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Labour Research September 2022
Abortion rights trampled in America The crisis caused by the ruling on abortion by America’s powerful Supreme Court may point to a larger problem for US democracy 13 Educating reps to meet the challenges of today Trade union education provision has seen a shift towards digital learning and other strategies to equip union reps for today’s world 16 ‘Absolutely horrendous conditions’ in care sector The impact of profit-making in the social care sector sees workers being ‘unitised’ in a pressured environment and standards of care suffering
News
Summer of discontent continues into the autumn (426 words)
Thousands more workers have voted to reject a “pay cut dressed up as a rise” and strike for pay increases to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. ...
Subscribers only
Campaign for action launched (252 words)
Last month saw the launch of a new joint union and community group campaign to fight the cost-of-living crisis. Enough is Enough is calling for a ... Subscribers only
Amazon workers hit back (243 words)
Amazon workers have organised walkouts, sit-ins, and go-slows in protest at a “pathetic pay offer” of a 35p per hour increase, according to the ...
Open access
Labour Party’s energy plan receives qualified welcome (338 words)
Unions have welcomed Labour’s plan to stop the energy price cap rising. But Unite general union general secretary Sharon Graham called for more ... Subscribers only
Decasualisation win hailed (234 words)
A “landmark win” for thousands of staff at the Open University (OU) was last month hailed as “a huge step forward in ending casualisation” at ... Open access
Tories wage war on civil servants (236 words)
The government has given PCS civil service union members “yet another reason” to vote for strike action in a national ballot this month after ... Open access
Inflation rises again (79 words)
The Bank of England’s forecast of 13% inflation may soon be realised. It is based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) which, in the year to July, ... Open access
Earnings still on downward trend (208 words)
Earnings continue to fall far behind the rising cost of living. The latest figure for Total Pay growth (temporarily elevated in March due to bonus ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (410 words)
Inflation +8.2%, Average earnings +4.9% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Unions mount challenge to new strike-breaking rules (485 words)
Unions have begun two separate legal actions to challenge new regulations allowing businesses to use agency staff to replace striking workers.
... Subscribers only
Anger over picket line stance (160 words)
Anger with the Labour leadership over its stance towards picket lines grew last month when Sam Tarry was fired as a junior minister after attending a ... Open access
TUC Congress (59 words)
The first TUC Congress to be held as an in-person event since 2019 will take place this month in Brighton. It is the 154th Congress and runs from 11-1 ... Open access
TSSA (103 words)
The TSSA transport union is to recruit a temporary acting national secretary from existing staff rather than running a general secretary election, ... Open access
Covid and union meetings (89 words)
The doctors grouping in the Unite general union and the UK Hazards Campaign have produced guidance for unions when holding indoor events, Reducing ... Open access
European news
Unions express alarm over reform of disputes legislation (426 words)
Polish unions have expressed deep concerns over government proposals, set out in a draft bill, to revise the country’s industrial disputes ... Subscribers only
Further fall in employee reps (232 words)
New figures from DARES, the research arm of the French Ministry of Labour, show a further fall in the proportion of companies and employees where ... Open access
Deliveroo quits (117 words)
The main Dutch union confederation, the FNV, has welcomed the decision of the British food delivery company, Deliveroo, to pull out of the ... Open access
New directives (139 words)
Two new EU directives came into force in EU member states last month.
... Open access
Features
Federal abortion rights crushed after 50 years (2,673 words)
In the spring of 2016, Chris Matthews, an MSNBC TV broadcast journalist in the US, grilled then presidential candidate Donald Trump on abortion. ... Subscribers only
Schooling for the future (2,196 words)
As delegates gather for the annual TUC Congress in Liverpool this month, the trade union movement is facing a cost-of-living crisis, the fall-out ... Subscribers only
‘We have normalised misery’ (1,905 words)
Workers in the social care sector have difficult, challenging and skilled roles. But acute underfunding means they are leaving for jobs in, for ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Gender critical belief claim fails on the facts (328 words)
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) said it was not unlawful discrimination on the ground of belief to require a Christian doctor who was carrying ... Subscribers only
Appeal court overrules fire and rehire injunction (280 words)
The Court of Appeal (CA) has overturned the High Court’s decision to grant a permanent injunction against the dismissal of a group of Tesco workers. ... Subscribers only
EC certificate number must be submitted in timely manner (236 words)
The case of Pryce v Baxterstorey Ltd [2022] EAT 61 shows the importance of claimants including the Acas Early Conciliation (EC) certificate number on ... Open access
Law Queries
Collective redundancy consultation (411 words)
n I have a member (in a workplace where we are not recognised) who has just been made redundant along with about 60 other employees and there was ... Open access
Sick pay (351 words)
n I was off sick for three weeks recently and assumed I would get company sick pay. My contract says that I “may” be entitled to company sick ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
Protection from bullying and harassment at work (921 words)
It may seem obvious that bullying and harassment in the workplace should be against the law. But in fact, the legal protection is patchy.
... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Reps’ challenges and successes highlighted (367 words)
Unions and their safety reps have made a huge difference to workers’ health and safety over the course of the pandemic but face massive challenges ... Subscribers only
Menopause recommendations (154 words)
Recommendations by the cross-party Women and Equalities Committee of MPs to keep women with menopausal symptoms in the workplace have been welcomed ... Open access
NHS workers at breaking point (240 words)
An independent panel report on the health and social care workforce in England is a “shameful indictment” of the government, according to the ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Asbestos still biggest cause of deaths at work (885 words)
Later this month, the Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum (AVSGF UK) will hold a demonstration demanding the Cape asbestos products manufacturer ... Subscribers only
Equality news
New scheme will support neurodivergent workers (299 words)
A programme designed to assist neurodivergent workers and their employers has been launched in Scotland by neurodiversity charity Salvesen Mindroom ... Subscribers only
Disabled workers face homeworking challenges (270 words)
Despite the increased shift to remote working, some disabled workers are still missing essential support to do their job at home, according to a ... Subscribers only
Climate emergency entwined with racial injustice (231 words)
The environmental emergency “is rooted in systemic racism”, says a new report produced by the Runnymede Trust race equality think tank and ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
New ‘collective’ pension scheme gets green light (923 words)
The cost-of-living crisis is a reminder of just how much we all rely on secure incomes, not just in work but after retirement.
... Subscribers only