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Labour Research July 2023
Children’s social care workforce in crisis Children and their families who receive social work support may find such support dwindling, thanks to the crisis in the sector Environment Agency workers have had enough They help protect us from floods, fires, pollution and more. But many Environment Agency workers suffer‘endemic low pay’
US Supreme Court deals blow to striking workers A recent United States Supreme Court ruling could have a chilling effect on US unions’ ability to take strike action
News
AI at work (123 words)
Nearly six in ten (58%) workers in new polling by the Prospect specialists’ union said the government should set rules around the use of generative ...
Open access
Equal pay victory (110 words)
A group of 1,000 care workers will receive £20 million in back pay in a landmark victory for equal pay, the GMB general union reported. ... Open access
Strikes show little sign of ebbing with more ballots under way (411 words)
The huge wave of strike action showed little signs of abating last month, with more strikes, ballots and re-ballots (see also page 5). ...
Subscribers only
Roadmap for national care service (230 words)
The first ever roadmap for a national care service in England would help ease NHS pressures, transform lives, and tackle workforce shortages, says ... Open access
Further NHS action as unions call for workforce plan’s publication (317 words)
Junior doctors took a further three days of strike action in response to “a meagre and insufficient offer last month which would have amounted to ... Subscribers only
Cautious welcome for energy plans (264 words)
The TUC and STUC Scottish Trades Union Congress have welcomed the Labour Party’s clean energy plans, including a publicly owned energy company ... Subscribers only
Council workers struggle financially (231 words)
A new Unite general union survey, carried out as the union began balloting thousands of members in local government in England and Wales, found ... Open access
Inflation fails to fall (76 words)
A further fall in inflation again failed to materialise in the year to May. The RPI rate, which includes mortgage interest payments, rose by 11.3%. ... Open access
Labour market indicators (200 words)
The upward trend in earnings growth continues, with pay startingto make up some ground relative to inflation. ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (421 words)
Inflation +11.3%, Average earnings +7.4% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Union membership dips in both public and private sectors (405 words)
Union membership numbers appear to have fallen slightly over 2021-22, although it may be that new members joining because of the recent surge of ... Subscribers only
Transport union elects women to president and treasurer posts (224 words)
Members of the TSSA rail staff union have elected the union’s first ever all-female president and treasurer team, as the union makes its way out of ... Open access
PCS leadership election (88 words)
The process for electing a new leader for the PCS civil service union, following May’s surprise announcement of Mark Serwotka’s impending ... Open access
Amazon (101 words)
The GMB general union has withdrawn its claim for statutory recognition at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse, accusing the internet giant of “dirty ... Open access
BALPA (36 words)
Pilots’ union BALPA has appointed Miranda Rackley as its interim general secretary, following previous leader Martin Chalk’s retirement. Rackley ... Open access
European news
Pensions action paused (115 words)
After 14 separate days of action, the last on 6 June, unions in France — who have acted together throughout the protests — have decided to halt ... Open access
‘Green steel’ (60 words)
Up to 10,000 workers from the German steel company Thyssenkrupp marched through the streets of Duisburg on 14 June, calling for support for a more ... Open access
Strike halted (47 words)
A three-week strike by teachers in Romania was halted last month after the government made significant concessions on pay. ... Open access
Progress made on EU directive to protect platform workers (338 words)
After months of wrangling, last month’s meeting of the EU’s council on labour and social affairs, representing the governments of member states, ... Subscribers only
Polish unions divided over deal (322 words)
Poland’s largest union NSZZ Solidarnosc has signed a wide-ranging agreement with the government. ... Subscribers only
Features
Social workers are being failed (2,289 words)
Last month, the UNISON public services union reported that more social workers in Wales are leaving local authorities to sign up with agencies due to ... Subscribers only
Pay erosion takes its toll (2,410 words)
After suffering more than 10 years of pay erosion that has resulted in the value of their salaries falling by as much as 26% — in the order of £700 ... Subscribers only
Court deals blow to US unions (2,309 words)
In the early morning hours of 11 August 2017, a group of drivers in the US state of Washington went on strike. The action followed the breakdown of ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Official was not an employee of the union (316 words)
In the case of Fire Brigades Union v Mr P Embery [2023] EAT 51, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruled that a trade union officer who was ... Subscribers only
Employment law changes (313 words)
In a written statement to Parliament, the government announced that it is abandoning the “sunset clause” in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and ... Subscribers only
New law on tipping in hospitality and leisure (233 words)
After much discussion within the hospitality industry and unions, the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 (or Tipping Bill) has received Royal ... Open access
Law Queries
Q&A (872 words)
Sickness and grievance ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
Redundancy selection must follow a fair process (909 words)
The requirements under section 98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) were set out in Polkey v AE Dayton Services Ltd [1987] IRLR 503: ‘’the ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Call for action on school buildings (239 words)
Unions have called on the government to come clean about, and act on, the state of disrepair in schools as the Labour Party tried to force it to ... Open access
Unions issue demands as Covid inquiry begins (315 words)
Unions and the TUC demanded government transparency and full cooperation with the UK Covid-19 inquiry as last month it began hearing evidence for its ... Subscribers only
Huge wildfire shows need for investment in fire services (187 words)
A huge wildfire south of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, believed to be one of the biggest in UK history and visible from space, shows the real ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Taking action when workers feel the heat (862 words)
The TUC has issued advice to safety reps on how workplace heatwave plans can result in multiple wins by helping keep workplaces cool in the summer ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Media must address reporting on disability (111 words)
The Disabled Members’ Council of the NUJ journalists’ union has called on the media industry to take action to address unethical reporting on ... Open access
Female graduates (104 words)
New figures from the Higher Education Statistics Authority indicate that salaries for female graduates have fallen behind those of their male ... Open access
Kinship carers forced to leave jobs or cut hours (334 words)
A survey of over 509 carers in England and Wales by the kinship care charity, Kinship, reveals more than eight in 10 kinship carers are forced to ... Subscribers only
Working women in Wales aged 50+ are undervalued (297 words)
Research by Wales gender equality charity, Chwarae Teg, reveals a significant number of women aged 50 and over are facing multiple barriers at work. ... Subscribers only
Workplace Back-up
Tight labour market challenges employers (896 words)
The world of work “isn’t going back to the way things were” before the pandemic. So say two of the UK’s best-known job-finding businesses — ... Subscribers only