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Fact Service February 2021
issue 8 (25/02/2021) - Unemployment rises, with young hardest-hit; CIPD: firms planning to hire but CJRS must stay; Uber drivers win Supreme Court victory; Unions challenge viability of 'roadmap' measures
Issue 7 (18/02/2021) - GDP fell to record low in 2020; Exit cap ditched in face of union pressure; Inflation rises slightly; Unions join business federation to call for better deal for self-employed; 10% pay claim for local government workers; Government confirms plan to raise minimum pension age to 57; New pensions act 'will offer added protections'; New group to focus on workplace rights;
Issue 6 (11/02/2021) - Unions and operators unite in praise of new offshore accord; Covid policies 'skewed towards men'; Industry calls for online sales tax to save shops; Push to make health and safety a fundamental ILO right; Government pension liabilities rise by 21%; Poor PPE to 'blame' for ambulance workers' 1 in 3 Covid rate
Issue 5 (04/02/2021) - TUC calls for workers' budget; One in eight furloughed; Pandemic has robbed workers of $3.7 trillion, ILO says; Make flexible working 'day one right', urges chartered institute; Deliveroo case reaches Court of Appeal; UK takes biggest GDP hit of G7 countries; Safer hours negotiated for PO staff; Health staff at mental health 'brink'
Issue 8
Unemployment rises, with young hardest-hit (802 words)
Unemployment has risen again, from 5% to 5.1%, its highest rate since 2016, with young people once again particularly affected. ...
Subscribers only
CIPD: firms planning to hire but CJRS must stay (272 words)
More than half of UK employers plan to recruit staff in the next three months, according to research by the CIPD – the first positive sign for the ... Subscribers only
Uber drivers win Supreme Court victory (334 words)
Uber drivers are workers and must be treated as such, the Supreme Court has ruled. The judgment means that drivers are entitled to rights and ...
Open access
Unions challenge viability of ‘roadmap’ measures (749 words)
Unions have reacted with scepticism to the government’s proposed four-step “roadmap” to the easing of lockdown restrictions. ... Subscribers only
Issue 7
GDP fell to record low in 2020 (384 words)
The UK economy shrank by a record 9.9% last year according to figures from the Organisation for National Statistics (ONS). The coronavirus-caused ... Subscribers only
Exit cap ditched in face of union pressure (320 words)
Unions have greeted the government’s withdrawal of The Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payments Regulations ahead of a union-backed judicial ... Subscribers only
Inflation rises slightly (150 words)
Inflation rose 0.7% in the 12 months to January, up from December's 0.6% CPI (Consumer Prices Index), according to the ONS. RPI (Retail Prices Index) ... Open access
Unions join business federation to call for better deal for self-employed (487 words)
Unions Prospect and Community have joined to urge the chancellor to use the 3 March budget to give greater security to self-employed workers and ... Subscribers only
10% pay claim for local government workers (238 words)
Three unions with 1.4 million members in schools and councils have put in a pay claim for a rise of at least 10% for all council and school support ... Open access
Government confirms plan to raise minimum pension age to 57 (146 words)
The government has published a consultation that sets out its proposals to raise the Normal Minimum Pension Age (NMPA) from 55 to 57 by 2028, ... Open access
New pensions act ‘will offer added protections’ (196 words)
The government is describing the receipt of royal assent for a new pensions bill this week as a “landmark moment”. ... Open access
New group to focus on workplace rights (124 words)
Labour Party-affiliated unions have joined Andy McDonald MP to found a new taskforce that aims to develop Labour’s agenda on workplace rights. ... Open access
Issue 6
Unions and operators unite in praise of new offshore accord (323 words)
A new collective agreement for workers in the offshore oil and gas sector has won support from the industry and the three unions – the GMB, RMT and ... Subscribers only
Covid policies ‘skewed towards men’ (660 words)
Government policies on Covid risk “exacerbating gender inequality”, the Women and Equalities Committee has warned in a report that also calls for ... Subscribers only
Industry calls for online sales tax to save shops (467 words)
Shopworkers’ union Usdaw has joined household names including Tesco, Morrisons and Asda in calling on the chancellor to use the Budget on 3 March ... Subscribers only
Push to make health and safety a fundamental ILO right (207 words)
The ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) has announced that its focus for International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April will be trying ... Open access
Government pension liabilities rise by 21% (105 words)
Government pension liabilities increased by 21% between 2015 and 2018, to £6.4 trillion, according to new figures from the ONS. ... Open access
Poor PPE ‘to blame’ for ambulance workers’ 1 in 3 Covid rate (395 words)
More than one in three ambulance workers has had Covid-19, according to the GMB. ... Subscribers only
Issue 5
TUC calls for workers’ budget (414 words)
A poll conducted for the TUC has found that over a third (37%) of workers report they have suffered a loss of income during the pandemic. This rises ... Subscribers only
One in eight furloughed (155 words)
Around 13% of UK workers – 3.85 million – were furloughed at the end of December, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced. ... Open access
Pandemic has robbed workers of $3.7 trillion, ILO says (371 words)
Covid-19 cost workers around the world $3.7 trillion (£2.7 trillion) in earnings last year through the loss of working hours, the International ... Subscribers only
Make flexible working ‘day one right’, urges chartered institute (238 words)
HR institute the CIPD is campaigning to make the right to request flexible working a day one right, after finding that 46% of UK employees don’t ... Open access
Deliveroo case reaches Court of Appeal (270 words)
A case that could establish collective bargaining rights among Deliveroo workers and beyond is being heard at the Court of Appeal this week, after ... Subscribers only
UK takes biggest GDP hit of G7 countries (502 words)
The UK has suffered the worst damage to its economy during the lockdown of all the G7 countries, figures from the Organisation for National ... Subscribers only
Safer hours negotiated for PO staff (96 words)
Communications workers’ union the CWU has reached an agreement which restores the principle of reduced post office opening hours in order to reduce ... Open access
Health staff at mental health ‘brink’ (242 words)
Health staff are suffering severe mental health problems because of the Covid pandemic, public services union UNISON has said. ... Open access