News

Recession Watch (283 words)

The rate of job losses is now so great that we have only listed some of the bigger announcements over the last month. ...

Unite: banking measures are just one step away from nationalisation (413 words)

Further measures to support the banking sector, announced by Chancellor Alistair Darling on 19 January, were described by finance union Unite as only one ...

Recession starts to hit council jobs (254 words)

While the recession is beginning to hit jobs in local government, shop workers’ union USDAW argues that not all is “doom and gloom” in ...

UK unions appeal for money and aid for stricken Gaza (311 words)

Unions are calling for aid to Gaza, following the three-week Israeli assault which ended on 18 January. ...

Airport expansion divides unions (254 words)

The confirmation of plans to expand Heathrow Airport has been welcomed by the TUC, but remains controversial for some in the trade union movement. ...

Local government (131 words)

The UNISON, GMB and UNITE unions submitted their 2009 pay claim for local authority staff last month, even though arbitration over the 2008 settlement ...

School teachers (109 words)

Members of the NASUWT teachers’ union in Northern Ireland began a campaign of industrial action on 15 January for parity of pay and conditions ...

Inflation falls once more (72 words)

Cuts in mortgage interest rates and falling petrol prices slashed December’s inflation rate as measured by the RPI Retail Prices Index. It dropped to ...

Jobless figure set to hit two million (230 words)

Britain’s jobless figure could hit the two million mark this month if the unemployment trend continues. ...

Key economic indicators

Key Economic Indicators (163 words)

% annual rise in average weekly earnings*% rise in LRD pay deals**Whole economyManu-facturingServicesPrivate sectorPublic sectorNovember (r)4.43.64.44.63.33.4December3.74.23.73.83.33.9January 20083.83.73.93.83.64.0February3.73.13.73.44.14.0March4.54.44.94.63.74.0April3.83.04.03.73.83.7May3.43.33.53.53.13.9June3.42.53.73.62.93.9July3.62.83.93.54.04.0August 3.22.93.43.13.64.0September (r)3.13.03.22.84.03.9October (r)3.62.93.93.63.83.8November (p)2.72.43.12.34.33.8Headline rate for November***3.32.83.42.94.0 ...

Union news

Acas issues new draft code on time off for trade union duties (550 words)

A draft new code of practice on time off for trade union duties and activities, and accompanying guidance on effective employee representation, has been ...

Unite election (139 words)

Derek Simpson, general secretary of the Amicus section of general union Unite, will face four challengers in this month’s election in his bid to ...

Recognition battle (93 words)

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is being forced to use the law to get recognition at left-of-centre magazine New Statesman. ...

European news

Minimum wage introduced in new German industries (354 words)

After months of argument the coalition government in Germany has agreed to introduce a minimum wage in five new industries for the first time. ...

Membership holds fast in Poland (314 words)

A new survey estimates that just over one in six Polish employees is a union member. The survey by the Polish opinion research company ...

Spanish congress elects new leader (229 words)

The CCOO, one of Spain’s two largest union confederations, has a new general secretary in Iganacio Fernández Toxo. His election followed a contested vote ...

Features

Is social work in crisis? (1991 words)

To paraphrase the Queen, 2008 was an “annus horribilis” for social workers. The furore surrounding the death in London’s Haringey of 17-month-old “Baby P”, ...

Learning how to take pride (1731 words)

February’s annual LGBT History Month, now in its fifth year, has has become a firm fixture on the calendar. Modelled on the highly successful ...

Working in the grey economy (1707 words)

Despite being cast by the government and media as fraudsters, many who work cash-in-hand while claiming benefits are forced to do so to survive. ...

A high price for cheap clothes (1627 words)

In February last year Mohammed Khokon finished another exhausting shift at the garment factory where he worked. But at 3am as he and another ...

Law Matters

Tribunal backs Council on ‘Dignity for all’ Policy (288 words)

Islington Council did not discriminate against a Christian registrar when it insisted she perform civil partnership duties the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has said. ...

loyalty and experience can help stave off redundancy (208 words)

Giving credit for length of service in a redundancy selection policy is not necessarily unlawful age discrimination, a High Court has decided. ...

Limits for awards rise (81 words)

From 1 February 2009, the limits applying to certain awards of employment tribunals, and other amounts payable under employment legislation increase. The maximum compensatory ...

TUPE transfer is automatic (246 words)

An employer cannot prevent staff transferring under TUPE simply by offering them continued employment, if they don’t want to stay. ...

Law Queries

Medical information (183 words)

Q. Can someone be required to inform their employer of the exact nature of an illness they are suffering from? Isn’t such information covered ...

Redundancy (231 words)

Q. We have a problem in regarding renewing the contract for employees aged over 65. They were sent a letter by the employer saying ...

Commitment to overtime (223 words)

Q. The company I work for is starting a new policy regarding overtime called “Promised Overtime”. ...

Law Back-up

Harassment cases are a headache for reporters (953 words)

Hanan and Samira Fariad, French twins of Moroccan ethnic origin and Muslim religion, brought tribunal proceedings for sexual, racial and religious harassment. The case ...

Health & Safety Matters

Rail cuts raise union fears over safety (330 words)

Cuts in track maintenance and renewals programmes and jobs at rail operators have met with union anger. There are fears over the undermining of ...

Sufferers wait for justice (234 words)

The Ministry of Justice has been told by unions to stop delaying and announce plans to compensate pleural plaques sufferers. These are workers who ...

Safety info is wanted on nanotechnologies (88 words)

General union Unite wants workers who work with nanotechnologies, particularly in laboratories or in manufacturing to provide them with vital safety information. ...

E-petition calls for temperature law (124 words)

Shopworkers’ union Usdaw has launched a petition to lobby the government on introducing a maximum workplace temperature law. ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Employers need a slap on the wrist over RSI (938 words)

Work-related upper limb disorders — more popularly known as repetitive strain injuries (RSI) — remain a significant problem for a wide range of workers ...

Equality news

Ethnic minorities still face management bar (377 words)

More than three decades after the passing of equality legislation designed to combat race discrimination, there remains “a colour bar to management jobs in ...

Equalities office denies bill will feature pay obligation (289 words)

Private firms will not be forced to publish pay figures for men and women, despite widespread reports last month that the Equality Bill is ...

Lloyds is top ‘gay-friendly’ workplace (257 words)

The UK’s most gay-friendly employer is Lloyds TSB, according to this year’s annual workplace equality index (WEI) published by the Stonewall LGB equality organisation. ...

Workplace Back-up

TUC’s Action plan sets out help jobless need (764 words)

The economy, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), shrank by 1.5% in the fourth quarter of 2008. according to official figures. This comes ...

Reviews

Trade unions in a neoliberal world (529 words)

British trade unions under New Labour ...

E-views

e-views (388 words)

Trade unionists talk a lot about organising, but how well organised are we? ...