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Labour Research April 2015
BME representation - Is the general election likely to see a significant change in the Commons’ ethnic profile?
Terror alert - Among the implications of the government’s new counter-terrorism legislation are those for a range of public sector workers
Under private control - The tally of privatisations in recent decades is colossal - and the coalition is driving ahead with even more
Social insecurity - Some of the poorest in society are bearing the brunt of government changes to direct taxes, benefits and tax credits
News
Finances at further risk due to failed economic plan, says TUC (423 words)
The TUC has attacked the government for its economic failure, saying it has left the country with the longest fall in living standards on modern ...
Subscribers only
Minimum wage rise is not enough (275 words)
Unions were critical of the meagre rise in the National Minimum Wage (NMW), saying it would do little to stop in-work poverty. ... Subscribers only
Industrial news (257 words)
Workers at Tata Steel are to be balloted for strike action over the closure of their pension scheme. The 17,000 members of the Community, Unite and ... Subscribers only
School budgets need more funding and teachers’ pay needs to rise (324 words)
Teaching unions have slammed government plans to give teachers a pay rise without increasing school budgets. ... Subscribers only
Councils slash thousands of jobs (200 words)
Bromley council in south London is the latest authority to announce plans to dramatically slash its workforce. ...
Open access
Zero hours (159 words)
The number of zero hours contracts (ZHCs) has risen to 1.8 million according to the Office for National Statistics, and represents 2.3% of all people ... Open access
Eurostar sell-off (96 words)
The announcement by the government that it is selling its 40% stake in the Eurostar cross-Channel train operator to Anglo-Canadian consortium Patina ... Open access
Unemployment continues to fall (201 words)
Under the Labour Force Survey count, unemployment continued to fall — by 102,000 to 1.86 million in the three months ending January compared with ... Open access
Revised growth forecast (72 words)
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has revised its forecast for economic growth for 2015 from the 2.4% forecast alongside the chancellor’s ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (415 words)
Inflation +1.0% Average earnings +1.1% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Met Police spies infiltrated trade unions, whistleblower reveals (464 words)
A police under-cover unit infiltrated at least five unions, spying on their members for years in the 1990s, an undercover police officer turned ... Subscribers only
US unions suspend contributions (179 words)
The US trade union movement is suspending political contributions to the Democrats in its fight with the Obama administration over international ... Open access
New union at HMRC (148 words)
A small new union has set itself up in HM Revenue and Customs hoping to capitalise on problems faced by the established unions in the department. ... Open access
Lobbying Act (102 words)
The requirement for unions to have their membership records verified via an annual Membership Audit Certificate (MAC) comes into force this month. ... Open access
European news
Revised structure for reps greeted with mixed response (432 words)
The French government has presented its own plans to revise the structure of employee representation in France, after months of negotiations between ... Subscribers only
EC offers unions greater say (229 words)
The European Commission has stated that it wants to increase the involvement of unions and employers in drawing up and implementing EU policy. But ... Open access
Conflict flares again in Belgium (146 words)
The refusal of the Belgian government to implement part of the agreement reached by employers and unions at the end of January has produced a hostile ... Open access
New general secretary at ETUC (97 words)
The executive committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has proposed Luca Visentini as the ETUC’s new general secretary. He will ... Open access
Features
Is BME representation likely to improve? (2,165 words)
There are currently only 27 black and minority ethnic MPs in Parliament. Will the 2015 general election signal an improvement in Westminster’s ... Subscribers only
Anti-terror Act creates unease (2,091 words)
The new counter-terrorism Act has a range of controversial implications, including for some public sector unions and their members. Labour Research ... Subscribers only
Privatisation’s onward march (2,637 words)
Privatisation continues apace. Would a Labour government mean a change of direction to the selling off and outsourcing of public services? ... Subscribers only
The poor are hardest hit (1,770 words)
This month sees further cuts to social security as the Tory-led coalition’s “welfare revolution” continues to hammer the poorest. ... Open access
Law Matters
Amended code issued (280 words)
The Acas employment advisory body has formally amended its Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures to confirm that workers have the ... Subscribers only
Tribunal claim numbers continue to tumble (371 words)
Fresh statistics from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reveal that employment tribunal claims continue their downward trajectory. Between October and ... Subscribers only
Compulsory pay gap reporting on the horizon (238 words)
Responding to pressure from trade unions and activists, the coalition government finally looks likely to enact laws introducing compulsory reporting ... Open access
Law Queries
Job sharing (228 words)
Q. My colleague and I will be changing our work arrangements from full-time to a job share, each working half the working week. My employer says we ... Open access
Signature on contract (312 words)
Q. I didn’t sign my new contract because I disagree with parts of it. Does this mean it doesn’t bind me? ... Subscribers only
Continuous recording (192 words)
Q. Can I object to my employer continuously recording the sounds in my HGV cab? ... Open access
Law Back-up
Using the law to resist cuts to contract terms (864 words)
Whoever wins the general election, there will be more cuts to services and to jobs, terms and conditions. Solid well-organised resistance, including ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Emergency staff at higher risk of mental health problems (527 words)
New research by mental health charity Mind has found that nearly nine in 10 (87%) emergency service staff and volunteers experience stress, low mood ... Subscribers only
Decision on outsourcing of medical centre is ‘not one founded on safety’ (240 words)
Staff and passenger safety could be put at risk by a decision of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), to proceed with the outsourcing of its medical ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Dealing with the risk of workplace violence (846 words)
While the incidence of workplace violence remains low, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), figures for violence at work provided by ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Workers aged 50 plus are at a disadvantage (341 words)
Workers aged over 50 who lose their jobs have less chance of returning to work than younger workers, according to research from charity Business in ... Subscribers only
Universal Credit blunts women’s independence (283 words)
Women trapped in financially abusive relationships may find themselves even worse off with the introduction of Universal Credit (UC), according to a ... Subscribers only
Dependable childcare needed (249 words)
Parents want dependable childcare and would make sacrifices to get it, according to the 2015 Modern Families Index. ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
How to put a bar on the blacklisting firms (852 words)
Construction union UCATT has published a guide to assist their members, activists and officials to lobby councils and public authorities to stop ... Subscribers only
Reviews
Blacklisted (172 words)
The secret war between big business and union activists ... Open access
The three degrees (213 words)
The men who changed British football forever ... Open access
E-views
e-views (408 words)
Every website I’ve built over the last few years — and indeed, most new union websites — have been developed using a technique called ... Subscribers only
News from LRD
LRD Annual General Meeting (68 words)
The 2015 annual general meeting of the Labour Research Department (LRD) is on Monday 18 May from 2.00pm at Jerwood Space, Union Street, London SE1 ... Open access