Pay and prices

Prices surge further ahead of pay rises (226 words)

The latest figures from LRD’s Payline database show the median settlements in the three months to September standing at 4.1%. This is slightly up ...

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

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

Full-time weekly average earnings (16 words)

All workers£577.30All male£636.40All female£485.90Managers£868.80Professionals£779.00Associate professional£595.60Admin & secretarial£397.40Skilled/craft£485.10Services£341.40Sales£321.80Operatives£449.30Other manual£350.20 ...

Average earnings indices (including bonuses) (70 words)

* 2000=100. ** Average of earnings increases for latest three months compared to a year earlier. (r) revised. (p) provisional. Source: National Statistics. ...

Other pay analysts (21 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end September 2008)3.5%Incomes Data Services (median, three months to end August 2008)3.8% ...

Inflation forecasts (18 words)

Fourth quarter 2008 ...

Bargaining news

Bank unions fight to save jobs (817 words)

Tens of thousands of jobs may be on the line if the proposed takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB goes ahead. It is unclear ...

Joint protocol to support Polish workers (368 words)

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, Janusz Sniadek, president of Solidarnosc, and Jan Guz, president of OPZZ – the two Polish trade union confederations – ...

Unions deliver more job security and consultation (322 words)

Serious disciplinary sanctions, particularly dismissals and suspensions, are less frequent in unionised workplaces. In addition, managers are more likely to negotiate with union representatives ...

Independents recognise five teaching unions (199 words)

Five teaching unions, the ATL, NASUWT, the NUT, the ASCL and the NAHT, have been recognised by one of Britain’s biggest private school charities, ...

Support staff body (42 words)

The new Schools Support Staff Negotiating Body launched on 1 October is tasked with creating a national framework for negotiations for all support staff ...

EU setback for retirement age campaign (405 words)

The legal battle to overturn Britain’s default retirement age of 65 received a setback in the European courts this month. The Advocate General, a ...

Minimum wage increase (61 words)

The national minimum wage rose to £5.73 per hour (from £5.52) for workers aged 22 or more on 1 October. The rates for 18-21 ...

Sellafield staff get 3.78% (105 words)

The Prospect union’s engineering and managerial members at Sellafield Ltd have agreed to a 2.5% deal with a further 2.5% in bonuses, paid quarterly. ...

Pilots join forces (52 words)

Pilots’ union BALPA and its Spanish equivalent SEPLA have signed a bilateral agreement to protect each other’s interests in the event of a merger ...

Theatres pay 4.8% (79 words)

Members of the broadcasting union BECTU have accepted a 4.8% interim deal from London theatres ahead of renegotiating their collective agreement with the Society ...

Local government pay dispute goes to Acas (277 words)

Public sector unions UNISON, GMB and Unite have referred their pay dispute with local government for England, Wales and Northern Ireland to the arbitration ...

Spies unionise (57 words)

MI5, the security service, and FDA, the union for senior managers and professionals in the civil service, have reached a deal for the union ...

Equality news

Women migrants denied minimum wage (403 words)

Women migrant workers face a higher risk than other workers of not being paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW), according to recent TUC research. ...

Civil service abolishes compulsory retirement (303 words)

The civil service is to scrap the retirement age for its junior ranks in the next two years. The announcement follows an agreement between ...

Negotiator's disability guide (262 words)

New TUC guidance for negotiators on sickness absence and disability offers advice on the law and good practice. ...

Recruitment and organisation news

Recognition wins despite opposition (245 words)

A clutch of recognition ballots have been won recently through the statutory recognition procedure. The biggest was that of the Unite general union, which ...

Representation for freelancers (234 words)

Freelance production workers have notched up what their union calls a “landmark” recognition victory – this time on the BBC flagship show EastEnders. ...

Learning and training news

Workers want new training right (217 words)

More than half of UK workers say they would use the proposed right to request paid time off for training, with 71% saying they ...

Unions back new campaign for adult education (139 words)

A campaign spearheaded by five organisations representing students, staff and local communities has been launched to tackle the parlous state of adult education. The ...

European news

Irish national pay pact hangs in the balance as unions vote (601 words)

Next month an Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU) special conference will decide whether or not to back a national pay deal that imposes ...

Unions split in Italian negotiations (407 words)

Talks between Italy’s three main union confederations and employers have reached crisis point over planned changes to the country’s negotiating structure. Guglielmo Epifani, general ...

Law - TUPE

Transfer of undertakings law (304 words)

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) state that, when a business or part of a business is transferred from one ...

Failure to consult (359 words)

Compound Sections Ltd dismissed 40 of its employees on 10th February 2006. By that time, the company was insolvent. On 16th February, Robert Day ...

Dividing liability (387 words)

Case 2: The facts ...

Equal pay (505 words)

The claimants, who were mainly “domestics” or “cleaners” were employed by the North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Trust prior to 1st July 2001, when ...

Law - Dismissal

Dismissal law (463 words)

f Employees dismissed unfairly can go to a tribunal if they have been working for at least a year. There are special rules for ...

Significant breach required for constructive dismissal (471 words)

Case 1: The facts ...

Failure to carry out any stage of the DDP can lead to uplift (595 words)

Mr McLaughlin was employed as a driver with a bus company until his dismissal in January 2007. His dismissal was automatically unfair under s98A ...

Can unreasonable delay void an unfair dismissal case? (532 words)

Case 3: The facts ...

Burden of proof (353 words)

Dr Kuzel was employed by Roche as head of regulatory affairs. She was dismissed in 2005, allegedly because of the breakdown of relations with ...

Health & safety news

CWU wins pay-outs for postal workers (284 words)

The CWU communication workers’ union has secured pay-outs from Royal Mail for 27 postal workers who had their pay stopped without good reason last ...

Recycling workers exposed to mercury (89 words)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating after workers at a recycling firm were exposed to mercury. ...

UNISON wins vibration compensation (101 words)

UNISON public services union has won compensation for a member forced out of his job through injury. ...

New safety guidance (25 words)

Two new downloadable safety guides are available: ...

Shipyard workers refuse to scrap hazardous vessel (178 words)

Boat workers at the Port of Liverpool refused to scrap HMS Intrepid last month in potentially hazardous conditions . ...

Health & safety - HSE Monitor

Special health and safety prosecutor for Scotland (216 words)

The Scottish TUC has welcomed the announcement that a new specialist division is to be set up within the legal system in Scotland to ...

New health and safety strategy announced (349 words)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to launch a new strategy for health and safety in the workplace in December, HSE chair Judith ...

Capita to run gas installation (126 words)

Capita will run the new gas safety and gas installer registration scheme, replacing CORGI from next year. Last month HSE awarded a 10-year contract ...

Reducing violence risks (184 words)

An online toolkit to help cut the risk of work-related violence towards shopworkers has been published by HSE, taking on board demands from unions ...

Asbestos awareness campaign (60 words)

A national asbestos awareness campaign will target tradespeople at risk from asbestos exposure. ...

Features

Inflation hits pay settlements as global downturn looms (5027 words)

In pay terms, 2007-8 can be characterised as one rule for the private sector, another for the public. In a year when the government ...