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Workplace Report May 2018
Sexual harassment - Workplace policies can empower women who all too often are deterred from reporting sexual harassment; Whistleblowing - It’s the 20th anniversary of whistleblowing legislation. The law is sorely needed, particularly in the NHS and social care; atest case law on contracts and tribunal procedures
Pay and prices
No change from 3.0% (98 words)
Settlements appear to have plateaued for the time being.
...
Open access
Labour Research Department’s Payline Database (224 words)
Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered)
... Open access
Average weekly earnings (AWE) (254 words)
Regular pay excluding bonuses. Percentage annual increases
...
Subscribers only
Full-time weekly average earnings (42 words)
All workers £562.50 All male £604.50 All female £504.50 Managers £842.20 Professionals £749.20 Assoc professional £618.90 Admin & ... Open access
XpertHR (19 words)
Median increases for three months to April 2018 ... Open access
Prices (77 words)
1 Retail Prices Index (RPI),
Jan ’87=100 ... Open access
2018 forecasts (39 words)
1 Fourth quarter ... Open access
Bargaining news
Hurdles to be overcome in low-pay battle (813 words)
The next phase of the fight against low pay is taking shape, following April’s 4.4% rise in the statutory National Living Wage (NLW), the minimum ... Subscribers only
Better terms and conditions in three-year BBC deal (431 words)
BBC staff are being offered a brand-new set of terms and conditions, including a three-year pay deal, following negotiations between the employer and ... Subscribers only
Is 10-year wage squeeze coming to an end? (322 words)
The UK is still suffering from the longest wage squeeze in 200 years and the recent rise in retail price
inflation isn’t going to help. However, ... Subscribers only
Al Jazeera pay settlement (108 words)
Negotiators from media unions BECTU and NUJ have secured a significant pay offer for workers at broadcaster Al Jazeera following four years of pay ... Open access
Waiters strike over change to tips policy (180 words)
Workers at two TGI Fridays’ restaurants have taken strike action for the first time over a tips policy change which could cost waiting staff £250 ... Open access
Staff at Sandwell College win deal worth up to 6.5% (445 words)
A 1% pay barrier in England’s further education sector has been breached spectacularly at Sandwell College in the West Midlands, with a pay deal ... Subscribers only
RMT strike threat wrings concessions from KAD (321 words)
Agreement has been reached on a range of issues at the Docklands Light Railway, from rostering to training, capability and outsourcing. Members of ... Subscribers only
Belfast council votes not the extend hours (265 words)
Shopworkers’ union Usdaw has welcomed a decision by Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee not to extend trading hours ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Coming out at work still a problem for many staff (366 words)
More than a third of LGBT staff have hidden that they are LGBT at work for fear of discrimination, while nearly two in five bi people aren’t out to ... Subscribers only
Employers need to support older staff with health issues (318 words)
Employers are not properly supporting older workers with health conditions and many staff delay speaking to their employer until a crisis point is ... Subscribers only
Gender pay gap reporting (178 words)
They were given a year to file the information but hundreds of organisations face legal action after failing to meet an extended deadline to report ... Open access
Equality Act guidance (95 words)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published a handbook on the Equality Act 2010 for those advising on discrimination cases in ... Open access
Learning and training news
Reform levy demand as apprenticeship starts fall (341 words)
New government statistics show apprenticeship starts continuing to fall one year on from the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. And, rather ... Subscribers only
Recruitment and organisation news
Good prospects for a single recognition deal for research council staff (207 words)
Specialists’ union Prospect has reached an important recognition deal on behalf of 7,500 staff at a new research umbrella organisation.
... Open access
Usdaw keeps pressure on Lidl (177 words)
Supermarket chain Lidl has rejected a request from the Usdaw retail and distribution union for initial talks about union recognition.
... Open access
Growing PCS membership (139 words)
The PCS public services union has published plans to grow its membership by 10% to 200,000 by 2020.
