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Labour Research November 2014
Wanted: a living wage - As millions struggle to exist on poverty wages, the need for a decent living wage grows stronger; Work Programme - Some are doing well out of the government’s Work Programme. But are they the unemployed people the programme is meant to help? Young workers - Unions and the TUC are facing the challenges of recruiting young people; Children and austerity - Austerity policies are having a baleful influence on the lives of children
News
Warning of divided nation as social mobility stalls (366 words)
Britain is on the brink of becoming a permanently divided nation, an advisory body set up by the government has warned. ...
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Labour proposal welcomed (279 words)
Unions have welcomed Ed Miliband’s Labour party conference announcement that a Labour government would raise the National Minimum Wage to £8 an ... Subscribers only
Industrial news (252 words)
Workers at delivery giant UPS are facing “institutional bullying” and “excessive” workloads, according to their union, Unite. ... Subscribers only
Unions continue to demand that Britain needs a pay rise (388 words)
Unions are continuing the fight on pay, following strike action by NHS and other public and civil service staff, and the TUC-organised Britain needs ... Subscribers only
Eurostar sell-off attacked (138 words)
Rail unions have reacted angrily to the government’s announcement that it is selling its 40% stake in the Eurostar Channel tunnel rail operator. ...
Open access
Anger over tax office closures (240 words)
The PCS civil service union has attacked the government decision to close another 14 tax offices in the UK and cut more than 1,000 jobs. A number of ... Open access
Joblessness is under two million (208 words)
Unemployment fell below the two million mark, the latest official figures show. ... Open access
Inflation down (74 words)
In September, the Retail Prices Index (RPI) rose by 2.3% — the lowest level since November 2009. ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (410 words)
Inflation +2.3%, Average earnings +0.8% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Government consults over measures in lobbying Act (319 words)
The government is consulting over measures to implement Part 3 of the lobbying Act, which puts new administrative burdens on unions in relation to ... Subscribers only
New code targets facility time (315 words)
Councils will have to publish detailed figures on union reps and trade union facility time under a new town hall transparency code. ... Subscribers only
Partnership agreement (82 words)
The NASUWT teaching union has signed a social partnership agreement with the States of Jersey which aims to address a number of teacher concerns ... Open access
General secretaries (68 words)
The RMT transport union has confirmed that Mick Cash has been elected as its new general secretary, having won the contest against four other ... Open access
Mergers (67 words)
Members of the mining professionals’ union, BACM-TEAM, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of merging with the 115,000-strong managers’ and ... Open access
European news
First attempt at new union structure is unsuccessful (278 words)
The biggest Dutch union, FNV Bondgenoten, plans a second special congress to vote on a new union structure in the Netherlands after a first attempt ... Subscribers only
Strikes in the offing in Belgium (373 words)
All three Belgian union confederations have called on their members to take part in a general strike on 15 December. ... Subscribers only
Italy faces major labour law changes (228 words)
The Italian centre-left government, now led by Matteo Renzi, seems determined to press ahead with major changes in labour law, despite the opposition ... Open access
Features
Bare minimum is not enough (2,690 words)
As millions struggle with low pay and insecure work, and the taxpayer subsidises poverty wages, calls for a decent living wage grow louder. ... Open access
Who does this scheme benefit? (1,900 words)
The Work Programme, the government’s flagship back-to-work scheme, appears more successful at lining the pockets of private contractors than ... Subscribers only
Organising young workers (1,665 words)
How are trade unions responding to the challenge of drawing more young people into their ranks — particularly from those sectors where unions ... Subscribers only
Austerity policies damage school children’s chances (1,668 words)
Schools and teachers are being left to pick up the pieces as government policies impact on children. ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
There is a clear right to strike, says ruling (313 words)
An important new ruling has confirmed unequivocally that the right to strike is protected under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights ... Subscribers only
Rights come under review (340 words)
With real wages continuing to fall in a UK economy experiencing growing casualisation, a review of the laws on employment status has been launched by ... Subscribers only
Legislation on zero hours contracts (234 words)
The coalition government has drawn up draft legislation — the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill 2014 — to tackle one feature of zero ... Open access
Law Queries
Final Written Warning (336 words)
Q. I have been given a Final Written Warning and want to appeal it. But I’m worried that my employer might increase the penalty and dismiss me. Can ... Subscribers only
Further misconduct (187 words)
Q. Is it always the case that further misconduct during the life of a Final Written Warning will result in a fair dismissal? ... Open access
Casual workers' rights (306 words)
Q. I’ve worked as a casual worker for the same employer for the past three years, working at least an hour every week — but not always on the ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
What’s Labour offering on employment rights? (925 words)
Both individual and collective employment rights will be at the forefront of campaigning in the run-up to the general election. This month’s ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Stress is a key issue in workplace, say reps (296 words)
Two-thirds of health and safety reps feel that stress and its effects on their colleagues is a key concern at work, according to initial findings of ... Subscribers only
Ruling favours victims (226 words)
The High Court has made a ruling against government plans to deduct legal fees from damages paid to people dying from an asbestos cancer. ... Open access
Code on bullying (127 words)
The Federation of Entertainment Unions (FEU) has produced a code of conduct on bullying and harassment and is working with employers and ... Open access
Inspectorate decried (97 words)
Welsh schools inspectorate Estyn is “destroying morale” and is not fit for purpose, delegates to the annual conference of the NASUWT teaching ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
The health and safety of older employees (881 words)
Recent changes in society, such as the October 2011 removal of the default retirement age of 65, and the trend of employers cutting back on benefits ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Sexist attitudes still thrive in newsrooms (391 words)
Women in news broadcasting earn less than their male counterparts according to a recent survey by the NUJ journalists’ union. It also found that ... Subscribers only
Older people: UK could do better on health (261 words)
The UK is the 11th best country in the world for older people to live in, with its overall ranking dragged down by its performance in health care, ... Subscribers only
Metropolitan Police (159 words)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has informed the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service that it will carry out an ... Open access
Antenatal rights (70 words)
As of last month, fathers and partners now have the right to unpaid time off work to accompany a pregnant woman to two antenatal appointments (see ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Myths of migration are challenged by report (853 words)
A new study of migration and the UK labour market from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development suggests that, despite popular myth, ... Subscribers only
Reviews
New booklets from the Institute of Employment Rights (419 words)
Two new booklets from the Institute of Employment Rights together make a powerful case for legislative and policy change to address growing income ... Subscribers only
E-views
e-views (408 words)
We are currently seeing the biggest increase in new top-level domains names since the rise of the web. ... Subscribers only
News from LRD
LRD AGM (90 words)
The 2015 annual general meeting of the Labour Research Department (LRD) is on Monday 18 May, 2015 from 2.00pm at Jerwood Space, Union Street, London ... Open access