News

Public service workers step up their opposition to pay curbs (434 words)

Industrial action over public sector pay curbs could spread from the civil service to the health service and beyond, if the government sticks to ...

Private equity firm closes pension scheme (267 words)

The CWU communication workers' union has reacted angrily to the closure of a final salary pension scheme for O2 Airwave employees immediately following the ...

Scottish Labour leaders moot possible rail renationalisation (277 words)

Rail unions have welcomed suggestions that train operations in Scotland could be re-integrated with track infrastructure under the control of Network Rail, which would ...

Car industry jobs are safeguarded (272 words)

Vauxhall Motors' Ellesmere Port plant received a boost last month, securing work on the planned replacement for the Astra model. The decision will help ...

Inflation pay shock (142 words)

The hike in inflation to 4.8%, announced last month, means that retail prices are now rising faster than at any time since 1991 (see ...

Civil service pay (133 words)

The PCS civil service union has put a series of questions on its campaign to defend jobs, conditions and services to party leaders and ...

Sellafield inquiry (120 words)

Unions representing nuclear industry workers welcomed the announcement of an urgent inquiry into the revelation that, from the early 1960s until the late 1990s, ...

School occupation (124 words)

Opponents of a proposed school academy have occupied the planned school site in Brent, north west London to prevent the project going ahead (see ...

Number of jobless is on the up (58 words)

Unemployment rose by 21,000 in the three months to February to 1.69 million under the Labour Force Survey (LFS) count, which is the government's ...

Inflation rises to record levels (217 words)

Dearer furniture and petrol prices have pushed inflation higher. In March the Retail Prices Index rose by 4.8% - up from 4.6% the previous ...

Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (193 words)

% annual riseLRD average pay deals*Whole economyManufacturingServicesPrivate sectorPublic sectorFebruary 2006 (r) 4.95.34.95.04.13.0March 4.44.84.44.44.33.0April 3.55.93.23.72.93.0May 4.45.74.24.73.73.0June 4.95.94.85.33.73.0July 3.94.83.83.84.13.0August 3.85.33.73.93.23.0September 4.15.44.24.33.43.0October 4.25.14.44.43.33.0November 4.04.74.14.13.13.4December 3.93.94.24.03.33.5January 2007 (r)4.73.45.15.13.33.6February ...

Union news

Government consultation overstates the importance of non-union reps (400 words)

The TUC has welcomed the government's review of workplace reps' rights but has expressed concern over its blurring of the distinction between union reps ...

British super-union seeks international unity by merging with American union (218 words)

General unions Amicus and the T&G, which merge this month to form Unite, have taken a significant step towards global organisation by setting out ...

Near-miss for Labour (95 words)

The Labour Party in Scotland only received overt union backing for this month's Scottish Executive and council elections by the narrowest of margins. ...

European news

Belgium rapped for failing to implement information and consultation directive (407 words)

The Belgian government has been condemned by the European Court of Justice for its failure to implement an EU directive on information and consultation. ...

Merger in Finland will create largest union (214 words)

Six industrial unions in Finland may merge, if they accept the proposals made by an external expert that they commissioned to examine their future. ...

Antwerp plant misses out on new GM model (232 words)

General Motors (GM) last month announced plans to share production of a replacement for the Astra small car between all the existing Astra sites ...

Features

Iranians fight for their rights (2041 words)

Teachers in Iran organised a wave of strikes and demonstrations for better conditions and higher wages in February, March and April this year - ...

Polish workers make history (1285 words)

The GMB general union made union history last October by establishing Britain's first post-war migrant workers' trade union branch. The branch is based in ...

Why Europe matters so much (2033 words)

When John Monks came to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), just over four years ago, there were many who saw him as the ...

The true cost of private equity (1487 words)

The news that health and beauty retailer Boots is to be taken over in the UK's biggest private equity deal is unsettling news for ...

Law Matters

Secret monitoring was a breach of human rights (200 words)

An employee's human rights were breached when her employer secretly monitored her telephone calls, e-mails and internet use, according to the European Court of ...

UNISON celebrates victory in landmark age equality case (238 words)

A hospital worker has been reinstated after successfully challenging her dismissal on age discrimination grounds. ...

Employers can dictate timing of holidays (202 words)

The BBC was within its rights to insist that its employees take their holidays on Saturdays only, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held. ...

Minor changes to employment law (170 words)

Changes to the wording of recent legislation have given more protection to people facing discrimination because of their philosophical beliefs, and widened the range ...

Law Queries

Maternity pay (170 words)

Q: I have worked on successive fixed-term contracts for the past four years. Am I entitled to statutory maternity pay? ...

Insolvency (267 words)

Q: Our employer has gone into liquidation without warning; we turned up for work to be told that the firm had closed down. We ...

Probationary period (237 words)

Q: My contract says that my employment would be "confirmed" at six months, but after 10 months I am about to be dismissed. Is ...

Law Back-up

Migrants count the cost of accommodation (931 words)

The purpose of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is to ensure that workers earn a living wage and are not exploited by unscrupulous employers. ...

Health & Safety Matters

Teachers seek action on workplace temperatures (304 words)

The NUT teachers' union has called on the government to legislate on classroom temperatures. ...

Dockers win asbestos appeal (235 words)

Hundreds of former dock workers have been given the right to sue the government for compensation over asbestos-related illnesses, following a ruling by the ...

Unions fight cancer (104 words)

Eleven global trade union organisations representing 300 million members are organising a "zero cancer" campaign after new figures revealed that over 600,000 workers worldwide ...

NHS violence shows no reduction (126 words)

The NHS's attempts to clamp down on violence against workers has made little difference, according the Healthcare Commission. ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Awareness of strokes needs to be improved (925 words)

Every year, over 130,000 people in the UK have a stroke. Although commonly associated with older people, the condition can affect children and even ...

Equality news

Unions vow to fight on for agency staff (255 words)

Unions have promised to continue fighting for more agency and temporary workers' rights, despite the recent defeat of draft legislation on the issue. ...

TUC discusses co-operation with the Muslim community (435 words)

The TUC and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) met last month to examine how unions can improve Muslim workers' job prospects, and counter ...

Manufacturers seek guidance on addressing equality issues (216 words)

Handling discrimination and equal opportunities issues has "risen significantly" up the list of companies' key concerns, according to one of the biggest employers' organisations ...

Workplace Back-up

So just how fast are prices really rising? (926 words)

Since the cost of living generally goes up rather than down, we expect the value of our pay or other regular income at least ...

News from LRD

Annual general meeting (150 words)

The Labour Research Department annual general meeting was held on 16 April. The full 2006 annual report can be found on the LRD website ...

Reviews

Iran on the brink (169 words)

Andreas Malm and Shora Esmailian, Pluto, 288 pages, paperback, £17.99 ...

Marxism and ecological economics (125 words)

Toward a red and green political economy ...

Muslim Britain: communities under pressure (154 words)

Tahir Abbas ed. Zed books, paperback, 256 pages, £17.99 ...

E-views

e-views (393 words)

In a report published in mid-April, the Broadband Stakeholder Group warned that "time is running out to get the UK in shape to cope ...