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Labour Research March 2012
Women in unions - More women are now occupying leadership positions in the the country’s largest unions; Benefit reforms and women - Critics say the coalition's plans for the new Universal Credit benefit will undermine women's financial security; Blacklisting - Campaigners maintain that blacklisting continues despite legislation designed to control it; Curbing executive excess - The government's proposals for reining in executive pay have not impressed trade unions
LRD Centenary
Centenary News (257 words)
We continue to mark the LRD centenary by revisiting an item from the March 1999 issue of Labour Research which examined the history of International ...
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News
Unite welcomes withdrawal of contracts in long-running dispute (394 words)
Following months of unofficial walkouts by rank and file construction workers, the Unite general union last month welcomed the withdrawal by Balfour ... Subscribers only
End tax relief on top pay says TUC (295 words)
Ending corporation tax relief for pay and bonuses worth more than 10 times average annual earnings (£26,200) could raise around £1.7 ... Subscribers only
Campaigners prepare for protest against Health and Social Care Bill (401 words)
Unions will be joining a broad alliance of campaigners to protest against the implementation of the controversial Health and Social Care Bill at a ... Subscribers only
MoD cuts programme criticised (305 words)
Unions have called on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to pause and take stock of its swingeing programme of cuts after a report into how the MoD is ... Subscribers only
Warning over DVLA (109 words)
Proposals to close down the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s network of 39 local offices and centralise their work at DVLA headquarters ...
Open access
Elderly care (86 words)
The GMB general union has criticised a report from the cross party health select committee on elderly care for staying silent on the issue of ... Open access
Prospect figures (51 words)
In our feature last month on how last November’s pensions strike had boosted union recruitment (Labour Research, February 2012, pages 9-11), ... Open access
Jobless queues get even longer (213 words)
The jobless queues continue to lengthen, official figures show. Under the Labour Force Survey count, unemployment rose by 48,000 in the final ... Open access
Inflation rate nosedives (77 words)
Inflation fell sharply on both the main measures as the impact of the January 2011 VAT increase to 20% was lost in the figures. ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (380 words)
Inflation +3.9%, Average earnings +1.8% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Research debunks right-wing myths on union facility time (544 words)
A document setting out some of the benefits of union reps to the economy has been published by the TUC amidst a concerted political attack on trade ... Subscribers only
New faces take charge at unions (124 words)
The EIS Scottish teachers’ union has selected Larry Flanagan as its new general secretary. ... Open access
Union websites lose appeal (234 words)
A survey of trade unionist internet users in six English-speaking countries finds that the number making daily use of their union websites has ... Open access
European news
Crisis in Greece deepens as further cuts are announced (449 words)
Violent protests swept through Greece last month at the prospect of more wage, pension and job cuts as the government pushed through a new austerity ... Subscribers only
Employment rights threatened in Italy and Spain (240 words)
The Spanish and the Italian governments are introducing major changes to employment rights and bargaining arrangements in the next few weeks. ... Open access
Unions mobilise (150 words)
Faced with growing austerity at national level and a planned “fiscal compact” at European level, which is likely to prolong public ... Open access
Belgian talks (85 words)
The Belgian government has agreed to meet unions and employers to look again at the country’s austerity plans, following a general strike on ... Open access
Features
Women leaders on the rise (1,943 words)
More women are now at the helm of some of the country’s largest trade unions, while the unions continue their efforts to ensure women are ... Subscribers only
Not giving credit where it’s due? (1,690 words)
Critics fear that the introduction of the new Universal Credit risks eroding women’s financial independence and access to financial resources. ... Subscribers only
Struggle for justice is far from over (2,087 words)
On the second anniversary of legislation intended to control blacklisting, Labour Research finds that the law is failing to deliver proper redress ... Open access
Will government plans curb executive excess? (1,488 words)
Unions are singularly underwhelmed by the measures announced by the government to rein in executive pay. ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Qualifying period for dismissal claims rises (392 words)
The qualifying period for bringing an unfair dismissal claim is to double. For jobs starting from 6 April 2012, an employee will need two years’ ... Subscribers only
Tribunal costs double (310 words)
Both the size of a deposit, that an employment tribunal can order and the amount of costs it can award are doubling in April. ... Subscribers only
Procedural changes for tribunals (120 words)
From 6 April 2012, several changes to employment tribunal procedure will come into force. ... Open access
Statutory benefits (142 words)
Statutory payments that increase from 6 April, include statutory sick pay (SSP), which becomes payable after three consecutive days off work sick. ... Open access
Law Queries
Fixed-term contracts (240 words)
Q. Our member has been employed on a succession of fixed-term contracts. Each fixed-term contract has run straight on from the last. Although they ... Open access
Consultative forum (269 words)
Q. We are trying to get a consultative forum, under the 2004 Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations (ICE) set up at our workplace. In ... Subscribers only
Job comparators (211 words)
Q. A colleague works part-time. They believe that a full-timer who works elsewhere in the building is receiving better treatment than them. They ... Open access
Law Back-up
What if another job offer is not suitable? (915 words)
Employers have a duty to try to find people at risk of redundancy suitable alternative posts. But what obligation is there on employees to accept ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Nurses face abuse and violence from patients (317 words)
One in 10 of nurses working in the community have suffered physical abuse within the last two years, according to a survey by the Royal College of ... Subscribers only
Less inspections will mean more deaths (250 words)
Less inspections and less enforcement activity will simply mean more deaths, injuries and illness, the TUC says in a safety briefing. ... Subscribers only
Design of modern cruise ships flawed (144 words)
The grounding of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy illustrates the many flaws with large modern cruise ships, according to the ... Open access
Health and safety for disabled workers (106 words)
People with disabilities should receive equal treatment at work, including equality regarding health and safety at work, according to a guide from ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Employers get longer to report injuries at work (874 words)
Important changes to employers’ obligations to reporting injuries take effect on 6 April, 2012. Back-up looks at what will — and will ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Concern mounts over tribunal fees plan (306 words)
There is mounting concern about government plans to introduce fees to take claims to employment tribunals, with the TUC warning that this could have ... Subscribers only
Diversity needs culture change not PR stunts (323 words)
Just under half of UK workers think that employers’ diversity programmes are only set up to attract positive PR, according to research from ... Subscribers only
Equal pay success (262 words)
Nearly 1,000 women council workers are to receive five years’ back pay after public sector union UNISON agreed a settlement with Bury Council ... Subscribers only
Workplace Back-up
Measures seek to get young into paid work (893 words)
Youth unemployment is still on the rise and the continuing trend has prompted a raft of government and employer initiatives to tackle the issue. ... Subscribers only
News from LRD
LRD Annual General Meeting (43 words)
The LRD annual general meeting will be held on Monday, 16 April 2012, from 2.00pm at Jerwood Space, 171 Union Street, London SE1 0LN (nearest tubes ... Open access
Reviews
Cairo (262 words)
My city, our ... Subscribers only
The tin ticket (197 words)
The heroic journey of Australia’s convict ... Open access
E-views
e-views (414 words)
Back in 2004 the much-hyped new government services portal — www.direct.gov.uk — was launched. The new service promised to provide a ... Subscribers only