News

Round two for JJB (74 words)

Workers at JJB Sports distribution warehouse in Wigan, who recently returned to work following a pay dispute and row over the use of agency ...

Local bus services (73 words)

The T&G and RMT transport unions have welcomed government proposals to give local authorities a bigger role in running local bus services. Described by ...

Pensions disputes (95 words)

Members of broadcasting union BECTU and the NUJ journalists' union at news provider ITN were balloted in the run up to Christmas on the ...

Takeover target Corus told to pay over £3 million for Port Talbot blast (368 words)

Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus, the object of an intensive take-over battle between Indian-owned Tata Steel and Brazilian producer CSN, has been ordered to pay more ...

Personal account pensions are unveiled (309 words)

Government proposals on setting up a system of 'Personal Account' pensions have been welcomed by the TUC. Eligible employees will be automatically enrolled to ...

PCS to strike as Chancellor refuses improved pay deal (363 words)

Union discontent over the government's attitude towards the public services comes to a head this month, with political campaigning around the issue and the ...

Education wins out in pre-budget speech (218 words)

Gordon Brown won union approval for some parts of his December pre-budget speech, particularly for measures to boost training, education and research. ...

Unions are fighting for equal pay in Scotland (225 words)

After a long battle, union plans for December strike action in Glasgow resulted in an agreement with the council. ...

Inflation is still rising (66 words)

Dearer motoring costs and higher food prices pushed inflation to an eight and a half year high. In November, the Retail Prices Index rose ...

Unemployment begins to drop (200 words)

Unemployment has fallen for the first time in nine months. Under the Labour Force Survey (LFS) count it was down by 7,000 to 1.7 ...

Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (184 words)

Annual increaseWhole economyManufacturingServicesPrivate sectorPublic sectorLRD pay deals*September 2005 (r)3.8%4.5%3.5%3.8%4.0%3.0%October (r)3.2%4.5%2.9%3.0%4.1%3.0%November3.5%4.4%3.4%3.2%4.4%3.0%December4.2%4.4%3.9%3.9%4.7%3.2%January 20063.0%5.0%2.8%2.9%4.1%3.0%February 5.0%5.2%5.1%5.3%4.1%3.0%March 4.4%4.8%4.5%4.4%4.3%3.0%April 3.6%5.9%3.2%3.7%2.9%3.0%May 4.4%5.7%4.2%4.7%3.7%3.0%June 4.9%5.9%4.8%5.3%3.7%3.0%July 3.9%4.8%3.8%3.8%4.1%3.0%August3.8%5.3%3.7%3.9%3.1%3.0%September (r)4.1%5.4%4.2%4.3%3.4%3.0%October (p)4.3%5.3%4.4%4.5%3.2%3.0%Headline rate for October**3.9%5.2%3.9%4.0%3.5% ...

Union news

Funding review threatens unions' historic link with the Labour Party (456 words)

The historic link between unions and the Labour Party could be shattered if leaked proposals from the Hayden political funding review are implemented. ...

ALGUS brings forward merger decision (260 words)

The leadership of the 2,500-member Alliance & Leicester Group Union of Staff (ALGUS) has decided to merge with the CWU communication workers' union, which ...

Crow is re-elected (80 words)

RMT general secretary Bob Crow has been re-elected to his union's top post unopposed. Despite being a controversial figure in the public eye, Crow ...

What's in a name? (122 words)

If all goes ahead as planned, members of the merging Amicus and T&G unions will get to vote on the name of the new ...

RMT expels activist (60 words)

Far-right activist and BNP councillor Rodney Law has been expelled from the RMT after acting in a threatening manner towards general secretary Bob Crow. ...

Features

Swedish unions clash with new PM (208 words)

The LO, Sweden's powerful trade union confederation, brought thousands of its members onto the streets last month to protest at government plans to cut ...

Big union confederations push for change in France (353 words)

France's union confederations are in conflict because the two largest, the CGT and CFDT, are backing proposals that will change the way unions are ...

