Pay and prices

CPI rate falls, RPI still 3.7% (270 words)

Inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) remained unchanged at 3.7% for the year to February. This was the only measure of ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (75 words)

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

Full-time weekly average earnings (17 words)

All workers£579.70All male£634.60All female£494.70Managers£851.80Professionals£773.70Associate professional£598.70Admin & secretarial£406.30Skilled/craft£478.20Services£344.70Sales£320.30Operatives£438.20Other manual£342.20 ...

Annual increase in average weekly earnings (including bonuses) (50 words)

MonthWhole economyPrivate sectorPublic sectorManufact- uringServicesNov. 2008 (r)2.02.33.23.12.3December (r)2.02.33.22.22.8Jan. 2009 (r)-0.6-2.43.11.3-2.1February-6.3-7.73.2-0.5-7.1March-0.9-2.12.31.7-1.9April 1.41.13.01.61.7May 0.80.32.8-0.21.1June 1.20.43.91.11.4July 0.6-0.53.3-0.60.5August 0.7-0.33.51.70.5September0.80.03.81.61.1October 0.5-0.43.81.60.5November (r)0.80.33.82.01.1December (r) 0.70.33.43.20.8Jan. 2010 (p)1.0-0.74.14.3-0.2Headline rate* 0.90.03.83.20.6 ...

Other pay analysts (22 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end February 2010)1.0%Incomes Data Services (median, three months to end February 2010)1.9% ...

Inflation forecasts (20 words)

Fourth quarter 2010 ...

Prices (13 words)

Retail prices index (RPI), Jan ’87=100% annual increasesRPIRPI excl. mortgages Jan 2009210.10.12.4February211.40.02.5March211.3-0.42.2April211.5-1.21.7May212.8-1.11.6June213.4-1.61.0July213.4-1.41.2August214.4-1.31.4September215.3-1.41.3October216.0-0.81.9November216.60.32.7December218.02.43.8Jan 2010217.93.74.6February219.23.74.2 ...

Bargaining news

Three-year deal ends Royal Mail dispute (823 words)

A pay rise of 6.9% over three years, a one-hour reduction in the working week, better maternity and paternity pay and lump sum payments ...

Fujitsu workers accept settlement through Acas (451 words)

After a four-month dispute including strike action, Unite general union members at Fujitsu have accepted a 5% compensation payment for those losing out as ...

BA refusing to restart talks with cabin crew (290 words)

Unite general union is urging British Airways to return to the negotiating table following three-day strike action from 20 March, after last-ditch negotiations held ...

New deals picking up (312 words)

The three-month median (mid-point) from December 2009 to February 2010 for all deals on LRD’s Payline database now stands at 1.6%. This is 0.1% ...

CCSU apprentices deal (279 words)

The Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) has negotiated an agreement with the government to ensure that apprentices in the civil service are properly ...

Firefighters’ shifts (51 words)

South Yorkshire FBU firefighters’ union members have voted to accept a new shift system to end a long-running dispute. The new shifts will have ...

TUC encourages “good work” for better health (387 words)

The TUC has published a policy document intended to stimulate debate around what constitutes “good work” – work that promotes health and well-being among ...

ASDA’s meat deal (107 words)

ASDA supermarket and Unite general union have together launched an agreement that leads the way for other supermarkets in Unite’s long-running campaign to make ...

Piracy risks increasing (73 words)

Seafarers’ union Nautilus International is calling for more resources and better protection for sailors. In five years, 68 seafarers have been killed, 160 injured ...

Pay body reviews (116 words)

The public sector pay bodies have released their decisions for 2010. The armed forces will receive a 2% increase, partly offset by rises in ...

Equality news

Forced retirement is “out of control” says charity (336 words)

The campaign to scrap the default retirement age gained impetus from new research showing that 100,000 older workers were forced to retire last year ...

Living wage in Scotland would benefit women (415 words)

Local government trade unions in Scotland remain determined to see women’s wages improve through the introduction of a “living wage” despite employers’ organisation CoSLA ...

Women in recession (132 words)

Women are being hit hardest by the recession warned Dave Prentis, general secretary of public services union UNISON, speaking at last month’s national women’s ...

Working fathers (175 words)

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has launched a campaign to raise awareness of fathers’ rights at work. A government survey shows that ...

Recruitment and organisation news

Blacklisting law falls short (189 words)

Construction union UCATT has said it is “bitterly disappointed” after failing to persuade the government to toughen up the new blacklisting regulations. The regulations ...

Organising goes online (74 words)

Union organising is the topic of a special edition of Union Hour – an “audio-magazine” produced in CD and podcast form for union activists ...

GMB recognition (107 words)

The GMB general union was awarded statutory recognition at Mothersill Engineering without needing a ballot after it showed that 10 of the 14 workers ...

Unite recognition (58 words)

General union Unite has won recognition for 10 warehouse workers at Howard Tenens storage and transport depot in Barking, Essex. The employer insisted one ...

