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Workplace Report June 2013
London weighting - Allowances paid to public and private sector workers to help them cope with higher cost of living in the capital and its suburbs; Sick pay - A survey details how much sick leave and sick pay workers receive; Latest case law on Contracts and Employment tribunals
Pay and prices
Standard of living hit (268 words)
Pay settlements were averaging 2.7% in the three months to May, unchanged from April, the latest analysis of the Labour Research Department’s ...
Subscribers only
Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (226 words)
Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered). ...
Open access
Full-time weekly average earnings (41 words)
Source: ASHE 2012 uprated by AWE. ... Open access
Average weekly earnings (AWE) (151 words)
1 The latest three-month ... Open access
Other pay analysts (25 words)
... Open access
Prices (76 words)
1 Retail prices index, Jan ... Open access
Inflation forecasts (34 words)
Fourth quarter 2013 ... Open access
Bargaining news
Data shows collective bargaining in decline ... (721 words)
The section of the workforce whose pay is determined through collective bargaining declined in 2012, despite a welcome boost in union membership. ... Subscribers only
Cable review of zero-hours contracts but House of Lords staff need ‘flexibility’ (414 words)
Business secretary Vince Cable has launched an informal review of zero-hours contracts, under which employees are given no guarantee of the hours ... Subscribers only
Britain needs a pay rise (321 words)
Since the recession began in 2008, real wages have fallen by more than in any comparable five-year period, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ... Subscribers only
Harmonisation (74 words)
At Stagecoach South West (Chard Depot) a 6.8% increase for drivers on the former Cook’s Coaches rate has been agreed, raising it to £8.50. ... Open access
Maternity repayment (65 words)
Enhanced company maternity pay for staff at the Birmingham Hippodrome no longer has to be repaid should the employee decide not to return to work, ... Open access
Redundancy milestones (73 words)
Manufacturer Eaton Electric has agreed a procedure for employees made redundant six months or less short of their five-year ... Open access
Eurostar deal (53 words)
Last month, staff at the cross-channel rail service Eurostar received a one-year increase of 3% or £560, whichever was the greater. ... Open access
Too few dads take time off to be with new arrivals (430 words)
Less than 1% of fathers take advantage of the right to Additional Paternity Leave (APL) when their partners end their maternity leave early, the TUC ... Subscribers only
Hinkley point - ‘best paid construction project industry has seen’ (305 words)
Three construction unions have signed what they describe as a “groundbreaking” industrial relations agreement to build the new nuclear ... Subscribers only
Performance pay deals (169 words)
Performance pay shaped the pay agenda in recent deals from the Labour Research Department’s Payline database. ... Open access
Unions win BBC review (136 words)
The BBC has agreed to a review of workloads in response to pressure from BECTU and the NUJ. But the two unions together with Unite are balloting ... Open access
Equality news
Working mums need more support from employers (447 words)
Women who return to work after having children feel they are being held back in their careers, according to new research. ... Subscribers only
Guidance to help victims of domestic abuse (316 words)
New guidance has been launched to help employers support staff experiencing domestic abuse. ... Subscribers only
£4 million won from minimum wage cheats (168 words)
Over 26,000 workers denied the National Minimum Wage by their employers have received £4 million in back pay, after action by HM Revenue and ... Open access
Equal pay audits (113 words)
The government has published a second consultation on equal pay audits, which looks further at the details of equal pay audits and includes the ... Open access
Recruitment and organisation news
National campaign brings recruitment successes (479 words)
Strong national campaigning on the part of the PCS civil service union and a visible union presence at the workplace are key factors in the ... Subscribers only
High fives over union membership survey (161 words)
The private sector provided a surprise boost to the union movement in 2012, with the number of employees in the sector who are union members rising ... Open access
Learning and training news
‘You can do maths’ is the message (256 words)
The TUC’s education arm, Unionlearn, is part of a new UK-wide project to help improve the everyday maths skills of a million adults over five ... Subscribers only
European news
Pay cuts and longer working week still part of Irish government proposals (459 words)
The Irish government has made a renewed attempt to get union agreement to cut pay and conditions in the public sector, but it has also taken powers ... Subscribers only
Minimum wage to rise in Poland (190 words)
The Polish government is proposing that the national minimum wage should be increased by at least 5% next year. This is the figure being presented ... Open access
German pay deals outstrip rise in cost of living (387 words)
Two important bargaining groups in Germany have reached settlements which clearly outstrip inflation. ... Subscribers only
Law - Tribunal procedures
Employment tribunals - the law (337 words)
Most tribunal claims must be lodged within three months of the matter complained of. Tribunals can extend the time limit in unfair dismissal claims ... Subscribers only
Claimants must be told why they won — or lost (416 words)
Ms Kelly worked for Fylde Community Link (FCL), a not-for-profit organisation employing 150 people and supporting vulnerable adults in the community. ... Subscribers only
Secret recordings can count as evidence, but are rarely a good idea (422 words)
Ms Vaughan used a hidden Dictaphone to make 39 hours of secret recordings of conversations with her managers and colleagues. ... Subscribers only
Error by solicitor meant case was ruled out of time (405 words)
Mr El-Kholy was dismissed from his job as a cleaner and he sought help from solicitors with his internal appeal against his dismissal. ... Subscribers only
Law - Contracts
Contracts - the law (405 words)
Employment rights depend, as a minimum, on the presence of an “employment relationship”. There are important legal distinctions ... Subscribers only
Industrial context matters when interpreting collective agreement (505 words)
In 2007, two public sector unions — UNISON and the GMB — negotiated a three-year pay deal with the London Fire & Emergency ... Subscribers only
Duty to provide TOIL within five weeks not enforceable (746 words)
Mr George, a prison officer with more than 20 years’ service, brought a claim against the Ministry of Justice in the County Court for breach ... Subscribers only
Announcement created binding obligation to pay bonus (1,005 words)
This case concerns a claim for breach of contract brought by a group of investment bankers in the civil courts for payment of bonuses. ... Subscribers only
Health & safety news
How workers can cope with heat of the day (414 words)
Midsummer temperatures can make work uncomfortable, but the health and safety regulations don’t stipulate a maximum temperature at work. ... Subscribers only
Health benefits in getting employees on their bikes (251 words)
Cycling to work could halve the number of sick days taken off work and provide a £13.7 billion annual boost to British business, according to ... Subscribers only
Cancer-causing substances (143 words)
The TUC’s latest Time for a change bulletin covers cancer-causing substances — carcinogens — at work. ... Open access
Air traffic control cuts (120 words)
Members of the Prospect and PCS unions at the UK air traffic controller NATS have protested against plans to cut jobs and costs in air traffic ... Open access
Health & safety - HSE Monitor
Remember and support mesothelioma sufferers (392 words)
Action Mesothelioma Day is to be held on 5 July 2013. The day is about raising awareness and supporting and remembering those who have lived or have ... Subscribers only
HSE confers on revisions (234 words)
The HSE has begun consultations on three revised Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs). The consultations are the latest stage of revisions to ACOPS as ... Open access
Local authority inspections cut under new code (276 words)
A new statutory code came into effect at the end of May which will cut health and safety inspections carried out by local authorities. ... Subscribers only
Features
Supplements aim to help staff working in and around capital (2,302 words)
The higher cost of living hits workers in their pockets, so paying a London allowance helps soften the blow. However, the latest Workplace Report ... Open access
Paid time off, not a spoonful of sugar, helps medicine go down (2,211 words)
A good sick pay scheme delivers support when it is needed and remain an important workplace benefit. Workplace Report analyses the results of a sick ... Open access