Belgians take to the streets in protest against VW job-losses (301 words)

More than 25,000 people marched through the streets of Brussels last month in a major union demonstration protesting against the massive job-cuts planned for ...

What will happen in 2007? (1792 words)

What is 2007 likely to bring for UK trade unions and their members? On the political front millions of union members will be entitled ...

Union giants prepare for new era (1662 words)

The next few weeks will see ballot papers winging their way to almost two million trade union members asking them to make history by ...

Learning reps lead the way (1906 words)

* The government-sponsored Leitch Review has said union learning representatives (ULRs) will play their part in improving the skills profile of the working population ...

Manslaughter Bill reaches final stages (1216 words)

The year after Labour came to power, Andrew Herbertson was killed when he fell from an inadequately constructed scaffold platform while dismantling a printing ...

Help save the planet (77 words)

Unions must do more to tackle climate change, according to Robert Sneddon, health and safety officer at Community union. ...

Mice are bad for you (62 words)

Dutch researchers have found "moderate evidence" linking hand-arm repetitive strain injury with intensive use of a computer mouse. ...

Sex equality is linked to health and safety (100 words)

The fight for better health and safety goes together with the struggle for equality for women, two recent reports have claimed. ...

English workplaces gear up for July smoking ban (362 words)

Unions are preparing for 1 July 2007, the date announced by the government for its workplace smoking ban to come into force in England. ...

Research exposes scientists in the pay of industrial giants (273 words)

Scientists, consultants and academics in the pay of industry are distorting research on hazards and risks, according to an explosive new paper. ...

Survey allows safety reps to have their say (926 words)

Safety reps are a vital force for securing improvements in the workplace, so getting a regular overview of their opinions, experiences and needs is ...

Unions demand rights for agency staff (246 words)

Unions have stepped up their campaign to give temporary agency workers equal rights with permanent employees. ...

Journalism has culture of discrimination and bullying (256 words)

The vast majority of media workers facing discrimination and bullying, particularly in newspapers, are women and people from ethnic minorities. ...

USDAW opposes plan to charge migrants for English lessons (300 words)

Unions are fighting to keep English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses free for migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers, following an announcement ...

e-views (402 words)

Often when left-wing people talk about the Internet, the subject of a "digital divide" comes up. According to common wisdom, the Internet is all ...

Law Matters

Compensation rates are set to change in February (187 words)

Compensation rates that can be awarded in employment tribunals are set to increase from next month. ...

Employer's inconsistency may not make a dismissal unfair (360 words)

Consistency is one factor that an employment tribunal will take into account when deciding whether a dismissal was fair. But consistency does not mean ...

Pre-resignation grievance did extend time (255 words)

The EAT has ruled that a grievance relating to constructive dismissal will comply with the statutory grievance procedures, even if it is raised before ...

ECJ will rule on UK age law (60 words)

The High Court has asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to rule on whether the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 contravene European law. ...

Law Queries

Use of personal data (172 words)

Q: Our employer has started using the security computer system to check workers' hours for overtime purposes. It is normally only used for headcount ...

Right to overtime pay (251 words)

Q: I have just started work with a new employer, and have found out from my workmates that he does not pay weekend overtime ...

Post-TUPE changes (288 words)

Q: We have just been transferred to a new company under TUPE, but the new employer has announced it is changing our shift pattern. ...

Law Back-up

When does a term become contractual? (838 words)

Not all terms and conditions of employment are put in writing. Some may be so obvious they do not need to be written down, ...

Workplace Back-up

Skills review proposes legal right to training (864 words)

In 2004 the government commissioned businessman Lord Sandy Leitch to examine the skills profile that the UK will need by 2020 in order to ...

Reviews

Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope (141 words)

Tariq Ali, Verso, 224 pages, hardback, £14.99 ...

Sodom (152 words)

Peter Purton, Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights, 68 pages, £5.99 ...

How to spend $50 billion to make the world a better place (150 words)

Bj¿rn Lomborg (ed), Cambridge University Press, paperback, 183 pages, £9.99 ...