... Open access
European news
Three separate public sector deals signed by Danish unions (535 words)
After a threat by the employers to lock-out almost the entire public sector workforce and negotiations that were twice extended by the official ... Subscribers only
‘Highest increase’ in 2018 for construction workers in Germany (271 words)
Germany’s construction workers will see their pay increase by at least 5.7% this year at a time when prices are only rising by 1.6% (April 2018). ... Subscribers only
Work-sharing agreement at Amazon in Italy (86 words)
Unions at the Amazon distribution centre Castel San Giovanni in Northern Italy have reached an agreement with the online retailer which they hope ... Open access
Portugal: Strike wins equal treatment (103 words)
The Portuguese ministry of health and the health union SINTAP have signed an agreement which ensures that workers employed in the health service on ... Open access
Spanish unions march for higher pay (78 words)
Spain’s two main union confederations, CCOO and UGT, are increasing the pressure on the country’s employers’ associations to reach a new ... Open access
Law - Contracts
Contracts - the law (373 words)
Employment rights depend, as a minimum, on the presence of an “employment relationship”. There are important legal distinctions between an ... Subscribers only
Waiver of breach and ‘last straw’ doctrine on constructive dismissal (632 words)
No findings of fact were made and so these details are taken from the CoA’s reference to the claim form.
... Subscribers only
Staff had not agreed to variation of contract by working on (703 words)
Collective agreements had been negotiated for two groups of Nottingham City Council employees. Manual employees were governed by the “White ... Subscribers only
Written notice of dismissal only valid from date it was read (688 words)
Mrs Haywood had been employed by the NHS for many years. In 2011, she commenced employment with the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation ... Subscribers only
Addison Lee cycle courier is a ‘worker’ not self-employed (411 words)
Mr Gascoigne worked as a cycle courier for Addison Lee. When he wanted to carry out work for Addison Lee, he logged onto their app through which he ... Subscribers only
Law - Tribunal procedures
Employment tribunals - the law (601 words)
Nearly all tribunal claims must be brought within three months less one day of the matter complained of. Tribunals can extend the time limit in an ... Subscribers only
Not reasonably practicable to file claim on time after poor advice (343 words)
Mr Fazackerley was dismissed by logistics firm DHL for gross misconduct following a disciplinary hearing. The dismissal was effective from 15 March 20 ... Subscribers only
Effect of Acas early conciliation on tribunal time limits (446 words)
Mr Haque was summarily dismissed on 20 June 2016 which was the effective date of termination of employment. Haque contacted conciliation service Acas ... Subscribers only
Claim could not be amended despite being in time (279 words)
Mr Patka issued a claim of race discrimination based on unequal pay. He presented this as direct race discrimination. ... Subscribers only
Health & safety news
Call for safer handling of fumigated shipping containers (281 words)
A new study reviewing the risk to workers when opening fumigated shipping containers has identified “significant gaps in preventative measures” ... Subscribers only
Coroner’s concerns over air merits public inquiry (223 words)
General union Unite repeated its call for a public inquiry into toxic cabin air after a senior coroner agreed to send a letter of concern and warn of ... Open access
Drivers take industrial action over rosters (127 words)
Dial-a-Ride workers in London took part in a second series of strikes this month in protest at the withdrawal of 10 rest days a year and the ... Open access
Dangerous substances (57 words)
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has launched a new Healthy Workplaces Manage Dangerous Substances campaign.
... Open access
Dermatitis protection (80 words)
The RCN nursing union used Glove Awareness Week — which ran from 30 April to 4 May — to remind its members about the importance of hand hygiene ... Open access
Action against Samsung (115 words)
Health and safety, workers’ rights and environmental campaigners took part in a global day of action demanding electronics giant Samsung cleans up ... Open access
Health & safety - HSE Monitor
More inspections needed in killing fields of Britain (361 words)
One in five work-related deaths occur in agriculture, yet formal unannounced inspections by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are a rarity and it ... Subscribers only
Watchdog details concerns over modern-day slavery (327 words)
Slavery and exploitation continues to thrive in every town and city, according to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.
... Subscribers only
Law to ‘protect the protectors’ moves nearer (284 words)
Emergency workers are one step closer to securing the protection against violence at work they need after MPs backed the “protect the protectors” ... Subscribers only
Features
Policies and advice on how to deal with sexual harassment at work (2,133 words)
The need to obtain fair treatment and respect for all workers has been front page news ever since film producer Harvey Weinstein was accused last ... Subscribers only
Does whistleblowing law provide the ‘p’ in protection? (2,230 words)
Whistleblowing legislation reaches its 20th anniversary this year. Its aim was to allow somebody to report certain types of wrongdoing usually ... Subscribers only