Workplace Report May 2025

Pay View: Cost of living News Bargaining: Pay Europe Skills Equality Law in Action: Discrimination, Unfair dismissal, Dismissal, Breach of contract. Features: Civil service pay: why reform can't wait. Halfway through 2024-25 pay round: is pay falling back. May Pay and prices News Bargaining: Pay, Europe, Equality Law in action: Discrimination, Practice and procedure, Constructive dismissal, Disability Features: Regional allowances: what benchmark? Staged agreements: are they dying out?

Calm Before the Storm (239 words)

Last month we reported that deals in the last couple of months show a worsening picture, and this is concerning as inflation statistics are expected ...
Open access

Pay and prices

Pay Deals Holding Steady Amid Inflation Shifts (273 words)

Pay deals were averaging 3.2% for the lowest-paid in the three months to March 2025. This was consistent across manufacturing and services, while the ...
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Payline: Median Pay Deals (115 words)

Percentage increase for those on the lowest basic rates. Statistics based on 52 deals in the past three months. ...
Open access

Average Weekly Earnings (110 words)

Source: ONS average weekly earnings monthly survey data. ...
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Average Weekly Pay by Occupational Group (50 words)

Source: ONS: ASHE 2024 figures increased by average weekly rises in earnings. ...
Open access

News

Featured Payline Deals (377 words)

In the month when the statutory minimum wage rose by 6.7%, featured deals include many inflation-busting pay rises. From April, a new deal for ...
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Pay: Direct Negotiations Bear Fruit for NHS Scotland Workers (358 words)

The Scottish government has made a two-year offer to NHS Scotland unions of a 4.25% pay rise this year and 3.75% for 2026/27. UNISON and Unite have ...
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Equality: Unions Warn of 'Step Back' Following Supreme Court Ruling (296 words)

Unions have warned of the potential ramifications of the Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of ‘sex’ in the Equality Act and urged against ...
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Industry: Government Takes Control of British Steel (407 words)

On 12 April, the UK Government called an emergency recall of Parliament for the first time since the Falklands War in 1982, in a bid to secure the ...
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Pay: Tesco to Pay 5.2% Staggered Increase (271 words)

Tesco will raise store worker pay by 5.2% over the next six months. However, the new pay deal will remove a 10% bonus that staff receive when they ...
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Europe: Germany – 2.5 Million Reach Above-Inflation Deal (386 words)

Unions and employers reached an agreement last month that produced an above-inflation rise for around 2.5 million workers in central and local ...
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Sector: TfL Implements Temporary Licenses (292 words)

Transport for London (TfL) has agreed to issue temporary three-month licenses to private hire drivers whose applications were delayed due to ...
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Europe: Sweden – Two-Year Agreement Sets 3.4% "Mark" (302 words)

Unions in Sweden have signed a two-year pay deal that will increase pay by 3.4% from 1 April 2025 and by a further 3.0% from 1 April 2026. This ...
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Pay: Investors Back Real Living Wage at Major Employers (287 words)

Major investors, including Axa, Scottish Widows, and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, are urging retail companies to increase workers’ pay. ...
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Pay: Creative Unions Sign MoU for Fair Pay and Conditions (421 words)

The signing of a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ between unions and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) intends to support creative ...
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Pay: Transport – Cleaners Win Pay Rise (198 words)

Cleaners working for outsourcing firm Churchill on the Merseyrail contract voted overwhelmingly in April to accept a new pay offer, bringing a ...
Open access

Employment Law (557 words)

Mr Campbell was employed by Sheffield Teaching North Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He was branch secretary of UNISON and worked full-time on behalf ...
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Employment Law (677 words)

Mr Hewston was an Ofsted inspector for 12 years. During a school inspection in October 2019, Hewston brushed rainwater off a child’s head without ...
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Employment Law (493 words)

Mr Gourlay, who has multiple sclerosis, worked for West Dunbartonshire Council from 2008 as a health and safety officer. He was dismissed in ...
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Employment Law (550 words)

F was employed by J as a university lecturer. In July 2021, he brought an Employment Tribunal (ET) claim of disability discrimination. F has ...
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Employment Law (578 words)

Ms Kinch was employed by Compassion in World Farming International (CWF) as UK finance controller starting in 2016. ...
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Employment Law (666 words)

Mrs Roofe-Stewart was a support worker for MacIntyre Care Ltd (MCL). During the Covid pandemic, she had been shielding. When shielding was paused on ...
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Employment Law (599 words)

Mr Sener was a bus driver for London United Busways (LUB). He was disabled by reason of a urinary tract condition that required frequent toilet use. ...
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Employment Law (614 words)

Dr Jones, who is of African-Caribbean heritage, applied for a job at Public Health England (PHE). He scored second highest at interview. The ...
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Regional allowances - what benchmark? (1,306 words)

Regional allowances are an additional payment made to workers in a specific location, usually London. From a worker’s point of view, the payment ...
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Around a third of deals are staged each year – but are they dying out? (723 words)

Staged agreements have made up around a third of settlements in recent years—much higher in some industries. However, with only a fifth of ...
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