News

Work longer for a smaller pension says government (391 words)

Work longer and, if you’re in a public sector job, expect a lower occupational pension. Those were two of the main messages behind the ...

Bank reform plans ‘lack boldness’ (261 words)

The new government’s initial policy on reforming the finance sector lacks boldness, according to Rob MacGregor, national officer responsible for the industry for the ...

Redundancy Watch (375 words)

Despite the official end of the recession, redundancies continue to be announced and below we report on some of the larger ones. ...

Unions react favourably to public sector Fair Pay review (325 words)

The new government has appointed Will Hutton, executive vice chair of the independent Work Foundation and former editor of The Observer newspaper, to chair ...

Unite wins appeal against BA (256 words)

As Labour Research went to press, British Airways was considering whether to appeal to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeal overturned the ...

Continued strife faces higher education (239 words)

The higher education sector faces the continuing possibility of industrial action as union members defend both jobs and access. ...

Unemployment keeps rising (204 words)

Unemployment is at its highest level since December 1994, latest official figures show. Under the Labour Force Survey (LFS) count, unemployment rose by 53,000 ...

Inflation highest for 19 years (64 words)

Inflation has reached its highest level for almost 19 years. In April, the annual rise in the Retail Prices Index reached 5.3% against 4.4% ...

Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (179 words)

% annual rise in average weekly earnings*% rise in LRD pay deals**Whole economyManu-facturingServicesPrivate sectorPublic sector***Mar 2009 (r)2.71.3-2.2-2.52.32.5April1.41.61.71.13.01.5May0.8-0.21.10.32.71.5June1.21.11.40.43.91.5July0.6-0.60.5-0.52.32.0August 0.71.70.5-0.32.61.9September 0.81.61.10.02.91.9October 0.51.60.5-0.42.82.0November 0.82.01.10.32.61.8December 0.73.20.80.32.21.8Jan 2010 (r) ...

Union news

Membership figures fall but union density remains stable (397 words)

The recession did not disproportionately hit either unionised or non-unionised employees last year, judging by the latest UK union membership figures from National Statistics. ...

Government does not have ‘mandate for damaging cuts’ (222 words)

Public service unions have warned the new coalition government that the general election provided no popular support for swingeing cuts to public services, and ...

BNP rout celebrated (162 words)

While unions may not be over the moon about the ousting of Labour from government, they are relieved that their actions helped secure a ...

Leadership elections (81 words)

Matt Wrack has been re-elected general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union in a two-horse race. He secured 61% of the vote against 39% ...

European news

Italy’s union confederations may overcome divisions on bargaining (540 words)

The congress of Italy’s largest union confederation, CGIL, appears to have made it easier to end the breach between itself and the two other ...

French workers gear up to resist moves by government to alter retirement rules (316 words)

French unions are mobilising their members and supporters to resist government moves to change retirement rules. ...

Features

Will industrial tensions rise? (1851 words)

Huge cuts in public spending are on the agenda, now that the election is out of the way, putting jobs, pay and pensions in ...

Public sector unions start to hit back (1684 words)

Several European governments are now embarking in earnest on swingeing cuts in the pay and conditions of public sector workers. Pay freezes and cuts ...

Shift workers need a break (1636 words)

With increasing round-the-clock working comes growing evidence about ill health caused by shift and night work, and in particular recent further evidence of a ...

Spread of internships gives cause for concern (1506 words)

Many employers “have sought to take advantage of graduates’ desperation to find work in the economic downturn and see interns as a useful source ...

Law Matters

Council worker loses over breach of trust (329 words)

Bringing a claim of constructive unfair dismissal after resigning is a bold step. Often employers will try and dredge up anything they can, to ...

Hair is downfall of trainee (302 words)

Restrictive workplace dress codes are a common source of irritation for employees. Dress codes need to apply equally to both men and women — ...

Longer time limits are put on ICE (252 words)

The Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 (ICE) were designed to give workers a more effective voice at work and lay down certain ...

Law Queries

Breaks (216 words)

Q. Our members sometimes have to work through their breaks. Although the employer does allow them to have their breaks at a later point, ...

Redundancy (245 words)

Q. Out of a team of four — one manager, one senior employee and two ordinary grade employees — the employer wants to make ...

Dismissal (247 words)

Q. A member was unexpectedly dismissed. The employer initially told them that the reason for their dismissal was that their performance fell below required ...

Law Back-up

Do courts take the pea out of whistleblowing? (925 words)

A whistleblower, disciplined or dismissed for having made a protected disclosure, became able to pursue a tribunal claim when the 1998 Public Interest Disclosure ...

Health & Safety Matters

Unions welcome law on dog ASBOs in Scotland (313 words)

The CWU communication workers’ union has welcomed the progress of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, which passed its third stage in the Scottish ...

Work is bad for the heart (241 words)

A Danish study of more than 12,000 nurses has reported a link between work-related stress and an increased risk of heart disease in women ...

Stress brings local press strike action (100 words)

Members of the NUJ journalists’ union at the local newspaper group Johnston Press have voted 70% in favour of industrial action. The action is ...

Safe maintenance (53 words)

Professional union Prospect has welcomed the launch of the European Agency for Safety and Health’s new Healthy workplaces campaign to promote safe maintenance. ...

RMT ballots on Tube safety standards (66 words)

The RMT union representing London Tube workers has called London Mayor Boris Johnson’s transport strategy a smokescreen for “an attack on staffing levels, ticket ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Assaults on workers show rise in recession (833 words)

An estimated 327,000 workers experienced at least one incident of violence at work in 2008-09. This is a 12% rise on the previous year, ...

Equality news

Number of women MPs is still ‘derisory’ (379 words)

Calls are growing for electoral reform to be used to boost the number of women in politics as the new Parliament has failed to ...

Families of disabled Kids struggle for money (295 words)

Disabled children in the UK experience higher levels of poverty and personal and social disadvantage than other children, according to recent research. ...

Next decade will see rise in older workers (148 words)

By 2020 the workforce will be significantly older with an extra two million people aged 55 and above in the workplace, according to the ...

Work-life balance is problem for women (101 words)

More than a third of UK women do not think they can pursue a career and fulfil their personal responsibilities, a study has found. ...

Workplace Back-up

Part-time working and temping fills jobs gap (967 words)

Unemployment did not feature much in the general election campaign, yet the latest official figures show that unemployment is now at its highest level ...

E-views

e-views (451 words)

The web is huge, and it’s growing all the time. There’s a lot of useful information out there, as well as a lot of ...