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Workplace Report May 2022
THE STATE OF PAY - Pay is very much in the headlines, but what has actually happened in union-organised sectors of the labour market over the last nine months? Workplace Report reviews the outcomes so far in the 2021-22 pay round A FRAGMENTED PICTURE: CIVIL SERVICE PAY - Unions have reacted angrily to the government’s instruction that civil servants be offered a 2% pay rise this year.
Pay and prices
Inflation at 9% (121 words)
RPI is at 9% with forecasts showing rises up to 11%. The “cost of living crisis” continues, with average weekly earnings (AWE) only rising by 4.1% ...
Open access
Labour Research Department’s Payline database (317 words)
Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered)
For the three months up to and including this pay round. ...
Subscribers only
Average weekly earnings (AWE) (240 words)
(r) revised, (p) provisional ... Open access
Full-time weekly average earnings (33 words)
... Open access
XpertHR (21 words)
Median increases for three months to end of April 2022 ... Open access
Prices (65 words)
... Open access
Bargaining news
The local government pay round (683 words)
The dust has not yet settled on last year’s “NJC” (National Joint Council) pay award for 1.4 million local government workers in England, Wales ... Subscribers only
HCAs win upgraded pay (254 words)
UNISON North West is celebrating the victory of healthcare assistants (HCAs) in Manchester University Hospitals Trust and two other trusts who have ... Subscribers only
Longest gig strike continues (223 words)
Couriers and delivery drivers across the country are now well over 100 days into their strike action against Stuart Delivery, a partner of Just Eat. ... Open access
Post Office strike nears (303 words)
The Communications Workers Union has called for a nationwide walkout beginning on 3 May against a pay freeze imposed on Post Office workers.
... Subscribers only
Teachers prepare for more action over pay (532 words)
The NASUWT teaching union will push for strike action if teachers do not receive a minimum pay award of 12% in 2022, 10% in 2023 and 8% in 2024 on ... Subscribers only
GSK vote to strike (307 words)
Workers for GlaxoSmithKline have voted to take industrial action against the pharmaceutical giant for the first time ever in a dispute over pay. ... Subscribers only
Cabin crew win pay deal worth up to £3,000 (282 words)
In a rare piece of good news for aviation, staff at Loganair, the regional airline based in Glasgow, have won a new 18 month pay deal worth up to ... Subscribers only
Rail strike ballot called (278 words)
Transport union RMT has announced that it will be balloting over 40,000 railway workers from Network Rail and 15 train operating companies between ... Subscribers only
Nina Cole (97 words)
We are very sad to report the sudden and unexpected death of our colleague and friend, Nina Cole.
... Open access
Equality news
Racism rife in diverse NHS (273 words)
Racism remains a significant barrier for BAME staff in the National Health Service despite record levels of ethnic diversity across the organisation, ... Subscribers only
Women ‘left in lurch’ by spring statement (171 words)
Women’s Budget Group director Mary-Ann Stephenson has condemned chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spring statement for “leaving women in the lurch” ... Open access
BAME working carers face greater barriers (275 words)
Black and ethnic minority workers are more likely to face barriers when combining work and care responsibilities than White employees, according to ... Subscribers only
EHRC targets workplaces (199 words)
Tackling discrimination in the workplace is one of six key priority areas announced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in a new plan to ... Open access
Learning and training news
Government to review apprenticeship levy (421 words)
The government is to review the apprenticeship levy, paid by employers to fund apprenticeship training, to see if it “is doing enough to ... Subscribers only
Organising by outsourced workers reaps rewards (454 words)
A group of previously ununionised hospital porters and domestics last month reaped the rewards of taking collective action and organising as a union ... Subscribers only
School loses recognition ballot claim (154 words)
The NEU and NASUWT education unions have won a joint statutory claim for recognition at The Prior’s Field School Trust in Godalming, Surrey, ... Open access
European news
Germany: one-off payment for chemical workers (309 words)
The German chemical and energy workers’ union, IGBCE, has agreed to accept a temporary one-off payment and postpone a full pay settlement until ... Subscribers only
Dutch unions sign key agreements (524 words)
Dutch unions have reached agreement on several key settlements in both the public and private sectors in the last few weeks. They generally provide ... Subscribers only
Gender pay directive moves closer (287 words)
The European Parliament has agreed to start negotiations with representatives of EU governments on proposals for a gender pay transparency directive. ... Subscribers only
Employment law - Case reports
Striking workers not protected from detriment (799 words)
Fiona Mercer was a support worker for health and social care charity Alternative Future Group and a workplace rep for UNISON.
