News

BNP plan Blackpool gathering in secret (227 words)

The precise venue for a conference reportedly being held by the far-right British National Party (BNP) on 25 and 26 November in Blackpool remained ...

Education unions are critical of new stop and search rules (302 words)

The country's largest teachers' union, the NUT, has given short shrift to government proposals to give head teachers the power to allow staff to ...

Statue honours building workers (173 words)

London's first statue in celebration of building workers was unveiled last month by the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Alan Ritchie, general secretary ...

Unions respond to growing Islamophobia in the workplace (384 words)

UK unions were last month at the forefront of condemning the current upsurge in anti-Muslim sentiment. ...

Prison officers renew pay talks (261 words)

The prison officers' union the POA is now back in negotiations with the prison service and the government after a row over pay, and ...

Calls to regulate all agencies (226 words)

A comprehensive licensing scheme which regulates all employment agencies "is now a must" the TUC said on the eve of last month's implementation of ...

Inflation hits eight year peak (58 words)

Higher mortgage interest payments pushed inflation to an eight-year high. In September the Retail Prices Index rose to 3.6% from 3.4% in August. Inflation ...

Unemployment continues to rise (213 words)

Unemployment is at a seven year high. Under the Labour Force Survey (LFS) count it was up by 45,000 to 1.7 million in the ...

Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (353 words)

July 2005 (r) 4.6% 3.5% 4.9% 4.6% 4.4% 3.0% ...

Union news

Mega-merger of Amicus and T&G is planned for next MaY (386 words)

The T&G general union and professional and manufacturing union Amicus will amalgamate in May 2007 if all goes to plan, forming a union of ...

Workers rate union presence (153 words)

Having a union voice in the workplace results in a more positive work experience, according to a survey by professional and manufacturing union Amicus ...

CYWU merges (90 words)

The 4,800-member Community and Youth Workers Union (CYWU) merges with the massive T&G general union this month, following an 82% vote in favour. ...

Man to head up RCN (112 words)

The non-TUC Royal College of Nursing has appointed a male leader, for only the second time in its 90-year history, to take over from ...

NUMAST is no more (47 words)

The 18,00-strong shipping and aviation officers union, NUMAST, has changed its name to Nautilus UK. ...

European news

German workers accept lower pay for longer hours so they can keep their jobs (558 words)

Last month French tyre-maker Michelin became the latest company to put pressure on its German employees to accept worse terms and conditions in order ...

European teleworking agreement gets results (327 words)

A joint report, published last month by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and employers' federations at European level, found that the teleworking agreement ...

Features

New law tackles frontline attacks (1677 words)

Attacks on firefighters have been on the rise. The hospitalisation of a firefighter in Cleveland after being punched in the face and knocked unconscious ...

Calls grow to halt NHS reforms (1245 words)

Last month's privatisation of the health service's supply organisation NHS Logistics was widely condemned as a shortsighted move on the part of the government. ...

Keeping on top of pension rules (1502 words)

On 1 December the pensions provisions in the Age Discrimination Regulations* will come into effect. But their complexity has already created confusion, even between ...

How to find the hidden workers (1640 words)

The campaign was launched at September's Congress along with a report by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) which classifies 5.3 million employees as vulnerable ...

Law Matters

Firefighters do not have to cover for ambulances (267 words)

The High Court has dismissed a claim that firefighters are required to attend medical emergencies on behalf of the ambulance service. ...

Redundancy entitlement was contractual term, says court (318 words)

An employee was entitled to an enhanced redundancy payment as stated in his staff handbook, the Court of Appeal has ruled. ...

"Required information" wasn't needed (192 words)

A tribunal was wrong to refuse a claim because the claimant had not included her address on the claim form, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ...

Mandatory retirement age (79 words)

A legal challenge to the age equality regulations has been given the go-ahead. ...

Law Queries

Time off for union meetings (193 words)

Q: My employer is refusing to let me hold union meetings at work, even though the union is recognised. Can you tell me what ...

Young workers' pay (131 words)

Q: Now that the law against age discrimination has come in, can an employer pay workers under 21 less than older workers? ...

Redundancy consultation (213 words)

Q: Our employer has just made 80 staff redundant without consulting the union. What compensation will they be entitled to? ...

Protected disclosures (163 words)

Q: A member has been threatened with dismissal after making a complaint about financial irregularities at work. He has been there less than a ...

Law Back-up

ECJ issues ruling on length-of-service pay (934 words)

Last month the European Court of Justice (ECJ) handed down its long-awaited judgment in the equal pay case of Bernadette Cadman. ...

Health & Safety Matters

Safety fears over new nuclear plan (71 words)

Unions have warned that the rumoured sell-off of the British Nuclear Group will have serious safety mangement implications. ...

Nanotech reporting is not good enough (86 words)

A new voluntary scheme for reporting nanotechnology- related risks is not sufficiently robust, the TUC has said. It wants the Department for Environment, Food ...

Prostate cancer is linked to shift work (84 words)

Shift workers are at a significantly higher risk of developing prostate cancer than day or night workers on fixed patterns of work, a Japanese ...

Government ignores calls for duties on directors (240 words)

The Corporate Liability and Corporate Homicide Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons on 10 October, but unions and safety campaigners ...

Inquests following deaths at work may become jury-free (260 words)

Proposals to reform the coroners' service, especially in the area of work-related deaths, have provoked anger among unions and safety campaigners. ...

Health & Safety Back-up

TUC offers support to HSE back campaign (873 words)

Back pain hurts. First and foremost it hurts workers who can't work normally and sometimes can't work at all. It affects workers' free time ...

Equality news

BT workers learn how to de-stress (243 words)

Telecoms giant BT has collaborated with unions and mental health charities to launch a major programme promoting good mental health across the company. ...

Muslim women meet Blair to discuss workplace problems (480 words)

Employers "see the hijab, not the person", making it difficult for Muslim women to gain jobs, a recent report from the Department for Communities ...

Workers with cancer continue to face discrimination (176 words)

New legal protections have not stopped employers from continuing to discriminate against workers with cancer, according to the Disability Rights Commission (DRC). ...

Workplace Back-up

How to keep a check on staff monitoring (852 words)

The TUC's latest biennial Equality Audit gets under way this month, and one of the questions it will ask affiliated unions is whether they ...

Reviews

The ramparts of resistance (207 words)

Sheila Cohen, Pluto Press, 264 pages, paperback, £16.99 ...

Inside the workplace (204 words)

Barbara Kersley, Carmen Alpin, John Forth, Alex Bryson, Helen Bewley, Gill Dix, Sarah Oxenbridge, Routledge, 388 pages, paperback, £23.99 ...

E-views

e-views (416 words)

Often when I tell people that I work with unions and the new communications technologies I get asked if that means email and the ...