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Labour Research September 2014
Strike ballots - A General Election can’t be far away when the Tory Party starts union bashing
Union branch organisation - A unique Labour Research survey gauges the well-being of the union movement at a local level
Europe after the elections - The ETUC hopes the election of European president Jean- Claude Juncker will see a change from the austerity measures of his predecessor
NHS funding crisis - The health service in England is in a parlous state with a £100 million deficit
News
Widening pay gap between top bosses and their staff (372 words)
Britain’s top bosses are paid around 131 times more than their average employee, an analysis by the High Pay Centre think tank shows. ...
Subscribers only
UK ‘self-employment capital’ (302 words)
The UK is fast becoming the “self-employment capital” of western Europe, according to a new analysis from the IPPR think tank. ... Subscribers only
Police staff mull 1% pay offer (244 words)
The three unions representing police staff — Unite, UNISON and GMB — are currently consulting with members in England and Wales over the ...
Open access
Widespread mistreatment of ‘invisible’ cleaning workforce (380 words)
Workers in the cleaning sector suffer from widespread mistreatment from employers, with underpayment or non-payment of wages common, an in-depth ... Subscribers only
New strike date for council staff (154 words)
Three unions representing over a million local government workers and school support staff have announced a second day of strike action, following ... Open access
Call for Amazon lock-out (244 words)
A campaign has been launched by the GMB general union to force the Co-operative Group to remove Amazon lockers from its stores. One hundred and sixty ... Open access
Jobless at five-and-a-half-year low (217 words)
Unemployment was down to a five-and-a-half-year low and closer to the two million mark, the latest official figures show. ... Open access
No joy for commuters (95 words)
In July, the annual rate of inflation — as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) — was down to 2.5% from 2.6% the previous month. ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (402 words)
Inflation +2.5%, Average earnings +0.4% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Healthy financial glow to union political pots (210 words)
Union political funds have received a substantial boost in income in the latest year reported, according to the 2013-14 annual report of the union ... Open access
Congress 2014 (126 words)
The 146th annual Trades Union Congress meets this month in Liverpool, under the banner “Britain needs a pay rise”. ... Open access
Survival of workplace reps (279 words)
Levels of union representation at workplace level survived the last recession unscathed overall, despite shrinking significantly in the manufacturing ... Subscribers only
Carr review (141 words)
Unions have lined up to mock the collapse of the Conservatives’ attempt to discredit unions via an inquiry into union conduct during industrial ... Open access
Recognition deals (114 words)
The Unite general union and RMT transport union have both won collective bargaining rights through the statutory recognition process in decisions ... Open access
European news
French equality law survives challenge to become reality (455 words)
New legislation, known as the “Law for real equality between men and women”, has passed its final stages in the French parliament and been ... Subscribers only
No return to 40 hours in Belgium (237 words)
Construction workers’ unions in both Belgium’s main union confederations, CSC and FGTB, have rejected a call by the employers for a return to a 40 ... Open access
German central bank back real pay rises (146 words)
Jens Weidmann, head of Germany’s Bundesbank, an institution long known for its determination to combat inflation, has backed pay increases of ... Open access
Spanish worries (111 words)
Both of Spain’s main union confederations — CCOO and UGT — have expressed their concern over the latest official inflation figures, which show ... Open access
Features
Conservatives go for union-bashing option (1,758 words)
The battle lines are clear. The Conservatives will restrict the right to strike if they form the next government after the May 2015 general election ... Subscribers only
Roots of movement will survive (2,296 words)
Local union branches are increasingly being seen by unions as key to ensuring the continued health of the movement. Union branches have always formed ... Open access
A new cycle in Europe begins (1,676 words)
As the new European Commission is appointed, there are some grounds for thinking that the tide may be turning against austerity and free-market ... Subscribers only
Tories’ NHS faces crisis (1,716 words)
After four years of austerity and government reforms that have accelerated the entry of private providers into the system, the NHS in England stands ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Ambulance staff win over on-call time (394 words)
General union Unite has welcomed a victory in the Employment Appeal Tribunal over the treatment of on-call time for paramedics in the Scottish ... Subscribers only
Court confirmation over reasonable adjustment (243 words)
The Court of Appeal has confirmed that an employer’s statutory duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments is owed only to the ... Open access
Council in wrong over cash offer (246 words)
A unanimous employment tribunal has ordered Bromley Council to pay more than £64,000 in total compensation to 18 council workers belonging to public ... Open access
Law Queries
Flexible working (299 words)
Q. I have a flexible working pattern which I negotiated after the birth of my child. Now my employers say they want to re-open all existing flexible ... Subscribers only
Holiday pay and commission (224 words)
Q. My normal pay is made up of basic pay plus a variable commission which fluctuates depending on my sales, but my holiday pay is worked out using ... Open access
Shared protective equipment (254 words)
Q. Our employer makes the agency workers at our workplace share safety boots. Is this allowed? ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
Workers being priced out of justice by fees (940 words)
Over a year has passed since the introduction of tribunal fees, but the damning evidence for their scrapping is building up, Back–up reports. ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Link between shift work and risk of diabetes (335 words)
Shift work can lead to an increased risk of diabetes, according to new research published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal. ... Subscribers only
Safety fears of rail staff (230 words)
Government cuts to Network Rail’s funding have put the health and safety of maintenance staff and passengers at risk, says a report from the ... Open access
No council contracts for blacklisters (109 words)
Cambridge City Council has passed a unanimous motion to stop awarding contracts for work to firms involved in blacklisting until they compensate ... Open access
United action at UPS over excessive work (131 words)
A dispute between the Unite general union on behalf of overworked members at a UPS parcel depot in London has flared up again. ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
How to keep young safe from risks at work (989 words)
Anyone new to a workplace faces unfamiliar risks from the job they will be doing and from their surroundings, none more so than young workers, ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Entertainment unions campaign for diversity (358 words)
Actors’ union Equity has welcomed the announcement by Arts Council England that it is to require equality monitoring as part of its funding ... Subscribers only
Network Rail faces huge equal pay claim (269 words)
Rail union TSSA has announced the launch of a multi-million pound equal pay claim against infrastructure group Network Rail. ... Subscribers only
Surveyor wins over mobility (252 words)
A member of the specialists’ union Prospect has won his employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination after refusing ... Subscribers only
Workplace Back-up
Guidance available at point of retirement (787 words)
Chancellor George Osborne’s promise of “freedom and choice in pensions” means that from April 2015 hundreds of thousands of people will have to ... Subscribers only
Reviews
Hack attack (276 words)
How the truth caught up with Rupert Murdoch ... Subscribers only
Empire and revolution (207 words)
A socialist history of the First World War ... Open access
E-views
e-views (435 words)
Cloud-based services have been growing in popularity over the last few years. ... Subscribers only