Pay and prices

Deals are slow to respond to soaring prices (225 words)

While the retail prices index (RPI) rose to another 16-year high – 4.8% – in the year to March, pay settlements increased only slightly; ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (72 words)

Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered) ...

Other pay analysts (23 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end March 2007): 3.5% ...

Full-time weekly average earnings (16 words)

All workers£568.50All male£625.30All female£479.90Managers£857.70Professionals£771.70Associate professional£587.00Admin & secretarial£377.10Skilled/craft£474.10Services£331.90Sales£314.60Operatives£437.00Other manual£339.40 ...

Average earnings indices (including bonuses) (57 words)

Earnings index* for whole economy% annual riseWhole economyManufacturingServicesPrivate sectorPublic sectorDec 2005 (r)124.24.34.54.04.14.7Jan 2006 (r)124.42.95.12.92.94.1February (r)125.74.95.34.95.04.2March125.34.44.84.44.44.3April124.83.55.93.23.72.9May125.94.45.74.24.73.7June126.64.95.84.95.33.7July126.53.94.83.83.84.1August126.83.85.33.73.93.2September127.34.15.44.24.33.4October127.64.25.14.44.43.3November128.24.04.74.14.13.1December (r)129.03.93.94.24.13.3Jan 2007 (r)130.24.73.45.15.13.3February (p)132.15.13.05.55.62.9Headline rate2 for Feb4.63.45.04.93.2 ...

Prices (20 words)

Retail prices index (RPI)* % annual increase in RPI% annual increase in RPI excluding mortgages February 2006194.22.42.3March195.02.42.1April196.52.62.4May197.73.02.9June198.53.33.1July198.53.33.1August199.23.43.3September200.13.63.2October200.43.73.2November201.13.93.4December202.74.43.8January 2007201.64.23.5February203.14.63.7March204.44.83.9 ...

Inflation forecasts (17 words)

Fourth quarter 2007 ...

Bargaining news

CWU deal proves that it’s good to talk at BT (458 words)

Rocketing inflation and a determined stance by the CWU communication workers’ union have forced telecoms company BT to more than double the value of ...

Care workers’ payments are preserved (174 words)

Care workers at Southampton City Council have succeeded in delaying the removal of enhanced payments for working antisocial hours. ...

The sky’s the limit at BA as strike threats pay off (337 words)

Unions representing pilots and cabin crew have forced British Airways (BA) and its franchise company GB Airways to improve their pay, pensions and working ...

Fat lady sings for ROH final-salary scheme (262 words)

Entertainment union BECTU has secured important concessions over changes to pensions at the Royal Opera House (ROH). ...

TSSA fights to keep rail workers’ pay rise on track (410 words)

Pay increases for maintenance workers at Network Rail are to top 5% under a management offer that has been broadly approved by the TSSA ...

Drink-drivers’ salaries rise by 10% at Carlsberg (289 words)

A two-year settlement negotiated by the T&G transport union for delivery drivers at brewery Carlsberg UK will see their annual salary rise by 10% ...

BBC News staff agree revised working practices (289 words)

Revised proposals for new rotas at BBC TV News Production Facilities have been approved by members of broadcasting and entertainment union BECTU after a ...

USDAW agrees landmark settlement on foster care (341 words)

Shopworkers’ union USDAW and supermarket giant Tesco have signed what the union believes to be the first agreement in the private sector on paid ...

Unions show constructive attitude in ‘difficult’ talks (366 words)

Industry-level agreements were reached last month for two groups of workers in the construction sector. ...

Equality news

Disability charities call for increased recruitment (462 words)

Two major organisations supporting disabled people – the National Aids Trust (NAT) and the Down’s Syndrome Association (DSA) – have gone on the offensive ...

Employers fail to resolve disputes (138 words)

A study carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) has found that statutory dispute resolution procedures, designed to reduce the number of ...

Anti-ageism law is being ignored (346 words)

Almost two-thirds of adults in the UK believe that new legislation banning age discrimination at work has made little difference to the way people ...

Recruitment and organisation news

Recognition deals are won using a range of tactics (370 words)

Industrial action by 70 parking attendants and traffic wardens, most of them migrant workers from Africa, has secured union recognition for the GMB general ...

