Workplace Report May 2000

Tackling bullying at work Union influence on determining pay.

Features

Pay and prices (425 words)

Labour Research Department three monthly pay figures ...

Pay deals in brief (1083 words)

Agreement % increase hours holidays ...

Tackling the workplace bullies (2225 words)

A recent survey found one in four workers had experienced bullying in the last five years while half had witnessed examples of bullying at ...

General Domestic Appliances (Peterborough) (144 words)

The April wage review at this factory (otherwise known as Hotpoint) was for 2.5%, with a profit share consolidation of just under 0.5% from ...

Latest developments in contract rights (794 words)

Contract law is at the core of employment rights. What is, or is not, in an individual's contract determines the rights that they can ...

Maternity leave increase (81 words)

Women with babies due on or after 30 April 2000 have the right to at least 18 weeks' maternity leave, an increase on the ...

Proposals for revised strike ballots code (118 words)

The government is looking to change the current code of practice on industrial action ballots to reflect changes in the law and to make ...

CAC appointments made (63 words)

All of the members of the Central Arbitration Committee, which will play a major role in the forthcoming union recognition law, have now been ...

Presenting evidence to tribunals (114 words)

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has upheld an individual's right to have a claim of race discrimination heard even though the employers objected on ...

More than one reason for dismissal (101 words)

In cases where work is transferred as a result of the employer's financial difficulties it may be that employees have rights both under the ...

London allowance fixed (58 words)

An employer who paid employees a fixed London allowance did not have the right unilaterally to reduce it, according to the Court of Appeal ...

References (80 words)

The High Court has stated, in the case of Kidd v Axa Equity & Law Life Assurance Society, that there are only two duties ...

Equal treatment clarified (103 words)

The European Court of Justice has said that self-employed workers are covered by equal treatment rights. It has also said that key conditions in ...

Equal pay claim (101 words)

The recent case of Allonby v Accrington and Rossendale College EAT/130097 looked at the question of whether those working for agencies can compare themselves ...

Part-time regulations published (62 words)

Following a lengthy consultation the government has published the new regulations covering part-time workers. These will come into force on 1 July 2000 and ...

Tackling hand-arm vibration (179 words)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a CD-ROM for managers and safety specialists on managing the risks from hand-arm vibration (HAV) to ...

Young workers' training ignored (210 words)

The TUC has called on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to run inspection blitzes around workplaces to protect young people at work, after ...

Attacks on health workers soar (101 words)

Public services union UNISON has called for a Scottish working party to plan strategies to cope with violence in hospitals. This follows the publication ...

Dealing with the risks of latex exposure (221 words)

A NEW Health and Safety Executive (HSE) leaflet highlights the problems that can be caused by exposure to natural latex and advises workers and ...

Occupational health role of Employment Medical Advisory Service promoted (104 words)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a leaflet outlining the service provided by the Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS), to promote occupational ...

New German settlements follow engineering lead (522 words)

The last four weeks have seen a range of pay deals in Germany broadly in line with the pace-setting engineering and chemicals settlements reported ...

Norwegian strike wins better deal (139 words)

A strike in large parts of the Norwegian private sector has ended this month after an improved offer by the employers. The strike started ...

Inflation-plus rise at Dutch telecoms (54 words)

Unions representing the 30,000 employees at Dutch telecom company KPN have agreed a 3.75% rise for the current year (March inflation rate: 1.9%). The ...

Agreement in Italian rubber industry (110 words)

Unions have reached agreement for the 150,000 employed in the Italian rubber industry after seven months of negotiation. The two-year deal increases monthly pay ...

Strike ends in Finnish paper sector (195 words)

The strike in the Finnish paper industry, a key part of the Finnish economy (see last month's Bargaining Report), has ended after eight days ...

Three-year deals for Spanish metalworkers (184 words)

Unions have reached agreements covering the metalworking industry in three provinces of Catalonia, one of the most industrialised regions of Spain. The agreements, which ...

Research reveals that black workers are much better off in the union (235 words)

Unionised black and Asian workers covered by collective bargaining earn nearly a third more than their non-unionised counterparts, says a new TUC study. ...

Council workers face needlestick injury risk (232 words)

Public services union UNISON has issued guidance for local government safety reps on needlestick injuries, following evidence that many members are at risk of ...

Part timers win right to backdated pensions (443 words)

Earlier this month the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in favour of thousands of - mainly female - part-time workers across the UK ...

TUC running stakeholder pensions roadshow (147 words)

starting next month the TUC is running a series of roadshows around the country to help trade unionists and employers get to grips with ...

Government moves to raise retirement age (280 words)

The government has set out plans to achieve a shift in retirement patterns. According to a report by the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation ...

New maternity rights guide (81 words)

The TUC has produced an up-to-date free guide to maternity rights. It covers rights to time off for antenatal care; rights and responsibilities on ...

Report shows how disabled workers face disadvantages at school and college (421 words)

Lack of support services for work experience, casual jobs and voluntary work often undermines disabled people's chances of employment, according to a recent report ...

Scottish teachers settle for 2.5% (168 words)

In the face of Scottish local authorities' financial difficulties and the impending publication of the McCrone Committee's report on the future of pay, conditions ...

Thwaites Brewery (Blackburn) (252 words)

Basic salaries for manual workers and office staff increased by 3.5% from 1 April. Examples of the new rates are set out below. Under ...

BT salaries rise by 3.2% (277 words)

New pay scales, allowances and short-term cover rates came into force on 1 April. Scale minima for the various grades went up by 3.2%. ...

Disability Rights Commission gets down to work (490 words)

At the end of last month the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) opened for business. Chair Bert Massie, former head of the RADAR group of ...

Focusing on the longer term (743 words)

April's headline inflation rate rose to 3%, up 0.4% from the previous month and while the underlying rate (excluding mortgage interest payments) fell to ...

Union influence on pay extends beyond collective bargaining (1577 words)

A detailed picture of recent changes in collective bargaining and structures for determining pay in the UK has become available this month with the ...