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Workplace Report July 2015
Engineering sector pay deals - A survey of collective settlements in this vital sector of the UK economy shows a median 2.5% increase for workers; Workforce reporting - UK companies should be providing readily available information about their workforce; Latest case law on dismissal, redundancy and transfers
Pay and prices
Another 2.3% for settlements (262 words)
Settlements continue to outpace inflation, recent figures show. ...
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 2014 uprated by AWE. ... Open access
XpertHR (20 words)
Median increases for the three months ending June 2015 ... Open access
Average weekly earnings (AWE) (151 words)
Total pay including bonuses. Percentage annual increases ... Open access
Prices (77 words)
1 Retail Prices Index (RPI), Jan ’87=100 ... Open access
Inflation forecasts (35 words)
Fourth quarter 2015 ... Open access
Bargaining news
Higher minimum wage for older workers (840 words)
There’ll be a higher minimum wage for older workers next year, which will set a new legal framework for what employers must pay, chancellor George ... Subscribers only
UNISON targets energy (378 words)
The announcement that British Gas and its parent company Centrica have been awarded Living Wage Accreditation has been welcomed by UNISON and GMB, ... Subscribers only
Union anger over Nestlé’s U-turn on pensions (393 words)
The Unite and GMB general unions have warned that industrial action is looming at Nestlé UK, over the firm’s plan to close its career average ... Subscribers only
Casual worker protocol (152 words)
A new protocol has been agreed by unions and North Ayrshire council, in order to improve the rights of casual workers across the local authority’s ... Open access
Higher education pay (127 words)
The UCU lecturers and university staff union has declared a formal dispute with the UCEA higher education employers body, after members voted to ... Open access
Increase in employer pension contributions at Nationwide (411 words)
There was some good news on pensions this month as the Nationwide Building Society agreed to raise its contributions to the Group Personal Pension ... Subscribers only
Bargaining news
‘Ground-breaking’ deal for Liverpool dockers (151 words)
The Unite general union has agreed what it describes as a “ground-breaking” three-year pay deal for dock workers at Blue Arrow at the Port of ... Open access
Win for hospital porters (132 words)
At the end of June, a long running dispute involving Unite members employed as porters by NHS Tayside was resolved after employers made an improved ... Open access
Tata Steel dispute (133 words)
A pensions’ dispute at Tata Steel has come to an end after members of all four unions voted to accept a new deal offered by the company which would ... Open access
Glass actions (158 words)
About 440 Unite members at Ardagh Glass in Barnsley have been balloted for strike action over management’s plans to close the defined benefit ... Open access
Equality news
New rules on parental leave may help during school summer holidays (372 words)
With the summer holidays just starting the TUC is reminding parents of school age children that they now have access to unpaid parental leave that ... Subscribers only
Poor job prospects for disabled workers and ill-treatment on the rise (326 words)
There has been a deterioration in the workplace experiences and long-term job prospects of disabled workers, a new study has found. ... Subscribers only
Antenatal care (119 words)
The employment relations service Acas has issued guidance on time off for antenatal care ... Open access
Migrant women (68 words)
Migrant women face unnecessary isolation and barriers to work that prevent them playing a full part in society, a study for women’s campaign group, ... Open access
Autism (46 words)
Individuals on the autistic spectrum can be a valuable asset to any workplace but many employers are unsure of what/ what not to do. A short video ... Open access
Learning and training news
Levy on large firms so they don’t get a free ride on training (358 words)
Chancellor George Osborne used the Summer Budget to announce an “apprenticeship levy” on large firms to make sure business invests in training ... Subscribers only
Recruitment and organisation news
Hub will help workers gain industrial strength (403 words)
A new way of union organising across different sectors has got underway in the Humber ports area with the establishment of a “hub office” for ... Subscribers only
Small rise in applications for recognition (120 words)
Applications for union recognition under the statutory procedure have risen slightly over the past year, according to the annual report of the ... Open access
European news
Railways twin track in Deutsche Bahn deal (616 words)
After a year-long dispute involving nine highly effective strikes, the GDL union representing locomotive drivers and other train staff has reached an ... Subscribers only