Amicus calls for talks at Standard Life (124 words)

Finance-sector union Amicus has built up a membership of 1,000 at insurer Standard Life – despite the company’s refusal to deal with trade unions. ...

Learning and training news

Get involved with Learning at Work Day (75 words)

Learning at Work Day, an annual event promoting and supporting workplace learning in England, takes place on 24 May – and there’s still time ...

Free seminars aim to ease workers’ financial worries (259 words)

Cash-strapped and debt-ridden workers are to receive help with managing their money, thanks to a new partnership between the TUC’s learning and skills organisation ...

European news

Builders beat inflation in Germany (258 words)

Germany’s 680,000 building industry employees are to see their pay increase by 3.5% from next month, under a pay deal agreed between employers and ...

Denmark’s private sector agrees to fund training (355 words)

Workers in Denmark’s private sector have been given the right to two weeks’ continuing training a year, to be financed by a fund into ...

French posties get 1.5% (187 words)

The French post office, La Poste, has agreed a settlement providing increases of 1.5% for most staff. ...

Italian public-sector settlement is put in doubt (166 words)

A new settlement for Italy's public sector, including schools, looked to be in jeopardy as Workplace Report went to press. ...

Law - Discrimination

Religious discrimination (592 words)

Case 1: The facts ...

Equal pay (312 words)

Case 3: The facts ...

Equal pay time limits (247 words)

Case 4: The facts ...

Disability discrimination (358 words)

Case 5: The facts ...

Continuing discrimination (193 words)

Case 7: The facts ...

Reasonable adjustments (179 words)

Case 8: The facts ...

Jurisdiction (678 words)

Case 9: The facts ...

Race discrimination (229 words)

Case 13: The facts ...

Proving discrimination (317 words)

Case 14: The facts ...

Compensation (172 words)

Case 15: The facts ...

Sex discrimination (193 words)

Case 16: The facts ...

Sex discrimination laws (184 words)

Case 17: The facts ...

Health & safety news

Hospital closures will be based on ‘bogus research’ (249 words)

Government plans to “reconfigure” the NHS through specialisation and hospital closures are not based on solid evidence, according to a new report published by ...

Port union fights imposed drugs and alcohol policy (216 words)

A national row is brewing between Associated British Ports (ABP) and the T&G general union over the imposition of a new drugs and alcohol ...

GMB demands safety in the security industry (109 words)

New figures showing a sharp rise in attacks on security staff have prompted the GMB general union to demand more safety measures, including changes ...

Unions stand up for ESOL (98 words)

Following a storm of protest, the government has announced that it will continue to provide some free courses in English for speakers of other ...

ASLEF negotiates on cabs (89 words)

Train drivers’ union ASLEF has reported progress in its attempts to improve freight drivers’ cabs. ...

RMT reveals plan to remove guards from trains (153 words)

The RMT rail union has exposed secret plans to remove guards from busy commuter trains in London. ...

Health & safety - HSE Monitor

HSC is condemned for its inaction on reps’ powers (344 words)

Unions and safety campaigners are “outraged” at the Health and Safety Commission’s (HSC) decision not to make even small improvements to safety reps’ legal ...

Joint statement on disability and safety (96 words)

The Health and Safety Executive and the Disability Rights Commission have published a joint statement outlining the relationship between health and safety law and ...

HSL offers stress relief (65 words)

The Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL), an agency of the Health and Safety Executive, has launched a stress management consultancy service based on the ...

Consultation on REACH (88 words)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is consulting on proposals for the enforcement of the European Union’s new chemicals regulation framework. ...

Deaths at work increase (225 words)

Government cutbacks have been blamed for a sharp rise in workplace fatalities last year. ...

Low awareness prompts action on gas safety (118 words)

The government has announced a new scheme to improve domestic gas safety, after a review found low public awareness of the risks of carbon ...

Features

Inflationary surge shows value of RPI link in long-term deals (3058 words)

With the government trying to limit growth in its own pay bill to just 1.9% this year (see last month’s Workplace Report), a gap ...

New rules for new parents leave plenty of room for improvement (2295 words)

From 6 April, pregnant employees and those adopting children have seen their legal entitlement to paid maternity leave rise by 50% – with the ...