Learning and training news

UNISON signs renewed learning pact with OU (320 words)

Public services union UNISON has this month renewed its partnership with the Open University (OU) urging workers to take advantage of OU online learning ...

Workplace success for Quick Reads (126 words)

New research from adult learning organisation NIACE shows that union involvement in Quick Reads – short, fast-paced books for adults – is improving literacy ...

World Skills Competition (42 words)

Individuals training for a vocational skill will be compet- ing for WorldSkills UK titles in 2010 and could go on to represent the UK ...

European news

Two-year deals for Germany’s metalworkers and public sector (721 words)

Unions representing Germany’s two largest bargaining groups – 3.4 million metalworkers and 1.25 million employees in central and local government – have agreed pay ...

Danish union confederation reaches deal for manufacturing (304 words)

Danish unions, grouped together as CO-Industri, have signed a key two-year deal with Denmark’s largest employers’ association, DI, for 240,000 workers in manufacturing. ...

Law - Contracts

Contracts – the basic legal rules (267 words)

Employment rights depend, as a minimum, on there being an “employment relationship”. This implies some contractual obligations between the employer and the worker. To ...

Contracts - the key developments (160 words)

• In certain circumstances, office-holders can also be employees; it is also possible to be employed by two different employers simultaneously, provided the employment ...

Union officers employed by two employers simultaneously (823 words)

This case involved an appeal against a decision by an employment judge at a pre-hearing review that the claimants were employees of the Prison ...

Earnings during notice period (389 words)

Ms Bell resigned and successfully claimed constructive dismissal in the employment tribunal against Stuart Peters Ltd (the company). She was entitled to six-months’ notice ...

Holiday pay in lieu of leave (693 words)

Mr Lyons worked as a security officer. Under his contract of employment, he was entitled to four weeks’ holiday. He had to apply on ...

Changes without consent (196 words)

Asda wanted to amend the pay structure of some employees to bring them into line with the others. Following extensive consultation, most staff agreed. ...

Law - Tribunal procedures

Employment tribunals – the basic legal rules (221 words)

Most tribunal claims must be lodged within three months of the matter being complained of. Tribunals can extend the time limit in unfair dismissal ...

Employment tribunals – the key developments (106 words)

• Striking out a claim or response because a party is disregarding tribunal procedures should only be a last resort where a fair hearing ...

Striking out – “unless” orders (809 words)

In November 2000, Mr Abegaze won his case for race discrimination against Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology, when it failed to appoint him ...

Striking out – a last resort (503 words)

Ms Girvan brought a claim for constructive unfair dismissal from Humberside Probation Trust. The full hearing of the case was fixed to last two ...

Parties cannot agree on jurisdictional matters (538 words)

Mr Radakovits was employed as an information technology support services manager until his redundancy dismissal on 27 October 2005. He brought his tribunal claim for ...

Health & safety news

Get checked now for prostate cancer, reps say (327 words)

Health and safety representatives of communication workers’ union CWU are marking prostate cancer awareness month by getting the “If in doubt – get it ...

Civil servants’ union calls for action on bullying (145 words)

The senior civil servants’ union FDA has called for the introduction of an anti-bullying code in the House of Commons. Although a policy exists ...

Guidance on “fit notes” (263 words)

Employers could see new “fit notes” as a green light to force workers back to work before they are well enough according to the ...

Extreme unpaid overtime increasing (172 words)

A TUC analysis of official figures to mark Work your Proper Hours Day on 26 February 2010 showed that the number of people working ...

Tackling violence against social workers and carers (113 words)

Violence and abuse against social workers and people working in social care has reached “chronic” levels, according to the public services union UNISON. One ...

Health & safety - HSE Monitor

Health and safety enforcement in crisis (281 words)

The crisis in health and safety enforcement was spelt out clearly by trade unionists and academics at an Institute of Employment Rights conference last ...

Pack less on planes (243 words)

Passengers at UK airports were asked to “pack less” in their suitcases by transport union Unite members taking part in a European day of ...

Rail regulator report justifies strike ballot (195 words)

Rail union RMT demanded an immediate halt to Network Rail’s plans to cut up to 1,500 safety-critical rail maintenance jobs after the rail regulator ...

NUT calls for audit of asbestos in schools (132 words)

The teachers’ union NUT has called on the government to act upon the findings of a new survey of asbestos management in schools, undertaken ...

HSE updates stress website pages (44 words)

The HSE’s trade union page on the work-related stress website at www.hse.gov.uk/stress/roles/tradeunions.htm is being updated next month after consultation with unions and safety reps, ...

Tinnitus research (89 words)

Among the research reports recently prepared by the Health and Safety Laboratory is a review of knowledge on tinnitus in relation to noise exposure ...

Features

Mergers and takeovers (3557 words)

Unions have been at the forefront of campaigning for change in the way markets, particularly in the UK, operate on a short-term profit basis. ...

Tackling domestic violence (2209 words)

Domestic violence is making headlines again thanks to a new government advertising campaign targeting abuse in teenage relationships. The truth is that domestic abuse ...