Pay and prices

Pay and prices gap continues (260 words)

The level of inflation has dropped slightly this month, with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) falling to an annual increase of 5.0% in the ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (71 words)

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

Full-time weekly average earnings (16 words)

All workers£615.70All male£672.20All female£528.00Managers£901.90Professionals£816.90Associate professional£634.40Admin & secretarial£431.60Skilled/craft£508.30Services£365.30Sales£340.50Operatives£467.50Other manual£363.50 ...

Annual increase in average weekly earnings (AWE) including bonuses (51 words)

1 The latest three-month average. ...

Other pay analysts (21 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end June 2011)2.0%Incomes Data Services (median, three months to end May 2011)2.5% ...

Prices (13 words)

Inflation forecasts (18 words)

Fourth quarter 2011 ...

Bargaining news

Half of DWP staff in pay and progression freeze (800 words)

The largest civil service agreement affected by the public sector pay freeze — at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) — has been ...

‘Brave’ new easyJet boss reaches out to employees (385 words)

Airline pilots’ union BALPA has described as “brave” the new chief executive officer of easyJet following her promise of improved working with staff and ...

Compensation improved for extra hours at Honda (362 words)

Improved flexibility within Honda’s Working Time Account (WTA) system has been agreed in the light of continued short-time working at the company’s Swindon car ...

Public sector pay is ‘fairer’ (309 words)

Average pay in the public sector has recently been higher than in the private sector because it is fairer, according to TUC general secretary ...

Nationwide profits provide for ‘top-end’ pay deal (468 words)

Unions and management at the Nationwide Building Society have reached a pay deal that moves salary ranges up by 5% and delivers individual increases ...

More 5%-plus pay deals recorded (346 words)

More pay rises of 5% or more are being awarded as the pay round progresses, helping to protect pay levels at a time when ...

Construction workers finally see end of pay freeze (266 words)

Construction industry unions have secured an end to the prolonged pay freeze affecting 500,000 workers, after two years with no national agreement. ...

Equality news

Employers fail to properly manage ageing workforce (528 words)

Age has overtaken race discrimination in tribunal cases even before the impact of the abolition of the default retirement age has had a chance ...

Remploy sites may close (230 words)

Over 50 Remploy factories employing 2,500 disabled workers could be closed if the government implements the recommendations in a controversial new report, warns the ...

Tax and benefit changes hit single mothers (349 words)

Single mothers are the most vulnerable to the government’s current reforms of tax and benefits, according to women’s campaigning group the Fawcett Society. ...

Recruitment and organisation news

Pensions outrage pushes up union membership (176 words)

The government’s planned slashing of public sector pensions has seen workers flock to sign up for union membership, according to public services union UNISON. ...

Unions sign recognition deal with Sodexo (94 words)

The country’s three largest unions have signed a national recognition agreement with services provider Sodexo, which employs 43,000 workers in the UK. ...

Legal & General and Unite mark 15 positive years (115 words)

In an unusual move, insurance giant Legal & General and finance union Unite are marking “15 years of positive industrial relations” this month, with ...

Learning and training news

Apprenticeship pay and conditions vary widely (349 words)

A survey of apprentice pay commissioned by the TUC’s learning and skills organisation unionlearn has found that salary levels vary widely by apprenticeship, subject ...

Extension of right to request training scrapped (124 words)

The coalition government has scrapped a provision extending the right for employees to make requests for training to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) until ...

European news

Italian agreement on negotiating framework (734 words)

Italy’s three main union confederations, CGIL, CISL and UIL, have signed a new framework agreement for bargaining at industry and company level. While the ...

Polish minimum wage to rise by at least 8% (264 words)

Poland’s national minimum wage is expected to rise by at least 8.2% from January next year. It is currently 1,386 zł a month (about ...

New Spanish bargaining structure ratified (92 words)

A new structure for collective bargaining in Spain has now been ratified by parliament. The bulk of the provisions, which, as in Italy, give ...

Law - Contracts

Contracts - the law (379 words)

Employment rights depend, as a minimum, on the presence of an “employment relationship”. There are important legal distinctions between an employee, a worker and ...

Employer pays twice as “ex gratia” means “as a gift” (473 words)

Ms O’Farrell was employed as director and corporate head at Publicis Consultants. Her contract of employment entitled her to three months’ notice. In 2009 ...

Agency staff cannot claim from the national insurance fund (599 words)

In 2009 the three claimants, who were steel workers, responded to an internet advert from Unity Personnel Limited, an employment agency supplying temporary agency ...

Guidance published on Agency Workers Regulations (357 words)

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) has published guidance on the Agency Workers Regulations, which come into force on 1 October 2011. ...

Law - Tribunal procedures

Employment tribunals - the law (380 words)

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

Employee had no right to legal representation at a disciplinary (725 words)

A 22-year-old music assistant known as G was working in a small voluntary-aided school when he was accused of developing an improper sexual relationship ...

Absence from hearing meant party paid full costs (478 words)

Ms Mirikwe, a law graduate in her mid-20s, brought claims alleging race and sex discrimination and breach of contract against her ex-employer, a large ...

Law - Other Law News

Negligence — the law (270 words)

Unusually this month Workplace Report covers a case of “negligent misstatement”. A common law claim for “negligent misstatement” can be brought in the civil ...

Unfounded email about former employee was negligent (454 words)

In 2002, Robert McKie left his job at Swindon College with an excellent reference to join the City of Bath College. He was highly ...

Health & safety news

Law on dangerous dogs ‘must be toughened up’ (267 words)

Workers in England and Wales need better legal protection from dangerous dogs, say unions. ...

Boring and unchallenging work causes stress (418 words)

Monotous and unstimulating work causes stress, a survey has confirmed. ...

Cutbacks lead to soaring bullying at work (313 words)

Austerity and cutbacks have led to a huge rise in bullying at work and a drop in workers’ willingness to complain about poor treatment, ...

Health & safety - HSE Monitor

Large building projects may escape inspection (257 words)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says it will no longer be spending much time keeping major construction sites safe. ...

Red tape farce slammed (235 words)

The government's Red Tape Challenge has been denounced by the TUC and general union Unite as banal and a sham. ...

Work death rates soar (212 words)

Fatality rates at work have shot up by 16% on the previous year, the Health and Safety Executive has reported. Whereas 147 workers lost ...

Women safety reps (161 words)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is trying to encourage women to become workplace health and safety reps. In its recent leaflet titled Help ...

Waste and recycling (177 words)

Fatalities in the waste and recycling sector are still too high, according to the Health and Safety Executive. ...

Features

London pay additions remain stagnant as capital’s prices rise (2115 words)

The higher costs of living in London have long been recognised by some employers with various forms of London Weighting or other allowances. However, ...

Legal grip on ballots loosened (2456 words)

Since the era of Margaret Thatcher and her anti-union legislation, it has been notoriously difficult for unions to organise strikes without falling foul of ...