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Labour Research August 2012
Public sector and local pay - The government insists that public sector pay must become more “market facingâ€; Greater role for mediation? - How do unions view the government's drive for a greater role for workplace mediation?; Think tanks - Who are the think tanks currently attempting to influence coalition government policy?; Greening the workplace - Green reps are making an impact, TUC research conducted by the Labour Research Department shows
LRD Centenary
Centenary news (254 words)
The August 1971 issue of Labour Research carried an article explaining the background to the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS) shipbuilding consortium. ...
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News
Tentative welcome for Post Office mutualisation debate (347 words)
Unions have welcomed the opportunity to be involved in the debate on whether to mutualise the Post Office, but have continued to voice concerns ... Subscribers only
Probation services union gears up (303 words)
Probation services union Napo has launched a campaign to stop government plans to fragment probation services and open them up to competitive ... Subscribers only
Pay plans could have impact on local economies says TUC (495 words)
New research has revealed that the government’s local pay plans could cost local economies almost £10 billion a year. ... Subscribers only
Momentum on pensions campaign (164 words)
The 68 is too late campaign launched by the PCS civil service union, Unite general union and the NUT teachers’ union in May to fight ...
Open access
Low morale (83 words)
A survey by recruitment website Totaljobs.com found 53% of those that still work in the public sector say that morale is low — hardly ... Open access
Long-term unemployment (158 words)
Long-term unemployment for the young and the over-50s is at crisis levels and getting worse, the TUC has warned. ... Open access
Unemployment continues to fall (218 words)
UK unemployment showed a welcome fall, latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. ... Open access
Inflation falls on both measures (64 words)
The latest inflation figures contained some good news for the government. ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (390 words)
Inflation +2.8%, Average earnings +1.7% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Building union breached own rules and the law, says ruling (489 words)
Construction union UCATT breached its own rules and the law by barring two candidates from its 2011 general secretary election ballot paper, the ... Subscribers only
Frances O’Grady becomes first woman in history to head TUC (181 words)
As expected, Frances O’Grady is to be the new general secretary of the TUC once Brendan Barber retires at the end of the year. The only ... Open access
PCS political work (100 words)
Members of the PCS civil service union have given the thumbs up to the union’s plan to stand and support candidates in elections, despite not ... Open access
Certification Officer report (108 words)
Total trade union membership fell by just under 1% in the year recorded by the latest (2011-12) certification officer’s annual report and now ... Open access
Media awards (44 words)
The magazine of the Equity actors’ union won top prize at the TUC’s annual Trade Union Communications Awards last month when it was ... Open access
European news
Spanish workers protest against latest round of cuts (513 words)
Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets to protest against the latest round of cuts which the Spanish government announced last ... Subscribers only
Conference points way forward (144 words)
A major conference of French unions, employers and ministers has set out a wide-ranging series of issues where the government hopes to reach ... Open access
Concern over bailout conditions (219 words)
Unions in Cyprus are waiting anxiously to hear what conditions will be attached to the financial support that the Cypriot government has requested ... Open access
Features
Would public services survive local pay? (1,912 words)
The government wants to see the introduction of more local and regional pay into the public sector. ... Subscribers only
Mediation: a force for good? (1,942 words)
Should mediation play a greater role in workplace conflict? Or do government proposals in this area simply amount to yet another attack on workers ... Subscribers only
The impact of the think tanks (1,685 words)
Many think tanks are hoping to catch the government’s eye with their policies. Labour Research reports on some of the more successful. ... Open access
Greening the UK’s workplaces (1,715 words)
The growing number of green reps is impacting significantly on the workplace, according to a Labour Research Department survey for the TUC. ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
No double jeopardy in Baby P investigation (329 words)
An employee already put through a disciplinary process may be subjected to a second process, even though it is based on the same facts. ... Subscribers only
Employer can be biased in reasons for redundancy (256 words)
Applying subjective selection criteria to a redundancy process will not necessarily make a dismissal unfair, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ... Subscribers only
Pay in lieu was payable to employee (245 words)
An employee had the right to be paid his notice, despite the employer finding that he was guilty of gross misconduct after the payment was ... Open access
Law Queries
Discrimination (269 words)
Q. A significant proportion of our workforce is of Indian ethnic descent. One of our members has complained that a manager is treating him less well ... Subscribers only
Equal pay (282 words)
Q. We are employed by a government department. A number of our members have discovered that people in another unrelated government department are ... Subscribers only
Smoking (147 words)
Q. Some of the clients and suppliers of our employer smoke on or near our work premises. We think that the employer could be doing more to ... Open access
Law Back-up
Goverment wants cut in consultation periods (852 words)
The coalition government has been intent on cutting business regulation and the government’s latest target is collective redundancy ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Regulation of dust levels not adequate (241 words)
Workers in the waste and recycling industry are being exposed to excessive levels of dust, according to a recent report, which has called for lower ... Open access
HSE’s work scaled back by government cuts (277 words)
The impact of the government’s cuts on the work of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is all too clear to see in its latest annual report. ... Subscribers only
UK offshore regulation under review (259 words)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been consulting about expanding the offshore activities that it has the power to regulate. ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Back-up
Health of workers hit by working at night (951 words)
Working at nights over a prolonged period has serious implications for an individual’s health. Why is night work so problematic and what can ... Subscribers only
Equality news
More pain for disabled over welfare cuts (433 words)
Disabled people already hit by budget cuts face further hardship over the next two years because of the introduction of the Welfare Reform Act, new ... Subscribers only
Remploy workers strike against site closures (249 words)
Unions have reacted angrily to the news that 27 Remploy factories that employ disabled workers are to be closed between August and December. ... Open access
Stop youth becoming lost generation (147 words)
Unions have expressed disappointment at recent government figures revealing a rise in the number of 16- to 18-year-olds not in education, employment ... Open access
Inquiry into ethnic women jobless (84 words)
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Race and Community has opened an inquiry into ethnic minority female unemployment. ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Reps face loss of paid time off for duties (913 words)
The coalition government has started an eight-week consultation on how to reduce the paid time off available to union reps in the civil service for ... Subscribers only
Reviews
Barbaric Sport (220 words)
... Open access
Dial M for Murdoch (224 words)
News Corporation and the corruption of ... Open access
E-views
e-views (397 words)
Recently I was talking to John Smith, membership officer at the TSSA white collar rail union. ... Subscribers only