News

Good news for the Boots pension scheme but others fare less well (446 words)

There were sighs of relief in the public and private sectors last month as unions celebrated some good news on pensions in the local ...

UK economy depends on migrant workers (209 words)

Sectors of the UK economy would collapse if migrant workers were removed overnight, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said last month. ...

Unions call for gangmaster law to be extended to construction (226 words)

Unions are backing a proposal to extend the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 (GLA) to the construction sector in a bid to end "the growing ...

Royal Mail cost cutting triggers strike (341 words)

A "cost cutting frenzy" at the Royal Mail was challenged by the CWU communication workers' union last month. It called a one-day strike by ...

Iranian solidarity (115 words)

Mansour Ossanlou, president of the Iranian bus workers' union Sherkat-e Vahed, visited Britain last month at the invitation of the International Transport Workers' Federation, ...

School support (40 words)

Delegates at UNISON's local government conference welcomed moves towards a national framework for school support staff pay and conditions. ...

Consultants' billions (103 words)

The PCS civil service union last month accused the government of giving management consultants a licence to print money. Its comments came in response ...

Jaguar/Land Rover (63 words)

Responding to reports that the Ford Motor Company is planning to sell its Jaguar and Land Rover subsidiaries, general union Unite has called on ...

Sickness absence (65 words)

Yet another report focusing on sickness absence levels in the public sector has been published, this time covering the Department for Transport (National Audit ...

Inflation kept down by low utility bills (74 words)

Another month of cheaper gas and electricity prices have again helped cut inflation. In May, the Retail Prices Index rose by 4.3% - down ...

Union warns against complacency (206 words)

Despite a fall in unemployment according to two official counts, Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of general union Unite, warned against "complacency" in the ...

Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (183 words)

% annual rise in earningsLRD average pay deals*Whole economyManufacturingServicesPrivate sectorPublic sectorApril 2006 (r)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 4.04.74.14.13.13.3December 3.93.94.24.13.33.5January 20074.63.55.05.03.33.6February (r) 5.23.55.75.72.83.6March ...

Union news

UNISON begins process of change with the branch and service groups (360 words)

UNISON, the public services union has agreed a set of new proposals making some changes to its existing structure and opening the way for ...

UCU discusses Israel boycott (204 words)

Last month the executive of the UCU, the university and college lecturers' union, discussed its next moves on the motion on Israel passed at ...

GMB plans new forum to tackle inequality (239 words)

The GMB last month adopted a new approach to its work on equality, following a year-long review which was critical of past work on ...

New chair (56 words)

Brenda Sanders, a TUC tutor from Wallasey in North West England, has been elected as the chair of the executive committee of the newly ...

European news

Sarkozy wins mandate to change both the 35-hour week and strike cover (494 words)

With a clear parliamentary majority following last month's elections to the National Assembly, the new centre-right French government has started to make progress on ...

Minimal compromise is reached on minimum pay (383 words)

The German coalition government last month finally reached agreement on the introduction of a type of minimum wage. But despite months of wrangling between ...

Features

Has the McJob been beefed up? (1940 words)

A dead-end job with low pay and few opportunities for career advancement - for around two decades the word "McJob" has come to symbolise ...

Will Gordon deliver for the unions? (1322 words)

Gordon Brown, the new prime minister, can hardly be described as an unknown quantity. After 10 years as chancellor and six weeks of attending ...

Unions face a global challenge (1792 words)

Multinationals fear power of three million-strong global union." This is the sort of headline Britain's largest union, Unite, might hope to see in the ...

School's out for summer (1646 words)

As summer approaches, thousands of schoolchildren around the country will be looking for work. They will be joining the many thousands of other children ...

Law Matters

Constructive dismissal claimant gets full costs (187 words)

A schoolteacher has won her claim of constructive dismissal and been awarded full legal costs of more than £60,000, after an employment tribunal found ...

Regular overtime may not count as a contractual right (254 words)

Working overtime every day for a year does not necessarily give an employee a contractual right to overtime, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ...

Dismissal, illness and lost earnings (185 words)

An employee who has been constructively dismissed can claim for lost earnings during an illness that started before their employment ended, the Employment Appeal ...

Probation period not extended (168 words)

A probationary period of employment was not extended by a performance review that took place after it had ended, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ...

Law Queries

TUPE protection (202 words)

Q: Our jobs transferred under TUPE about six months ago and now our new employer is trying to change our pay structure. How long ...

Union reps and redundancy (160 words)

Q: I believe that an employer must consult the union if it is taking disciplinary action against a union rep. Does the same apply ...

Changes to shift patterns (248 words)

Q: Our employer is planning to change our shifts, and is relying on a clause in the contract that says an employee can be ...

Redundancy and pregnancy (118 words)

Q: Two of our members are pregnant and under threat of redundancy; the firm may even go into administration. If they are made redundant, ...

Law Back-up

Workers are set to get longer holidays (942 words)

From this October, workers receiving the legal minimum leave entitlement of 20 days (pro rata for part-time workers) will be entitled to up to ...

Health & Safety Matters

Report identifies extent of mental health problems (296 words)

Mental ill health is now the second largest cause of sickness absence in the UK, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute ...

Unions vow to fight on for improved safety rep rights (213 words)

Unions have expressed "anger and bewilderment" at a decision by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) not to introduce new rights for union safety ...

Unions set upper temperature limits (135 words)

Unions are taking a tough line on acceptable working temperatures by setting upper limits beyond which members should not work. ...

Migrant workers' health and safety (123 words)

The TUC has published a new guide offering unions advice on protecting the health and safety of migrant workers. ...

Health & Safety Back-up

New regulations are a breath of fresh air (910 words)

Passed almost exactly a year ago, the Health Act 2006 created the offences of "smoking in a smoke-free place" and "failing to prevent smoking ...

Equality news

Homophobic discrimination exposed in health sector (424 words)

A report produced by the Stonewall campaigning organisation for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people has uncovered "stark evidence" of homophobic discrimination affecting workers ...

Small firms are more flexible (197 words)

Smaller firms are better at implementing flexible working arrangements than big companies, according to a report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ...

Look beyond disability, says government (212 words)

The government has launched a campaign aimed at getting employers to challenge "negative and limiting assumptions about the capabilities of disabled workers". ...

Workplace Back-up

Equality proposals don't go far enough (890 words)

In March 2005, two initiatives were announced by the government in an attempt to tackle inequality and discrimination. The Equalities Review would "investigate the ...

Reviews

Journalists: 100 years of the NUJ (149 words)

Tim Gopsill, and Greg Neale, Profile Books, paperback, 362 pages, £17.99 ...

Solidarity with migrant workers (159 words)

No Sweat, paperback, 24 pages, £1.50 ...