Issue 25

Chancellor presents a Budget of pain (635 words)

George Osborne, chancellor in the coalition government, has revised down forecasts to economic growth from 2.6% to 2.3% in 2011 in the first Budget ...

Unions say chancellor got it wrong in Budget (585 words)

Unions were united in their dismissal of Osborne’s first Budget. ...

What a load of ballots! (338 words)

The leading business group the CBI has shown its true colours now that the party of it members’ choice is in power. ...

Dave Prentis re-elected as general secretary (175 words)

By a large majority, members of public services union UNISON have re-elected Dave Prentis as general secretary in a three-way contest. ...

Pay settlements lag behind inflation (174 words)

Pay settlements are now trailing behind Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, according to an analysis of the Labour Research Department’s Payline database. ...

Minimum wage to rise (164 words)

The coalition government has accepted the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission on the new rates for the National Minimum Wage (NMW) from October. ...

Government consults on later retirement (208 words)

Chancellor Osborne announced in the Budget that there will be an urgent review of the State Pension Age with the intention of raising it ...

Issue 24

Call for transparency on boardroom pensions (437 words)

Companies must be more upfront with shareholders about the pension perks of their top executives, institutional investors have warned. ...

Inflation may be on a downward trend (341 words)

Inflation may have peaked if the latest monthly figures are a good indicator. Under the Retail Prices Index (RPI), inflation was 5.1% in May, ...

Manufacturing posts best rise for 12 years (207 words)

Manufacturing is showing a strong recovery, according to the latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). ...

Jobless numbers up (467 words)

Unemployment rose by 23,000 on the main official count, official figures have shown. ...

Earnings are on a roller coaster ride (329 words)

Average weekly earnings rose by just 0.9% in the year to April, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. ...

Issue 23

TUC calls for guidance on drug testing (339 words)

The government should produce clear guidance on drug testing to clear up the confusion around the legality of random or routine testing in jobs ...

Directors’ pay (523 words)

Pay packets of £500,000 or more are par for the course for even the smaller quoted companies. ...

Jobs deficit in cities needs addressing (376 words)

The scale of the “jobs deficit” facing England’s lagging city economies has been highlighted in a report from the Centre for Cities think tank. ...

Pay settlements post 2% increase (138 words)

Pay settlement show a 2.0% increase, according to the latest figures from Labour Research Department’s Payline database. ...

NHS in Scotland will have to wield jobs axe (128 words)

The NHS in Scotland has predicted it may have to cut the equivalent of nearly 4,000 full-time jobs over the next year, including over ...

Acas advises on work and World Cup (302 words)

Employers have been urged to make sure they strike a balance between the needs of those who want to watch football — whatever team ...

Boardrooms face shake up with new code? (442 words)

New principles on director selection and board composition, including the need to appoint members on merit and with regard to diversity, including gender diversity ...

Issue 22

Employers should keep red card in pocket (298 words)

Employers should not to score an own goal during the World Cup and should allow staff who wish to watch televised games to do ...

Stay of execution urged on public sector cuts (312 words)

The government should construct a growth strategy based on expanding private sector jobs in all regions and countries of the UK, in order to ...

Coalition commitments on flexi and equal pay (668 words)

Commitments to flexible working and equal pay were included in the Queen’s Speech delivered at the end of May, but they do not form ...

Pension schemes are closed to new entrants (279 words)

More than 75% of final salary or defined benefit (DB) pension schemes have been closed to new entrants, according to Capita Hartshead’s annual Pension ...

Hazardous substances — new LRD booklet (260 words)

Hazardous substances are used in almost every workplace — offices, factories, building sites, shops, schools, hospitals, kitchens, parks, gardens and farms. ...

UK takeovers abroad fall to record low (347 words)

Spending on mergers and takeovers abroad by UK companies fell to an historic low, according to the latest official figures. ...