News

PCS overtime ban will “increase the pressure” on government (373 words)

Members of the PCS civil service union working in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were following up two successive days of strike ...

Education unions plan for strikes (303 words)

The NUT teachers’ and UCU college and university lecturers’ unions were both balloting for strike action as Labour Research went to press. ...

Most social care workers feel they are underpaid (247 words)

Around two in five social care workers have second jobs to make ends meet, and three-quarters feel they do not receive a fair wage ...

Shelter staff call off strike action to ballot on offer (310 words)

Staff at national housing charity Shelter were due to begin a three-week ballot on an offer made during talks at the Acas conciliation service, ...

Airport staff will get ID cards (255 words)

The government’s recent announcement that it is to introduce biometric identity (ID) cards for airport staff has been described as “a development of questionable ...

Minimum wage (49 words)

The government announced last month that the adult National Minimum Wage (NMW) rate will rise by 21p an hour in October from £5.52 to ...

Northern Rock (78 words)

The newly-nationalised Northern Rock bank last month announced plans to axe between 2,000 and 2,500 jobs — part of the business plan submitted to ...

Incapacity benefit (106 words)

Tougher tests for all Incapacity Benefit (IB) claimants are being brought in from 2010. In October this year IB will be replaced by the ...

Inflation remains constant (64 words)

Higher gas and electricity bills offset by cheaper food kept inflation, under the Retail Prices Index (RPI), steady at 4.1% in February. ...

Jobless figures keep on falling (209 words)

Unemployment was down on both official counts, according to the latest figures. Under the Labour Force Survey (LFS) count it fell by 32,000 to ...

Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (190 words)

% annual rise in average weekly earnings (1)% rise in LRD pay deals (2)Whole economyManufacturingServicesPrivate sectorPublic sectorJan 2007 (r) 4.93.65.35.33.23.6February 4.93.65.45.42.83.7March 3.53.53.33.83.13.7April 3.43.23.63.23.23.5May 3.64.43.53.83.03.6June3.23.93.23.23.13.6July ...

Union news

CAC to make key decision on C&W recognition (383 words)

Telecoms giant Cable & Wireless (C&W) and the CWU communication workers’ union are on tenterhooks as the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) prepares to announce ...

Livingstone calls for union votes (177 words)

Labour trade unionists are calling on union members throughout the country to support the campaign to get Labour candidate Ken Livingstone re-elected as London ...

Pub managers (97 words)

The section of Unite union covering pub managers, licensees and restaurant and club managers, formerly the union NAHLM, has been relaunched as Licensees Unite ...

Union elections (51 words)

A five-yearly general secretary election in the TSSA transport staffs’ union ends on 4 April. Incumbent Gerry Doherty faces a challenge from David Buswell. ...

Difficult finances (92 words)

The NUJ journalists’ union is facing a stringent financial year after recording a £269,000 loss in 2007 and debts of £780,000. ...

European news

Unions consider best strategy for European works councils (709 words)

Unions and employers are currently deciding whether they want to enter into negotiations on future rules for the European Works Councils (EWC). The European ...

Falling pay sparks euro-wide demo (107 words)

Downward pressure on pay across Europe has led the European Trade Union Confederation to organise a demonstration for higher pay on 5 April in ...

German minimum wage “illegal” (133 words)

Barely two months after it came into force the minimum wage for postal workers in Germany has been declared illegal. ...

Features

Dealing with the real issues (1746 words)

Britain’s 800,000 Muslim women became the focus of a major government project when communities secretary Hazel Blears launched the government’s Empowering Muslim women campaign ...

Fighting for a union resource (1492 words)

The news of job cuts and restructuring at Keele University’s world-renowned industrial relations department has reverberated across the trade union movement. The department’s future ...

Music and politics: 30 years on (1760 words)

On 30 April 1978 around 100,000 people marched from Trafalgar Square to Victoria Park in London’s East End to show their support for racial ...

Will fast track deliver justice? (1626 words)

Concern is growing that government proposals to speed up employment tribunals will diminish the chances of employees receiving a fair hearing. ...

Law Matters

Retained firefighters win claim of unfair treatment (274 words)

Retained firefighters have won their fight for equality in pensions and sick pay after an eight-year legal battle by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). ...

Sex discrimination law reform extends employers’ liability (243 words)

Legal changes to bring the Sex Discrimination Act into line with the amended European Equal Treatment Directive will finally come into force on 6 ...

Workers get opt-out rights from agencies (210 words)

Changes to the law governing the conduct of employment agencies from 6 April will give workers the right to opt out of services provided ...

Consultation rights are extended (85 words)

From 6 April, the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 are being extended to cover employers with 50 or more employees. ...

Law Queries

Compromise agreements (144 words)

Q: A colleague has been offered a compromise agreement and is keen to leave her employment quickly, but she has not had any advice ...

Part-time workers (211 words)

Q: Our company’s policy says sick pay is only paid after two days’ sickness absence. We have a part-time worker who works two 10-hour ...

Protective award (206 words)

Q: An employer has just announced 55 redundancies, and our union is applying for compensation for its failure to consult. How much can be ...

Accompanying a member (128 words)

Q: Does a member have the right to be accompanied by a union rep or a friend in a meeting with management to discuss ...

Law Back-up

The Employment Bill is a lost opportunity (887 words)

Trade unions in the UK are among the most heavily regulated in Europe, with specific legislation affecting their day-to-day operations and the way they ...

Health & Safety Matters

Reps are told to organise around health and safety (343 words)

Health and safety issues can be used to meet union members’ needs, get workers active and renew the union movement, according to new TUC ...

UCATT sends Straw a postcard (219 words)

Unions are stepping up their efforts to reinstate the system of compensation for workers with pleural plaques — a scarring of the lungs caused ...

Remove asbestos from schools (113 words)

The ATL teaching union has called on the government to survey all schools for the presence of asbestos. ...

Long hours “are killing journalism” (154 words)

The NUJ media union has warned that a culture of overwork is seriously affecting its members’ health and threatening the future of quality journalism. ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Alcohol policies must be non-judgmental (898 words)

Safety reps have long had to negotiate issues relating to the use of drugs and alcohol by workers — and although the once-common culture ...

Equality news

Unions are urged to adopt social model of disability (419 words)

A new TUC guide wants unions to review their rules, practices and structures to ensure that their approaches to promoting disability equality are in ...

Undervaluing women costs the UK billions (252 words)

As well as perpetuating the pay gap between the sexes, the undervaluing of women’s skills and work has a massive cost to the UK ...

Homophobia is rife in schools (240 words)

A survey by the ATL teachers’ union has found that homophobic bullying remains a serious problem in schools and colleges. ...

Workplace Back-up

Parents ‘are ignorant of education options’ (825 words)

This September, the government’s new work-based qualification for young people — the Special Diploma — will be introduced in schools and colleges across England. ...

Reviews

Basic income (227 words)

The material conditions of freedom ...

Recording women’s voices (244 words)

TUC equal pay archive: a film oral history ...

E-views

E-views (391 words)

Trade unionists as much as anyone else need to make the most of their time, and the web is now full of time-management tools ...