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Workplace Report June 2014
Regional allowances - Allowances are paid the workers in and around the capital to help with the higher cost of living, but other cities and regions want or already have similar compensation; Payments for skills – “Britain needs a skills rise,” says TUC; Latest case law on dismissal, transfers and redundancy
Pay and prices
Small crumbs of comfort (257 words)
In May, collectively agreed pay settlement rises outpaced the rise in the cost of living, the latest data show, but the official earnings figures ...
Subscribers only
Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (224 words)
Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered) ...
Open access
Full-time weekly average earnings (41 words)
Source: ASHE 2013 uprated by AWE. ... Open access
Average weekly earnings (AWE) (152 words)
Total pay including bonuses. Percentage annual increases ... Open access
Other pay analysts (23 words)
... Open access
Prices (76 words)
1 Retail prices index, Jan ’87=100 ... Open access
Inflation forecasts (34 words)
Fourth quarter 2014 ... Open access
Bargaining news
Big insurers have doubts about new style pension (755 words)
The government is pressing ahead with plans to launch a new style of workplace pension that should be less risky for employees than defined ... Subscribers only
Hot inflation-busting deals but some still left in the cold (366 words)
Pay deals worth over 3% provide a much-needed boost to real pay, now that RPI inflation is running at 2.4%. ... Subscribers only
Different fits to pay deals (227 words)
Two recent pay deals demonstrate that annual pay rises don’t always provide the ideal framework. ... Open access
Variable pay awards (110 words)
Individual awards vary at computer consultancy firm Capgemini Aspire and charity Age UK. Both funded performance-related pay rises this year with a 2% ... Open access
Aberystwyth University (68 words)
Aberystwyth University faces industrial action over planned pension changes that would leave many staff worse off in retirement. It is consulting on ... Open access
Lambeth College (145 words)
Lambeth College, at the centre of a bitter dispute about contractual changes, has a high staff turnover rate, which at 24% is much higher than the 18% ... Open access
Sixth Form Colleges (77 words)
Sixth form colleges are being underfunded and suffering huge staff cuts, while sixth forms in academies are delivering poorer quality education, ... Open access
1% cap continues cuts to teachers’ living standards (445 words)
A widening pay gap between teachers and other graduates, and “emerging labour market pressures” did not deter the School Teachers Review Body ... Subscribers only
What a lot of Mitie deals (289 words)
Porters and cleaners at the Royal Opera House are now being paid the London Living Wage and saw their hourly rate rise by 26% in April, from £7.00 ... Subscribers only
Fitness part of pension fight (306 words)
Fitness has become a key negotiating issue for the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) which is fighting pension scheme changes including a rise in the pension ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Campaigners call for end to modern day slavery (362 words)
The migrant campaign group, Justice for Domestic Workers, is continuing its protests against a change in visa rules which it claims ties domestic ... Subscribers only
TUC points to crisis among LBGT communities (326 words)
The TUC has issued a new briefing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers and mental health. ... Subscribers only
Symbol is meaningless (213 words)
The government’s “two ticks” symbol for ensuring equality for disabled people is a meaningless “empty shell”, new research suggests. ... Open access
CBI calls on government for diversity targets (58 words)
The CBI employers’ body has launched a position paper, Building on Progress: boosting diversity in our workplaces, which calls for the next ... Open access
Learning and training news
New partnership to invest in skills (322 words)
A new industrial partnership of employers and unions in the energy and utility industries has been launched to foster skills. ... Subscribers only
Recruitment and organisation news
Dip in density last year (358 words)
Union “density” — the proportion of employees who are union members — fell slightly last year as the number of union members did not keep ... Subscribers only
Recognition successes for Unite (148 words)
General union Unite has been successful in two formal recognition claims in recent weeks. ... Open access
Community at TNT (97 words)
The Community union has been targeting specialist mail and delivery company TNT Post for a major organising effort, with some success. ... Open access
European news
Polish minimum wage set to rise by 4.2% next year (409 words)
