Tameside Hospital security staff employed by Engie are one of the latest groups of contract staff to win NHS pay rates, UNISON North West has ...
Open access

South West shipyard hopes (137 words)

Early indications of a deal to re-open Appledore shipyard in North Devon, mothballed for 16 months, have been welcomed by the GMB as great news for ...
Open access

‘No TUPE-out’ commitment from Royal Mail (413 words)

The Royal Mail Group has formally confirmed there are “no plans to TUPE [Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment Regulations] Parcelforce ...
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Major win for cleaners at Ministry of Justice (354 words)

Contracted cleaners, security guards and other outsourced staff working at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will now receive full pay sick pay in the ...
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Pharmacists want better pay and fairer work (295 words)

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association Union, which fought a long and successful battle for recognition at Boots, is looking for a reward for its ...
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Equality news

Disabled workers call for homeworking rights (336 words)

Half of disabled workers have worked from home all of the time during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 73% of them saying they were more or as productive ...
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Ethnic minority workers face ‘indisputable’ disadvantage (309 words)

Persistent racism means the employment prospects of ethnic minority workers have lagged behind their white counterparts for decades, according to a ...
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BAME women’s pandemic experiences (297 words)

There has been a “crisis of support” for BAME women since the pandemic started, with half of disabled or retired BAME women saying they do not ...
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Learning and training news

Learning culture ‘needs unions’ (355 words)

The government should develop a “clear overarching vision for UK skills” and engage employers and employees, including their unions, in fostering ...
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Apprenticeships ‘failing those who need them most’ (165 words)

The apprenticeship system in England is failing those who need it most, according to the latest report from the Social Mobility Commission. ...
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Recruitment and organisation news

Digital campaigns can mobilise members (280 words)

Union activists heard of the benefits of “peer-to-peer digital campaigns” at a session at the TUC’s major Organise 2020 festival earlier this ...
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UNISON takes to TV (95 words)

UNISON public services union is running a TV advertising campaign as part of its latest recruitment drive. The advert stresses the “peace of ...
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European news

French government agrees to increase hospital salaries (509 words)

The French government has signed an agreement with three unions that represent a majority of health workers – other than doctors – which will ...
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Unions and employers agree digitalisation framework (252 words)

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and three employers’ associations, representing large, small and medium, and public sector employers ...
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Job security agreement signed at Tata Steel (114 words)

Following 24 days of strikes, the management of Tata Steel in the Netherlands has agreed to extend its current employment pact until 1 October 2026. ...
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EC to allow bargaining for self-employed (156 words)

The European Commission is looking at making changes which would make it easier for the self-employed to negotiate collectively. EU competition rules ...
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Law - Tribunal procedures

Tribunal procedures - the law (568 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 ...
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Claimant who pursued hopeless case ordered to pay all employer’s costs (656 words)

The Claimant, Mr Radia, was a high-earning bank executive. His employer met with him and offered a severance package to end his employment. At this ...
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Unless Order should not have struck out entire whistleblowing claim (896 words)

Dr Ijomah was a consultant forensic psychiatrist at Rampton Hospital for 12 years until he was dismissed. After his dismissal, he brought various ...
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Unclear dismissal letter justified unfair dismissal time extension (679 words)

The Claimant, Mr Brophy, worked as a meter-reading operative for Lowri Beck Services. He was severely dyslexic and for anything “official”, he ...
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Law - Contracts

Contracts - the law (368 words)

Employment rights depend, as a minimum, on the presence of an “employment relationship”. There are important legal distinctions between an ...
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Dangers of gossiping about settlement sum (704 words)

The Claimant, Mr Steels, settled his unfair dismissal claim against his employer, Duchy Farm Kennels Limited, a dog kennel manufacturer, through Acas ...
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Yodel couriers unlikely to have working time rights says European Court of Justice (619 words)

In a disappointing decision, the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) has said Yodel couriers are unlikely to be workers with worker rights, ...
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Health & safety news

Unions:‘two metre workplace distancing must stay’ (189 words)

Following the government’s change of policy on social distancing, several trade unions made clear that two metres must remain the rule in ...
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Education unions call for clarity if schools are to reopen safely (320 words)

Unions representing teachers and school support staff say government guidance on the safe reopening of schools in September is not clear enough, and ...
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Union warns of ‘second spike’ risk (166 words)

A second spike in Covid-19 infections is becoming “every more likely” due to reported non-compliance with face covering and social distancing ...
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CWU highlights dog dangers (118 words)

Communications union the CWU joined forces with Royal Mail to raise awareness about the significant hazard of dog attacks. Dog Awareness Week 2020 ...
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Usdaw welcomes coverings rule (166 words)

Retail union Usdaw has welcomed the mandatory use of face coverings in shops and supermarkets, but called on the government to develop and agree ...
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Health & safety - HSE Monitor

PCS challenges HSE on aircon (220 words)

The public and commercial services PCS union has challenged the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) position that air conditioning systems and ...
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Unite blames construction deaths rise on drop in inspections (279 words)

It is no coincidence that a steep rise in construction deaths has occurred at the same time as a drop in proactive HSE inspections and prosecutions, ...
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FBU calls for statutory advisory body (209 words)

The fire brigades’ FBU union has called for fire inspector numbers to be doubled in order to tackle the building safety crisis. Its demand follows ...
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IAEA inspection leads to radioactivity concerns (139 words)

Prospect has called on the government to implement International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendations which have “highlighted the urgent ...
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Still no justice for killed workers’ families (143 words)

The families of five men killed while working on zero-hour agency contracts at a waste recycling plant marked the fourth anniversary of their deaths ...
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Features

Self-employment in the Covid crisis (3,427 words)

The Covid crisis shone a light on the precarious status of self-employed workers, but has also seen unions stepping forward to lobby, support and ...
Open access

Negotiating the new normal (2,295 words)

The LRD’s reps survey, which has featured in the last two issues, showed how union reps were at the forefront of negotiating working arrangements ...
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