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Labour Research January 2021
Do we have the skills for a green economy? - the government’s target of two million green jobs by 2030 won’t be reached unless it delivers on the relevant skills; Ethnicity and health and safety - while Covid has exposed the extent of BME workers’ disproportionate experience of occupational ill health, unfortunately this is not new; Arts education under pressure - creative and practical subjects are important for young people’s development, but a narrowing curriculum sees these being pushed out
News
England and Wales gig economy workforce has almost trebled (409 words)
The number of people working for gig economy platforms has almost trebled in England and Wales over the past five years, according to new research ...
Subscribers only
Automotive industry needs support (265 words)
Government support for the automotive industry is urgently needed, the Unite union said last month. ... Subscribers only
Public sector struggles on net zero (238 words)
Getting the UK’s public services across the net zero line will require £140 billion of government funding by 2035, says public services union ...
Open access
Too little being done to ensure just transition to green economy (341 words)
Unions across the UK voiced concern at last month’s COP26 international climate change conference that progress is being put at risk by a failure ... Subscribers only
Teachers slam social media firms (208 words)
Teaching unions have accused social media companies of evading responsibility by failing to implement sufficient measures to prevent the online abuse ... Open access
Clarks workers supported (240 words)
As Labour Research went to press, employment conciliation service Acas was attempting to resolve the dispute at shoe retailer Clarks over their ... Open access
Full picture of jobs yet to emerge (210 words)
A picture of what happened when furlough ended is starting to take shape in Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. ... Open access
Inflation still rising (68 words)
The inflation surge continued in October with increases on all three frequently-quoted measures. ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (405 words)
Inflation +6.0%, Average earnings +4.4% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Communication workers redirect Labour donations (349 words)
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is to divert much of the cash it donates to the Labour Party to specific candidates and campaigns that support ... Subscribers only
Union conference abandoned after head office staff walk out (195 words)
Staff working at the RMT transport union’s London head office walked out for four days last month forcing its annual conference in Leeds to be ... Open access
Pilots’ union has new leader (112 words)
Airline pilots’ union BALPA has appointed former British Airways pilot Captain Martin Chalk as general secretary following an affirmative ballot of ... Open access
Clancy re-elected (44 words)
Mike Clancy has been elected to serve a third term as general secretary of the managers and specialists union Prospect. He has led the union since 201 ... Open access
Unite agrees to back PR (80 words)
For the first time in its history, the Unite general union has agreed to back proportional representation (PR) for Westminster elections. Its recent ... Open access
European news
New legislation strengthens rights on remote working (387 words)
Portugal has introduced new legislation on remote working that extends the right to work from home, as well as guaranteeing the “right to ... Subscribers only
Polish teachers close to strike (267 words)
The prospect of a national strike in Polish schools has moved closer. ... Subscribers only
Net zero proposals (98 words)
Later this month, the European Commission is set to make proposals on how governments in EU member states should deal with the labour and social ... Open access
French pension plans paused (86 words)
French president Emmanuel Macron has accepted that his plans for major changes in the country’s pension system cannot currently be implemented. ... Open access
Dutch unions lose members (54 words)
Dutch unions currently have around 1.5 million members, around 100,000 fewer than in 2019. The latest two-yearly survey from the Dutch statistical ... Open access
Features
Developing green skills (2,457 words)
Unions say the government must do much more to work with them on skills if it is to reach its target of two million green jobs by 2030. ... Subscribers only
‘Black workers are scared to ask for what they need’ (2,402 words)
Unions are highlighting the fact that racial disparities in the workplace have important implications for ethnic minority workers’ health and ... Subscribers only
Arts and creativity sidelined (2,121 words)
The teaching of arts subjects in schools has been under pressure for years. But unions are warning that the impact of Covid-19 makes these subjects ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Rental payments ought to have been excluded (297 words)
Payments made by minicab driver Mr Augustine to his employer, Data Cars Ltd, for car rental and a uniform, were expenses for the purpose of ... Subscribers only
Tribunal determines right to pay during suspension (351 words)
An NHS Trust was not required to pay a healthcare assistant during a period of suspension because he was a “bank worker” with no entitlement to ... Subscribers only
Platform workers fight back (250 words)
A new TUC report, Seven ways platform workers are fighting back, provides a collection of essays addressing the lack of employment rights that ... Subscribers only
Law Queries
Payment of compensation (311 words)
Q. One of our members won an employment tribunal claim and was awarded a significant amount of compensation. The employer has not paid it yet. How ... Subscribers only
Pensions (127 words)
Q. Our sick pay scheme provides for six months on full pay followed by six months on half pay, and nothing after that. Does the company still have to ... Open access
Compulsory retirement (282 words)
Q. I want to carry on working past my 65th birthday but my employer says that it has a fixed retirement age of 65. My job is not physically demanding ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
Direct offer to employees was unlawful inducement (923 words)
Following a six-year legal battle, general union Unite has won a significant victory in the Supreme Court to protect collective bargaining rights. ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Violence and abuse now ‘part of the job’ (315 words)
Three-quarters (76%) of London Underground and Transport for London (TfL) rail workers in public facing roles have been subjected to violence at work ... Subscribers only
UNISON calls for action on exploitation in supply chains (204 words)
Investors of the Australian medical rubber glove manufacturing company, Ansell, are being urged to “help change the corporate culture of worker ... Open access
Workload and mental health crisis in universities (232 words)
A new report reveals a widespread workload and mental health crisis in universities. The Education Support charity study, Supporting staff wellbeing ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Urgent action needed to avoid Covid chaos (908 words)
Union leaders have condemned the government’s laissez-faire and reckless response to Covid, laying down a five-point plan to urgently tackle ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Disabled workers want to continue homeworking (402 words)
Nine in 10 disabled workers who worked from home during the pandemic want to continue doing so at least some of the time, according to TUC research. ... Subscribers only
Despite many initiatives, inequality persists in NHS (246 words)
The NHS does not have the fundamentals in place to tackle discrimination, warns a report by the Nuffield Trust health think tank. ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Menopause and work: a trade union issue (832 words)
Women undergoing the menopause may face a variety of challenges at work associated with menopausal symptoms. Back-up reports. ... Subscribers only
E-views
e-views (467 words)
I’ve been working with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) on developing their new website. ... Subscribers only
News from LRD
2022 LRD annual general meeting (104 words)
The 2022 annual general meeting of the Labour Research Department (LRD) will be held on Monday 16 May 2022 starting at 2:00pm. The AGM will once ... Open access