The Polish government is proposing that the country’s minimum wage should be increased next year to 1,750 zł (€426 or £341) a month. ... Subscribers only
New pay pact talks begin in Spain (363 words)
Spain’s two major union confederations, CCOO and UGT, have started discussions with the country’s main employers’ associations on a new pay ... Subscribers only
Pay increase and better sick pay for Dutch cleaners (284 words)
After weeks of protest and stoppages cleaners in the Netherlands have finally reached a settlement with the employers, which provides for above ... Subscribers only
Law - Dismissal
Dismissal - the law (618 words)
f Employees dismissed unfairly can go to a tribunal if they have been working for at least two years. Some specific types of dismissal do not require ... Subscribers only
Refusal of cross-examination rarely makes dismissal unfair (534 words)
Ms Yeung, a careworker at a residential home for vulnerable adults, was accused of verbally and physically abusing residents. ... Subscribers only
Employee affirmed contract by giving extra notice (381 words)
Mr Cockram, a senior employee, was upset about comments made in a meeting. He complained that these comments were a fundamental breach of his ... Subscribers only
Contributory fault not proper to capability dismissal (336 words)
Ms Law, a long-standing employee at a small firm of accountants in her early 60s, made some uncharacteristic mistakes and her performance ... Subscribers only
Law - TUPE
Transfers - the law (260 words)
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) are intended to protect the rights of employees on the transfer of ... Subscribers only
Question as to when is a task of “short duration” under TUPE (750 words)
The claimants were a group of support workers employed by Allied Healthcare, which held the local authority contract to provide full-time care in her ... Subscribers only
Activities were basically the same before and after transfer (369 words)
The claimants drove HGV lorries for McCarthy Haulage, which held a transport and logistics contract for Ribble, a cardboard packaging manufacturer. ... Subscribers only
Transferee didn’t have to consult with incoming staff (394 words)
The housing maintenance service contract for Leeds City Council was put out to tender and a new contractor was appointed. Employees whose employment ... Subscribers only
Law - Redundancy
Redundancy - the law (229 words)
A redundancy situation exists where an employer closes or intends to close the workplace or reduce the number of employees doing a particular kind of ... Open access
Dismissal of secondee on return was not a redundancy (228 words)
After three years of working for the Greater Glasgow Health Board, Ms Lamont accepted a transfer to a new post as junior doctor monitoring and ... Open access
Health & safety news
Listen business — safety investment saves lives (387 words)
Businesses have been urged by the British Safety Council (BSC) to think about the business benefits of investing health and safety, which saves lives ... Subscribers only
Unions call for action (375 words)
The issue of workers’ mental health and well-being and the role union reps can play featured at two union conferences last month. ... Subscribers only
CBI backs union over safety (263 words)
Public services union UNISON has received backing from the employers’ body, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), in its calls for more ... Subscribers only
Health & safety - HSE Monitor
New guide provides daily checklist workers on LEV (326 words)
Practical guidance targeted at both employers and workers on buying and using Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) and how to make sure that the law is ... Subscribers only
Unloading petrol — a draft revised code of practice (217 words)
A revised version of the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) on the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) L133 for ... Open access
HSE spent £28m on research (248 words)
Around £28 million was spent by the HSE on commissioned research and technical support in the 2013-14 financial year, according to its sixth annual ... Open access
REACH out for guidance and leaflets (78 words)
The HSE has published a new web page with 20 bite-sized leaflets produced by the REACH UK Competent Authority (UKCA) and other UK government ... Open access
Features
From Aberdeen to London, staff are receiving cost-of-living cash (2,501 words)
The payment of a London allowance can help soften the blow of living in the capital.But workers in other regions and cities have won or are looking ... Subscribers only
Qualifications and new skills can seriously affect your wealth (2,241 words)
The UK’s living standards crisis and lagging productivity growth would both benefit from an upgrade in workplace skills. Getting the issues more ... Subscribers only