News

Council staff consider offer (272 words)

The local government pay dispute, which saw 750,000 council staff out on strike in July, looks to have been settled (see Labour Research, August ...

Telecomms group to shed hundreds more jobs (241 words)

UK manufacturing suffered another blow last month when troubled telecoms group Marconi said it will cut up to 1,000 more jobs in addition to ...

Call-centre workers fear outsourcing to India (350 words)

Home shopping company Reality faces the prospect of industrial action following its decision to outsource some of its call-centre business to Bangalore - India's ...

Clock ticks on firefighter pay (430 words)

Firefighters will take a decision on a national pay strike this month if last-ditch talks between union and management prove fruitless. ...

Public services unrest set to continue (315 words)

Discontent among workers in public services looks set to continue well into the autumn, despite the possible settlement of the main local government dispute ...

Features

Contents (106 words)

Serwotka wins PCS battle (184 words)

The battle for leadership of the PCS civil service union ended on 31 July when the High Court ruled that Mark Serwotka was the ...

Major unions slip into red (277 words)

Union finances overall had another healthy year in 2001, but there was a downturn among the largest unions, according to the annual report of ...

Factories become unions' weakest link (181 words)

The proportion of employees in union membership - "union density" - has slipped by 10 percentage points since 1989, according to figures from the ...

German unions gear up for election campaign (277 words)

Germany's unions have started a campaign to mobilise their members for the national elections later this month. ...

35-hour week changes in France (151 words)

The French government, now formed by the centre-right and led by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, is expected to ...

CGIL petitions to keep labour laws (100 words)

The CGIL, the largest trade union confederation in Italy, has started its campaign to collect signatures against the labour law changes introduced by the ...

Irish public sector workers look for catch-up increases (343 words)

Negotiations will start this month in Ireland on a key report looking at the increases needed to bring the pay of public sector workers ...

Union recruiters go shopping (1658 words)

Unions are having significant success in recruiting and organising staff in supermarkets. But they are facing a tough battle in the other growth sectors ...

Law beats the union busters (2005 words)

The trade unions have adapted to the statutory recognition procedure rather better than the anti-union employers have. But there is still room for improvement ...

Combating the two-tier workforce (1590 words)

The government's moves to curb the spread of the "two-tier workforce" - where new public services staff get worse pay and conditions than existing ...

Helped back into work (1389 words)

The government and TUC want employers to put more emphasis on the rehabilitation of workers following injury or illness. New research shows that a ...

Women graduates face early gender pay gap (315 words)

Women graduates are already earning less on average than men just three years after they graduate, according to research for the Equal Opportunities Commission ...

Government may not deliver on wider disability rights (224 words)

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) is bitterly disappointed at reports that the government is not planning to include further legislation on disability discrimination in ...

Single Equality Bill is drafted for Lords (229 words)

A draft Equality Bill has been drawn up for public consultation, with the aim of addressing the gaps in the current equality legislation. ...

Law Matters

Discrimination awards rise to record levels (305 words)

Employees who suffered unlawful discrimination at work won a record £3.38 million in compensation at employment tribunals in 2001. This represents an increase on ...

Government consults on extending workers' rights (266 words)

The government is seeking views on whether and to what extent existing employment law rights should be extended to include "workers" and not just ...

Temporary workers' rights (95 words)

As Labour Research went to press the government seemed determined to restrict new rights to "no less favourable treatment" to temporary workers employed under ...

Consultation law (149 words)

The TUC has issued a discussion document which identifies a number of key issues which unions will need to address in the forthcoming consultation ...

Law Queries

Law Queries (212 words)

We are about to call a strike at my work after a ballot showed 82% in favour of industrial action. We know that we ...

Law Queries (197 words)

I am a part-time employee working alongside full timers. I have just found out that I am paid £1 an hour less than they ...

Law Queries (124 words)

Redundancies have been announced at our work. Our employer has said that we have to work our notice and do not have the right ...

Law Queries (100 words)

Is there any legal definition of "night work"? ...

Law Queries (157 words)

Do we have the legal right to carry forward holidays that we haven't been able to take in the holiday year due to pressure ...

Law Back-up

Small firms may face fewer regulations (684 words)

Last month the government published its response to a report arguing for changes to the regulatory environment particularly for smaller employers. Back-up explains what ...

Health & Safety Matters

Figures show five die at work every week (302 words)

Five people die at work every week in Britain, according to new figures released by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC). Over the last ...

Surveys expose Britain's long-hours culture (245 words)

The average British worker takes less than half an hour for lunch, does not take their full holiday entitlement, and works excessively long hours. ...

Dispute over safety at train company (123 words)

The RMT transport union claims that safety is being compromised by the behaviour of management at Arriva Trains Northern. ...

Fire safety reform proposals (120 words)

The government has published a consultation document covering plans to simplify fire safety law. One proposal is to repeal the Fire Precautions Act 1971 ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Safety reps try out inspection notices (836 words)

They don't have a legal status but safety reps in a number of unions have been making use of an extra tool to make ...

Workplace Back-up

Long-term deals could spread to town halls (888 words)

Local government workers have suspended planned strike action in order to consider a two-year pay offer, while a three-year deal for teachers in England ...

Reviews

Students against sweatshops (152 words)

Liza Featherstone and USAS, Verso, 120 pages, paperback, £10.00 ...

Changing prospects for trade unionism (170 words)

Edited by Peter Fairbrother and Gerard Griffin, Continuum, paperback, £19.99 ...

One hundred red hot years (142 words)

Edited by Deborah Sknookal, Ocean Press, paperback, 81 pages, price £5.95 ...

E-views

Eviews (307 words)

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has launched a website for legal advisors - including union reps and lay advisors - on sex discrimination and ...