In 2019, as a result ... Subscribers only
Anonymity and redaction orders (399 words)
A commercial director at Google was dismissed for alleged sexual harassment of two colleagues. He had more than 10 years’ service. He claimed ... Subscribers only
Failure to pay back pay could be breach (346 words)
Bus driver Mr Craig raised a grievance about numerous problems with his hours, pay and incorrect level of sick pay. Following the grievance procedure ... Subscribers only
Meaning of detriment (426 words)
Mr Warburton applied to be a police officer with the Northamptonshire Police. His application stated that he had an ongoing claim against another ... Subscribers only
Suspension can be a detriment (487 words)
Mr Fullah was employed for 16 years as a computer officer in the IT department of the Medical Research Council’s Cognitive and Brain Services Unit. ... Subscribers only
Specific disclosure in whistleblowing proceedings (424 words)
In-house lawyer Ms Dodd, who was employed by an energy consultancy, alleged that she was subjected to detrimental treatment because she made numerous ... Subscribers only
No detriment where sense of grievance is unjustified (491 words)
Senior crown prosecutor Ms Hepburn brought claims of discrimination and victimisation. She stated that migraines and problems with her right knee ... Subscribers only
Restriction of proceedings order was justified (458 words)
In a rare case, the attorney general applied for a restriction of proceedings order (RPO) under section 33 of the Employment Tribunals Act 1996 ... Subscribers only
Redundancy request could still be dismissal (277 words)
Ms White was employed as a part-time receptionist. When her employer proposed to reduce the number of employees carrying out receptionist and ... Subscribers only
Health & safety news
Safety Reps Rights: No. 2: Functions of safety reps (141 words)
THE Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations came into force nearly 30 years ago, in October 1978. Workplace Report is running a ... Open access
Members’ polls highlight workload and long hours (485 words)
Rising numbers of teachers plan to quit the profession over the next five years, with high workload and workplace stress significant contributors, ... Subscribers only
Business failing women, survey finds (268 words)
Just 13% of organisations with a high representation of women in their workforce had a menopause policy and only one in five (21%) of employers ... Subscribers only
Union welcome for new NI domestic violence law (276 words)
The BFAWU bakers’ union highlighted “ground-breaking” new employment rights in Northern Ireland that make provision for up to 10 days’ paid ... Subscribers only
Health & safety - HSE Monitor
HSE cuts Covid guidance (451 words)
The HSE health and safety regulator removed most of its Covid-19 guidance from its website at the beginning of last month in line with the ... Subscribers only
Inspection failures prompt ferry takeover calls (329 words)
The TUC has called on the government to take over the running of P&O Ferries passenger and freight services “as a last resort” if a ... Subscribers only
Company fined £2m for corporate manslaughter (268 words)
West Midlands scrap metal company Alutrade Ltd was fined £2 million after admitting to the corporate manslaughter of its employee Stuart Towns in ... Subscribers only
Features
The state of pay (2,820 words)
Who could have predicted last summer that, by this spring, negotiators would be chasing retail prices index (RPI) inflation of 9% or more? Labour ... Subscribers only
A fragmented picture: civil service pay (1,769 words)
In March, the Cabinet Office published the civil service pay remit guidance, laying out the framework within which individual departments and ... Subscribers only