Pay and prices

RPI figure plummets (242 words)

The latest figures from LRD’s Payline database show that negotiated pay increases for the three months to December 2008 had a median of 4.0%, ...

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£585.20All male£643.10All female£494.70Managers£868.90Professionals£783.50Associate professional£604.80Admin & secretarial£405.30Skilled/craft£491.60Services£347.40Sales£321.50Operatives£454.80Other manual£352.90 ...

Average earnings indices (including bonuses) (60 words)

* 2000=100. ...

Other pay analysts (21 words)

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

Inflation forecasts (18 words)

Fourth quarter 2009 ...

Prices (13 words)

PricesRetail prices index (RPI), Jan ’87=100% annual increasesRPIRPI excl. mortgages Nov 2007209.74.33.2December210.94.03.1January 2008209.84.13.4February211.44.13.7March212.13.83.5April214.04.24.0May215.14.34.4June216.84.64.8July216.55.05.3August217.24.85.2September218.45.05.5October217.74.24.7November216.03.03.96December212.90.92.8 ...

Bargaining news

Nissan’s job cuts show limits of flexibility (579 words)

UNITE general union is in crisis talks with car manufacturers following the announcement of mass redundancies at Nissan and Jaguar Land-Rover, and a four-month ...

Scottish Water splashes out on new pay deal (179 words)

GMB, Unite and UNISON general unions are balloting members over an improved pay deal from Scottish Water. The new deal offers a minimum of ...

January pay deals in grip of big freeze (431 words)

Pay figures submitted to Labour Research Department’s Payline database since the start of January 2009 have registered more pay freezes in the month so ...

New pay claim in local government (293 words)

Local government unions have reacted with dismay at stories in the media of planned mass redundancies, and have submitted an early pay claim for ...

BBC freelance deal (107 words)

Bectu broadcasting and media union has agreed rates for BBC freelancers and casual staff in Scotland. The agreement entitles freelancers to back pay and ...

BT pension plan accepted (76 words)

Communications unions CWU and Connect have voted in ballots of their members to accept the proposed deal on pension changes negotiated with BT (see ...

Northern Rock’s private-sector bonus (78 words)

Despite nationalisation, troubled bank Northern Rock paid its staff a rise of 3.5% from 1 January in the first stage of a two-stage 26-month ...

FE college unions step up national pay campaign (349 words)

Six further education unions, UCU, UNISON, GMB, ATL, ACM and Unite, have joined forces for a concerted campaign of action on pay in FE ...

Training is part of 10-point plan to fight recession (411 words)

Unions are calling for a “new era of cooperation between government, business and unions, which focuses on strategic intervention to support jobs and the ...

NHS pay body says no (159 words)

UNITE general union has called off its campaign of industrial action over pay in the NHS. The move follows the rejection of the request ...

Eurostar pay (40 words)

The RMT has agreed an increase for Eurostar workers of 4.7% on salaries with a guaranteed minimum of £800. The increase will also be ...

Bus drivers doing better (81 words)

Driver pay at Arriva and Stagecoach in Yorkshire is showing the sector’s traditional resilience to recession. At Arriva, drivers received 4.5% in the second ...

Equality news

EHRC inspects finance and building sectors (259 words)

Equality watchdog the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) announced two formal inquiries last month, into the financial services and construction sectors, which will ...

Private sector gender pay figures plan denied (422 words)

The government has denied media reports that the Equality Bill, due to be published in the spring, will be used to oblige private sector ...

Job prospects for BME men worse than in 1970s (265 words)

Today’s black and minority ethnic men face employment prospects that are not only worse than those of their white counterparts, but worse than those ...

Recruitment and organisation news

Revised Acas code on time off (368 words)

ACAS, the employment relations service, has issued a revised code of practice on time off for trade union activities and duties for consultation. It ...

Veolia recognition opens door to private contractor representation (105 words)

Public services union UNISON has signed an important national recognition agreement with private contractor Veolia Environmental Services (UK), on behalf of 12,500 employees. The ...

