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Labour Research September 2018
Unions: how to build the movement of tomorrow - Community organising is just one way in which unions are facing up to the challenges of organising the workers of today and tomorrow; Unions take message to school assemblies - A worker in a union is likely to earn more on average than a non-union member. Unions are telling pupils about the positive aspects of trade unionism; Social care crisis - Pensioners are being hit by the crisis in social care. Labour Research examines how unions are campaigning for change.
News
‘Engage with us’ — union urges crisis-hit retailers (452 words)
Shop workers’ union Usdaw is calling on employers to engage with workers and their union during the current crisis on the high street.
...
Subscribers only
Company fat cats lap up the cream (212 words)
Unions slammed “fat cat” greed after it was revealed that median pay for chief executive officers (CEOs) in FTSE 100 companies has hit £3.93 ...
Open access
Industrial news (262 words)
Manchester Metrolink has averted a potential strike by substantially improving its pay offer to tram drivers.
... Subscribers only
MPs tell government to get tough on worker exploitation (270 words)
A key group of MPs has told the government to be more aggressive in tackling worker exploitation and undercutting as a way of allaying public ... Subscribers only
CWU victory on BT agency staff (230 words)
The CWU communication workers’ union’s Close the Gap campaign has notched up a notable victory, with telecoms giant BT finally agreeing to the ... Open access
Unite wins ‘umbrella company’ ban (219 words)
General union Unite and construction firm Balfour Beatty have reached an agreement banning workers from being employed through “umbrella ... Open access
Unemployment falls by 65,000 (186 words)
The falling trend in unemployment has picked up pace, official figures show. Unemployment was down by 65,000 to 1.36 million in the three-month ... Open access
Inflation rate down (75 words)
Inflation dipped in July. The annual rate of inflation under the Retail Prices Index (RPI) — the inflation measure favoured by union negotiators ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (412 words)
Inflation +3.2%, Average earnings +2.1% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Pharmacists’ union and Boots clash over bargaining unit (245 words)
The independent PDA pharmacists’ union has had a formal application for recognition at Boots accepted by the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), ... Open access
Recruitment the top priority for NUJ as subs rise rejected (251 words)
The NUJ journalists’ union needs to sign up 2,000 new members on top of its usual recruitment levels to maintain its level of service, its leader ... Subscribers only
TUC Congress (51 words)
This is the TUC’s 150th year, and the annual Congress this month will be held in Manchester — the birthplace of the TUC. It will not, however, be ... Open access
PCS gains members (126 words)
The PCS civil service union has said it has recruited thousands of new members during its recent pay strike ballot.
... Open access
Fringe benefits (75 words)
Some hospitality workers at Edinburgh Fringe had the benefits of being in a recognised union this year after general union Unite reached a voluntary ... Open access
European news
Italian unions not convinced by ‘dignity degree’ (465 words)
The new Italian government has passed its first labour law. But the so-called “dignity decree”, which came into effect last month has had a muted ... Subscribers only
Three-way talks begin in France (176 words)
Leaders of France’s five main union confederations and three main employers’ associations have started talks with the prime minister Edouard ... Open access
Strikers at Ryanair get ETUC support (94 words)
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has expressed its support for the pilots and cabin crew in Ryanair who have recently been on strike. ... Open access
German unions report above-inflation rises (106 words)
Negotiated pay increases averaged 3.1% in Germany in the first half of 2018, well above the 1.7% average rate of inflation for the same period. The ... Open access
Polish talks on pay (47 words)
The Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has held lengthy discussions with the Solidarność union on increases in public sector pay and the ... Open access
Features
Community and digital routes to brighter future (2,733 words)
Delegates gathered at TUC Congress will be debating how to build the movement for the future. Labour Research examines the decline in unionisation ... Open access
Unions go to front of class (1,946 words)
In this era of insecure work there is clearly a need for children to understand about unions and what they do before they enter the world of work.
... Subscribers only
Tories need to get grip on care crisis (2,369 words)
As the government prepares to publish its long-delayed green paper on social care for older people in England, Labour Research looks at the causes ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Whitehall unions take legal action on pay (298 words)
Civil service unions PCS, Prospect and FDA have commenced joint legal action by way of an application for judicial review of a government ... Subscribers only
White males still the face of British justice system (323 words)
Judicial diversity statistics for 2018, collated by the Ministry of Justice, have recently been published.
... Subscribers only
Tribunal fee refunds (65 words)
Ministry of Justice statistics show that as of spring 2018, around £6.5 million had been refunded in relation to the scrapped employment tribunal ... Open access
2010 Equality Act (94 words)
An inquiry has been launched by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee into the enforcement of the Equality Act 2010 (EA).
... Open access
Unpaid tribunal awards (80 words)
Last year, nearly £400,000 of employment tribunal awards were not paid due to employers becoming insolvent, People Management reports, further to a ... Open access
Law Queries
Time off to care for sick child (216 words)
Q. Can an employee take time off work to care for their sick child? ... Open access
Bribe on union membership (278 words)
Q. Can legal action be taken to stop a disreputable employer from bribing workers against becoming a trade union member? ... Subscribers only
Unfair dismissal (279 words)
Q. What are the potential remedies for an unfair dismissal claim? ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
Reporting regime must be wider on gender pay gap (914 words)
A recent report on the new gender pay gap reporting system, published by the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, has ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Hazards celebrates safety reps@40 (339 words)
The role of the trade union movements’ 100,000 safety reps, and collective action, has never been more vital in making workplaces safe, delegates ... Subscribers only
Deadly issue of workloads (191 words)
Hundreds of staff at Cardiff University have signed an open letter drafted by the UCU lecturers’ union demanding action over workloads following ... Open access
#McBurned campaign launched (252 words)
Following a series of UK-wide #McStrikes calling for higher wages and an end to zero-hours contracts, the BFAWU food workers’ union is continuing ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Back-up
Road is long with too many winding turns? (952 words)
According to the TUC, road traffic accidents are the number one cause of work-related fatalities in the UK, yet they are not included in the official ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Failures in tackling sexual harassment (320 words)
The government, regulators and employers are failing to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace is the headline finding of a six-month inquiry by ... Subscribers only
Out of kilter — parents of disabled kids and work (313 words)
Parents of disabled children struggle to hold down essential jobs because of a lack of suitable and affordable childcare, flexible jobs and ... Subscribers only
Wasted talent (124 words)
The talents of more than a million people aged over 50 are being wasted because of discrimination, bias and outdated employment practices, MPs ... Open access
Ethnic pay gap (122 words)
Black male graduates earn on average 17% less than white men, the equivalent of £7,000 when working full-time, a report from the Resolution ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Firms need to up their game on mental health (942 words)
There is increasing evidence that employers are becoming more aware of the need to offer mental health support to employees, yet many are still not ... Subscribers only
E-views
e-views (415 words)
Almost all of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising. It is popular with advertisers because of its ability to target very specific audiences. ... Subscribers only