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Labour Research November 2012
The union branch - What affects the health of your union branch? A new Labour Research survey reveals all; Scotland's referendum - The referendum on Scottish independence offers opportunities for political transformation say unions; Housing crisis - The housing crisis is getting worse with even fewer affordable homes now available; Unions in the USA - Union-bashing has taken its toll on US unions, although one recent strike provides some grounds for optimism
LRD Centenary
Centenary News (287 words)
In November 2002, Labour Research reported the death of Roger Simon at the age of 88. Roger had been the secretary of the Labour Research Department ...
Subscribers only
News
Local government workers seek substantial pay rise (401 words)
Last month, unions representing 1.6 million local government workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland submitted a pay claim calling for a ... Subscribers only
Union decries increase in fatalities (236 words)
Figures obtained by construction union UCATT show that there was a large increase in construction fatalities involving self-employed workers last ...
Open access
Tens of thousands take part in protests against austerity (323 words)
Last month, tens of thousands of people marched against austerity in London, Glasgow and Belfast. ... Subscribers only
Employment rights assault (215 words)
Unions have slammed the chancellor’s proposals to allow employers to trade workers rights in exchange for shares in the company. ... Open access
Jobless youth (117 words)
Long-term youth unemployment in England has increased by 23% since the government came to power in May 2010, according to a TUC study published at ... Open access
PCS strike (133 words)
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude encountered a 15-minute walkout by more than 250 staff from HM Revenue and Customs in Coventry last month. ... Open access
Jobless queues get a little shorter (218 words)
Under the Labour Force Survey count, unemployment fell by 50,000 to 2.53 million in the three-month period ending August. The unemployment rate is ... Open access
Inflation posts another fall (69 words)
The annual rate of inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) was down to 2.6% in September from 2.9% in August. RPI inflation has been ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (399 words)
Inflation +2.6%, Average earnings +2.3% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Government firms up plans to frustrate union activity (559 words)
The squeeze on trade union facility time in the civil service announced last month could herald a swathe of measures aimed at stopping unions ... Subscribers only
Journalists agree subs increase (109 words)
The NUJ journalists’ union conference has voted to increase subscription rates and cut down on its delegate meetings in the light of the ... Open access
Organisers help to mobilise community (216 words)
The country’s largest union, general union Unite, has appointed six “community co-ordinators” to help mobilise unemployed and ... Open access
European news
Euro unions follow Portugal’s lead in setting anti-austerity day of action (498 words)
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has agreed that 14 November should be a “day of action and solidarity” across Europe, ... Subscribers only
Key Netherlands changes take a step forward (406 words)
The FNV trade union confederation, the largest union confederation in the Netherlands, has agreed on key changes which will transform the ... Subscribers only
Features
State of the union branch (2,015 words)
In the first of a two-part series on the union branch in 2012, Labour Research finds out how branches are faring and what affects their health. ... Open access
Bargaining on a better Scotland? (1,802 words)
Would Scottish independence make a difference to Scotland’s workers and their unions? ... Subscribers only
Housing crisis intensifies (1,603 words)
Coalition plans for house building don't reflect the needs of many, while other government policies are making the housing crisis worse, say unions. ... Subscribers only
What's happening to trade unions in America? (1,680 words)
Away from headlines about this month’s presidential election, US unions are facing an uphill struggle. ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Reforms on horizon for tribunal cases (370 words)
The government intends to adopt Lord Justice Underhill’s recommendations on amending employment tribunal procedure and is consulting on his ... Subscribers only
Micro-business U-turn (227 words)
The government has dropped its proposal for “compensated no-fault dismissals” after it failed to get support from any of the business ... Open access
Dismissal to be made easier (224 words)
The coalition government has set out plans in a consultation document to make it easier, cheaper and faster for employers to dismiss workers and ... Open access
Law Queries
Dismissal (214 words)
Q. Our member has been in a bit of trouble with the law. The upshot of this is that he has received a short jail sentence of 20 days. The employer ... Open access
Contract transfer (277 words)
Q. We were recently TUPE transferred to a new employer. The employer has asked us to sign a new contract. The contract is different — not ... Subscribers only
Re-employment (233 words)
Q. We are supporting our member in taking her unfair dismissal claim to an employment tribunal. One question that has arisen is what the outcome ... Open access
Law Back-up
Sharp fall in claims going to tribunals (914 words)
The latest annual statistics on tribunal claims are now available. Back-up analyses the data. ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Employers face bill for safety failures (301 words)
From 1 October bad employers have been required to reimburse the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the cost of being regulated. ... Subscribers only
Coalition rips up safety (243 words)
The government is to press ahead with its long-threatened dismantling of health and safety regulation. ... Open access
Better detection of harmful chemicals (139 words)
New improved methods for detecting harmful isocyanates have been developed. ... Open access
Job insecurity (97 words)
A new US study has quantified the health implications of job insecurity. Researchers at Michigan University surveyed 440 workers over the age of 25 ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
What it takes to make work comfortable (866 words)
As wintry weather looms once again, Back-up looks at some of the implications of the cold for workers, and at how safety reps can best support them ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Most services banned from using age bias (426 words)
A ban on age discrimination in services took force in England, Wales and Scotland on 1 October. ... Subscribers only
Disadvantaged young face difficult search for jobs (211 words)
The difficulties facing disadvantaged young people looking for work have been examined in a study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. ... Open access
Showing homophobia the red card DVD (142 words)
Campaign group Show Racism the Red Card has produced a two-part DVD and a supporting education pack on homophobia. ... Open access
Hate crimes data (88 words)
There were 43,748 hate crimes recorded by the police in the year to March 2012, according to new Home Office statistics. ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Rise in presenteeism is a worrying trend (914 words)
The average level of employee absence in the UK has fallen compared with last year according to a new survey, but it’s not due to better ... Subscribers only
Reviews
My song (215 words)
A memoir of art, race and ... Open access
Fighting back (215 words)
The American working class in the ... Open access
E-views
e-views (372 words)
People who use Twitter will be very familiar with hashtags. ... Subscribers only
News from LRD
LRD annual general meeting (107 words)
The annual general meeting of the Labour Research Department will be on Monday 20 May 2013, from 2.00pm at Jerwood Space, Union Street, London SE1 ... Open access