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Labour Research December 2019
Top executives still pocketing millions - Leading companies continue to line the pockets of multimillionaire executives; Parties set out their stalls on rights in the workplace - A much-needed boost to the rights of UK workers and their unions is long overdue. So what are the main parties’ election offerings here?; European health and safety legislation - Unions fear that a Tory government led by Boris Johnson would reverse progress made under EU health and safety law
News
Union defiant following ‘outrageous’ court ruling (289 words)
The CWU postal workers’ union has lodged an appeal against the High Court ruling banning its members from striking to protect their terms and ...
Subscribers only
STUC calls for action to end plight of those in insecure work (221 words)
The Scottish TUC is calling for an end to contracts below 16 hours and minimum wage age inequality.
...
Open access
Nottingham College (141 words)
A long-running dispute at Nottingham College has ended after the college agreed to retain current workload protections and ensure no staff would see ... Open access
Rail commitment (116 words)
The RMT rail workers’ union has welcomed the commitment by Labour to end driver-only operation (DOO) on the national rail network, as it announced ... Open access
Debt-ridden families struggle to survive in Breadline Britain (310 words)
This is the most important election in a generation, the TUC said last month as it called on all parties to put working families first amid warnings ... Subscribers only
Tories’ NHS failure slated (247 words)
Unions have hit out at the Tories’ failure to invest in the NHS as figures show hospital A&E times hit their worst level on record.
... Open access
Class sizes a number one priority (264 words)
One in three teachers say reducing class sizes should be a top priority for the next government, as data shows a 44% rise in the number of pupils in ... Subscribers only
Unemployment takes a tumble (193 words)
Unemployment fell by 23,000, latest official figures show.
... Open access
Inflation falls again (71 words)
The annual inflation rate under the Retail Prices Index (RPI) fell for the fifth consecutive month. In October, RPI inflation was 2.1% against the 2.4 ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (411 words)
Inflation +2.1% Average earnings +3.6% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Roache re-elected for second term to head up GMB union (86 words)
Tim Roache has been re-elected general secretary of the third-largest TUC affiliate, the GMB general union, to run for a second term. He took 61% of ... Open access
Sarah Woolley eleccted as BFAWU general sectratary (166 words)
The 17,000-strong bakery and food workers union, the BFAWU, has elected its first ever female general secretary to replace Ronnie Draper who is ... Open access
PCS members ballot for leader (76 words)
Balloting is under way in the PCS public and commercial services union’s leadership election, with incumbent Mark Serwotka under challenge from two ... Open access
NASUWT general secetary election (166 words)
Nominations have opened for general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union following the resignation of Chris Keates.
... Open access
POA re-elects Gillan (45 words)
The POA prison officers’ union has returned Steve Gillan as general secretary for a third term after he won just over half the votes in a ... Open access
STUC leader (94 words)
Long-standing leader of the Scottish TUC (STUC) Grahame Smith has announced he will retire from his post in May next year. He has been at the STUC ... Open access
PDAU appoints head of organising (57 words)
Pharmacists’ union the PDAU, which recently won an epic union recognition battle with Boots, has further strengthened its trade union role by ... Open access
Nurses’ manifesto (89 words)
The RCN nursing union has set out a manifesto of five priorities to help members demand action from prospective parliamentary candidates in the ... Open access
European news
Unions back EU gender pay transparency proposals (284 words)
The European Trade Union confederation (ETUC) has backed a promise from the new president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to ... Subscribers only
Strikes planned in France as opposition to pension reforms intensifies (348 words)
Unions in France plan a day of strikes on 5 December in protest at government plans for pension reform.
... Subscribers only
Spanish unions welcome pact (120 words)
The leaders of Spain’s two dominant trade union confederations, Unai Sordo of CCOO and Pepe Álvarez of UGT, have welcomed the decision of ... Open access
EPSU loses case (124 words)
The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) has lost an important case against the European Commission.
... Open access
Features
Top fat cats continue to rake in millions (2,205 words)
The Labour Research annual survey of top bosses’ pay once again finds that the highest-paid executives continue to be awarded enormous sums.
... Open access
What’s on offer for workers? (2,630 words)
One of the key battlegrounds in the general election campaign has been workers’ rights. So what are Labour and the other parties proposing?
... Subscribers only
Staying safe and healthy? (2,370 words)
As European trade unionists mark the 30th anniversary of the EU’s adoption of the “Framework Directive” on health and safety, UK unions worry ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Manager’s motivation made employer liable (329 words)
The employment appeal tribunal (EAT) has confirmed that a trade union representative was dismissed for his trade union activities even though the ... Subscribers only
Reimbursement sum queried (355 words)
An offer of £500 plus VAT may not be enough for a solicitor to advise on the merits of a settlement agreement, the employment appeal tribunal (EAT) ... Subscribers only
Covert surveillance didn’t violate human rights (237 words)
Secret surveillance of employees in a Spanish supermarket who were suspected of theft was not a breach of their right to a private life under Article ... Open access
Law Queries
Ill health dismissal (418 words)
Q. My friend suffered a stroke six months ago and has made some recovery but is still a long way off returning to work. Does her employer have to ... Subscribers only
Right to be accompanied (212 words)
Q. I’ve been asked to attend a meeting with HR to discuss my sickness absence record. I want to take a union rep with me, but HR has said I can’t ... Open access
Deduction of holiday pay (180 words)
Q. I’ve just changed jobs and my previous employer deducted three days’ pay from my final pay, saying I’d taken more holiday than I was ... Open access
Law Back-up
Cultural change needed for truly flexible working (846 words)
The existing flexible working structure has been in place for five years. Back-up looks at why the TUC is calling for a change.
... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Rescue services must not be scapegoated (383 words)
The leader of the FBU firefighters’ union, Matt Wrack, has called for the first report of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire finally to be ... Subscribers only
Night work at record levels (184 words)
Night working has hit record levels, with the over-50s accounting for all its growth since 2014, according to a TUC analysis published at the end of ... Open access
Train firms break pledge over sewage dumping (249 words)
The RMT rail union says greedy train companies and a government with an “appalling attitude to the staff who work in the transport industry” are ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Supporting the victims of domestic violence (873 words)
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign that begins on 25 November — the International Day for the ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Universities must do more to combat racism (366 words)
Unions have called on universities to do more to stamp out racial harassment in the wake of a damning report from the EHRC equality watchdog warning ... Subscribers only
Disabled workers lose out by £3,000 a year (275 words)
The average disabled worker stops getting paid on 4 November, the TUC said in a new analysis last month.
... Subscribers only
Half of women will be carers by age 46 (270 words)
Half of UK women will be carers by the age of 46, while two-thirds of all adults can expect to care unpaid for a friend or family member in their ... Subscribers only
Workplace Back-up
Austerity pay policies have caused devastation (958 words)
As polling day draws near, the TUC has published research showing the pernicious effects of a decade of low pay under Tory austerity. Back-up looks ... Subscribers only
E-views
e-views (449 words)
Which unions were the most influential on Twitter in 2019?
... Subscribers only
News from LRD
LRD Annual General Meeting (113 words)
The 2020 annual general meeting of the Labour Research Department (LRD) is on Monday 18 May 2020 starting at 2.00pm at Jerwood Space, 171 Union ... Open access