Learning and training news

35,000 extra apprentices to tackle unemployment (283 words)

In a measure designed to tackle the spectre of burgeoning unemployment, particularly among young people, the government has announced funding for 35,000 extra apprenticeships. ...

Support for redundant Woolworths workers (108 words)

Shopworkers’ union Usdaw is working with government agencies and local colleges to ensure that former Woolworths staff can access training and other retail jobs. ...

European news

Belgian unions accept limited increases (591 words)

Unions and employers have reached agreement on a framework pay deal for the private sector in Belgium for 2009 and 2010. But, while maintaining ...

Minimum wage outstrips inflation in Spain (172 words)

The Spanish government has agreed to increase the Spanish national minimum wage by 4.0% in 2009. The increase which came into effect on 1 ...

French €500m training agreement (268 words)

Unions and employers in France have reached a draft agreement on new training arrangements but it is not clear whether the document will get ...

Law - TUPE

Transfer law - the basic legal rules (283 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 ...

Duty to inform and consult (354 words)

Case 1: The facts ...

Changes in working conditions (556 words)

Case 2: The facts ...

Law - Dismissal

Dismissal – the basic legal rules (544 words)

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

Whistleblowing (284 words)

Case 1: The facts ...

Dismissal and re-engagement (254 words)

Case 2: The facts ...

Out of work conduct (287 words)

Case 3: The facts ...

Continuous service (429 words)

Case 4: The facts ...

Legal representation at internal disciplinaries (374 words)

Case 5: The facts ...

Effective date of termination (348 words)

Case 6: The facts ...

Constructive dismissal — modified grievance procedure (262 words)

Case 7: The facts ...

Law - Redundancy

Redundancy law - the basic legal rules (259 words)

A redundancy situation exists where an employer closes or intends to close the workplace or reduce the number of employees doing a particular kind ...

Length of service (293 words)

Case 1: The facts ...

Health & safety news

European Parliament votes for shorter hours (344 words)

The European Parliament voted last month to end the UK’s opt-out from Europe’s 48-hour average working week. MEPs voted by 421 to 273 in ...

Stress soars in further and higher education (241 words)

Workers in the further, prison and higher education sectors experience levels of stress well beyond limits recommended by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ...

Construction fatalities inquiry commissioned (117 words)

Unions welcomed a government inquiry into the underlying causes of construction fatalities, but warned that vested interests were seeking to undermine it. ...

Guidance on flooding (87 words)

The CWU communication workers’ union has circulated updated advice to safety reps on flooding, following Met Office warnings of heavy rainfall. ...

TUC footwear guidance (47 words)

The TUC has produced a guide for safety representatives on feet and footwear entitled Working feet and footwear. Employers must ensure that their risk ...

Stop transport violence (85 words)

ASLEF train drivers’ union and the transport section of the Unite union in Scotland have launched a campaign against violence towards transport workers. ...

Health & safety - HSE Monitor

HSE strategy put out for consultation (315 words)

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) draft strategy document has been given a cautious welcome by unions, who vowed to participate in the consultation ...

C4 “Fun Police” under fire (275 words)

Unions have condemned The Fun Police, a Channel 4 documentary aired last month, for making a mockery of the Health and Safety Executive. ...

Work link to childhood cancer (115 words)

Unions and campaigners have long argued that the risk of childhood cancer is linked with parental exposure to carcinogens in the workplace. A new ...

Chemical hazard consultation (96 words)

The HSE has opened a consultation on the proposed Chemical (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2009 – to be known as CHIP ...

Diversity website (94 words)

The HSE has launched a diversity portal on its website, covering a number of issues raised by trade unions. ...

Roof guidance (65 words)

The HSE has published a revised version of its Working on roofs leaflet. Falls account for more deaths and serious injuries in construction than ...

Features

The shape of things to come: bargaining expectations for 2009 (2203 words)

Despite a clear – and often gloomy – picture of the gathering recession, union reps on the whole remain bullish about their ability to ...

Real terms rise for Europe as pay exceeds prices (3227 words)

Pay developments in the EU in 2008 show sharp divisions between the “old” and the “new” member states. ...