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Labour Research April 2023
CRUEL UNIVERSAL CREDIT MUST BE SCRAPPED Universal Credit was introduced 10 years ago. Together with other benefit reforms, it continues to drive people into poverty
13 SCHOOLS IN GRIP OF FUNDING CRISIS The Tories claim more money is going into schools. But this is not enough, say unions, to counter years of cuts and today’s cost-of-living crisis
STRUGGLING TO BALANCE UNPAID CARE WITH WORK One in seven of the workforce juggles care responsibilities with work. What can be done to support them?
News
‘Brexit Bill’ back in the House of Lords (146 words)
More than two-thirds (68%) of businesses think the “Brexit Bill”, the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill will cause more uncertainty ...
Open access
P&O-style scandal could happen again (88 words)
Another P&O Ferries-style scandal could be on the cards due to government inaction, the TUC has warned. ... Open access
Hundreds of thousands take action as chancellor sets Budget (390 words)
Hundreds of thousands of workers took strike action, and thousands marched and rallied in central London, as chancellor Jeremy Hunt set his Budget ...
Subscribers only
Government offers nothing on pay (299 words)
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget offers nothing on pay and public services while giving tax cuts to big businesses and the highest earners, ... Subscribers only
Breakthroughs in pay disputes (357 words)
Unions announced a breakthrough in the NHS pay dispute, with an offer finally on the table following intensive talks with the government and ... Subscribers only
Minimum services Bill slammed (238 words)
The TUC has described as “scathing” a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, ... Open access
Blacklisting inquiry admission (141 words)
In closing statements to the first tranche of the Mitting Inquiry into undercover policing, counsel to the inquiry accepted for the first time that ... Open access
Government complicit in attacks (87 words)
The FBU fire brigades’ union coordinated a joint statement by 16 unions condemning “an alarming rise in violence and intimidation organised by ... Open access
Inflation jumps (76 words)
There was a shock jump in inflation with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) rate climbing to 13.8% from 13.4% while the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate ... Open access
Labour market indicators (198 words)
While the jobs market remains strong, and the unemployment rate remained at a near-historic low of 3.7% in the three months to January, inflation ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (420 words)
Inflation +13.8%, Average earnings +5.4% ... Subscribers only
Union news
External apointee to lead TSSA on temporary basis (465 words)
The TSSA transport union has made an external appointment to lead the union on a temporary basis following two highly critical reports into the ... Subscribers only
TUC Women’s Conference spotlights sexual harassment (118 words)
Combating sexual harassment was a major theme of last month’s TUC Women’s Conference, with a particular emphasis on removing it from the trade ... Open access
New ITUC leader (225 words)
A new general secretary will be elected to lead the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) after previous incumbent Luca Visentini was fired ... Open access
European news
Further bargaining changes in Romania (169 words)
The Romanian government has made further changes to the law on collective bargaining which should make it easier for unions to negotiate. ... Open access
New working from home rights (68 words)
Changes to the Polish labour code, which strengthen the rights of some workers to work from home, come into effect this month. ... Open access
Employers refuse to support changes to pension regime (398 words)
The main Spanish employers’ association, CEOE, has refused to support changes to the country’s pension regime which, the government argues, will ... Subscribers only
Retirement age increase imposed (245 words)
Faced with the likelihood of a parliamentary defeat over its plan to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, the French government has imposed the ... Open access
Features
Universal catastrophe (2,456 words)
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the introduction of Universal Credit (UC) — one of the most significant social security reforms in recent ... Subscribers only
Will additional school funding be enough? (2,118 words)
Among the Labour party’s more headline-grabbing policy initiatives is a pledge to axe de facto subsidies on private school fees by making them ... Subscribers only
Supporting unpaid carers (2,371 words)
One hundred national and local organisations, including the Usdaw retail union, Joseph Rowntree Foundation think tank, charities and campaign groups ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Disability discrimination: why Knowledge is key (324 words)
A tribunal was correct in its findings about when the respondent knew about the claimant‘s disability and when any duty to make reasonable ... Subscribers only
Vexatious claim struck out (327 words)
It was proportionate for a tribunal to strike out an entire claim, where a claimant acted in a manner that was scandalous, unreasonable or vexatious, ... Subscribers only
Rise in waiting times for tribunal claims (237 words)
Waiting times for having employment tribunal claims heard have risen substantially, according to information presented by justice under-secretary ... Open access
Law Queries
Q&A (887 words)
n I emailed my employer to say I was leaving my job, giving six weeks’ notice, rather than the four weeks stated in my contract. The leaving date I ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
Strikes by another union in the same workplace (920 words)
During the current wave of industrial action, different unions have taken action on different days. Some unions have reached the legally required ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Life-saving research (167 words)
The FBU firefighters’ union has launched new life-saving research with the University of Lancashire, in collaboration with the Tyne and Wear Fire ... Open access
Memorial Day (70 words)
Unions will mark International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April (#IWMD23) by remembering all those who lost their lives to workplace illness or ... Open access
Unions react to leaked lockdown messages (299 words)
Leaked private WhatsApp messages between former health secretary Matt Hancock and former education secretary Gavin Williamson during lockdown ... Subscribers only
Violence against shop staff (236 words)
Violence and abuse against shopworkers has almost doubled on pre-pandemic levels, the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) annual ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Improving the health of the labour market (906 words)
Rather, it points out, there is a growing number of people who are simply too sick to work and this is particularly the case among those aged 50-64. ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Pilot four-day week exercise gets thumbs up (230 words)
The results of the UK’s largest four-day working week pilot have seen almost every participating organisation deciding to adopt a four-day week ... Open access
Women work for free for two months of the year (346 words)
Recent analysis by the TUC reveals that the average woman in paid employment effectively works for free for nearly two months of the year compared to ... Subscribers only
Lack of support impacts neurodivergent workers (295 words)
Less than a quarter of HR professionals have had specific training in neurodiversity in the last year, according to new research by training provider ... Subscribers only
Workplace Back-up
Pay confidentiality: is it open to challenge? (921 words)
A worrying one in five workers were told they could not talk about their pay at work, 2020 research by the TUC found. ... Subscribers only