Deals in German post and retail but not nurseries (276 words)
The Ver.di union has agreed a settlement for the 140,000 employees of the largest postal company, Deutsche Post, where there have been series of ... Subscribers only
Finns agree on third year increases (167 words)
Employers and unions in Finland have agreed pay increases for the third year of an agreement first signed on 30 August 2013. The three-year ... Open access
Euro-level agreement on ageing planned (120 words)
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the employers’ associations at European level have included negotiations on an agreement on ... Open access
Law - Dismissal
Dismissal - the law (633 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 ... Subscribers only
Decision-maker on dismissal was biased and interfering (596 words)
The employer in this case was a charity set up largely by one man — Mr Squire — to provide advice and support on immigration and benefits to ... Subscribers only
No implied contractual duty to disclose misconduct allegations (482 words)
Mr Amadi had two jobs, one part-time, two days a week as a cover supervisor for an academy, and another, under a zero-hours contract, for a further ... Subscribers only
Law - Redundancy
Redundancy - the law (281 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 ... Subscribers only
No ifs, no buts, employer has duty to consult collectively (929 words)
Pupil numbers were falling at a small independent school, the Peterborough and St Margaret’s School for Girls, owned by a charitable foundation. ... Subscribers only
‘Sham’ redundancy claim must have clear evidence to succeed (719 words)
The employer in this case provided services to masonic lodges. The claimant, Ms Buckley, had worked for them for 29 years, in charge of marketing. ... Subscribers only
Law - TUPE
Transfers - the law (207 words)
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) are intended to protect the rights of employees on the transfer of ... Open access
End-user can’t dictate who is included in transferring staff (659 words)
Ms Jakowlew worked as a care manager for Saga Care, delivering services to residents of the London Borough of Enfield (Enfield) under a service ... Subscribers only
Health & safety news
Time to change attitudes to stress and mental health (391 words)
Royal Mail chief executive Moya Green joined representatives of the CWU communications workers’ union and the mental health charity MIND to re-sign ... Subscribers only
Death a stark reminder of danger facing security staff (223 words)
The Community trade union announced urgent talks with security company Serco and called for the government to carry out an urgent review of the ... Open access
Assaults on housing staff (85 words)
Public services union Unison says that more than 4,000 physical and verbal assaults on housing staff were reported in 2014 and at the beginning of 201 ... Open access
Victory over sewage on the tracks (139 words)
Rail union RMT has won a major victory in its campaign for an end to the practice of dumping sewage on tracks by ScotRail trains. ... Open access
UNISON calls for action on cancer in workplace (147 words)
Public services union UNISON has called on employers to support those with cancer, just like any other disability, and to limit exposure to cancer ... Open access
Health & safety - HSE Monitor
Union voice sidelined in new HSE committee (404 words)
Unions have accused the HSE of eliminating the trade union voice from advice on workplace ill health by setting up a new committee to provide ... Subscribers only
Increase in deaths at work brings call for ‘big change’ (288 words)
TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson has called for a “big change” in health and safety policy after provisional statistics released by the HSE at ... Subscribers only
Dust and fumigation (94 words)
A dust hub microsite providing guidance for employers on controlling exposure to dust in the workplace, including answers to frequently asked ... Open access
Stubble and masks (91 words)
The HSE says that its inspectors routinely find workers with various degrees of stubble growth using respiratory protective masks, despite guidance ... Open access
Jailed for manslaughter (69 words)
Farm manager Andrew Stocker has been jailed for two and a half years for the manslaughter of two workers on a fruit farm on the Blackmore Estate, ... Open access
Features
Engineering a deal — latest settlements in the sector (2,854 words)
If the economy is to be “rebalanced” in favour of higher paying jobs and industries, the UK’s engineering sector must surely play a part. ... Subscribers only
Big business fails to report on issues involving workforce (2,217 words)
A report from the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has highlighted the lack of attention paid in corporate reporting to workforce issues. ... Subscribers only