News

Jobless rate heads down again (205 words)

The number of unemployed claimants fell by 5,300 to 1,042,400 in November or 3.6% of the working population. There were 797,600 claimant men (5%) ...

Petrol prices raise RPI (73 words)

The headline rate of inflation, as measured by the retail price index (RPI), rose to 3.2% in November from 3.1% the previous month. A ...

Council workers call for £1,000 pay increase (309 words)

Unions representing 1.3 million council workers in England and Wales have submitted a claim for increases of pst1,000 a year on all grades. If ...

Teachers slam heads' union (512 words)

The Haringey branch of the NUT teachers' union has criticised the non-TUC Secondary Heads Association (SHA) for establishing a partnership arrangement with private consortium ...

New textiles owners sack 1,200 (139 words)

A management buyout team that bought former Coats Viyella plants in the East Midlands axed over 1,200 jobs in the weeks before Christmas - ...

Vauxhall unions condemn UK's "soft" labour law (383 words)

Unions representing workers at Vauxhall, which last month announced it is to end car production at Luton, have said the UK's "soft" labour legislation ...

Skills shortages in most sectors (215 words)

Despite the huge problems in manufacturing, most of the rest of the economy is suffering serious recruitment problems, according to employment agencies Manpower and ...

Features

Key Economic Indicators (315 words)

FULL-TIME AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS ...

Company political donations sink to all-time low (1842 words)

The funding of political parties is to be opened up to public scrutiny. But the latest Labour Research survey of corporate donations shows that ...

Are disabled workers getting real choice? (1880 words)

The government has announced radical changes to the way it supports disabled people in finding and keeping jobs. But some say the measures are ...

Unions search for ageing cure (1383 words)

Young people have been joining unions in decreasing numbers in recent years - a trend which some say spells doom for the movement. But ...

Electric shock transforms bargaining (1315 words)

Feverish re-organisation of the privatised electricity industry over the last two years is having a dramatic effect on the industrial relations structure. But the ...

Council managers join GMB (172 words)

The 9,000-strong MPO union, which represents senior managers in local government, is to merge with the GMB general union after 85% of voters said ...

De Gruchy goes early (57 words)

The second largest teaching union, NASUWT, is seeking a new general secretary after the surprise announcement that current incumbent Nigel de Gruchy, is to ...

Union passport (46 words)

A "union passport" has been launched to allow workers in information technology to have their union membership recognised while working abroad. ...

Recognition victory for ISTC (42 words)

Community union ISTC has secured recognition and full bargaining rights at Stevenage firm Tatra Plastics after a two-year campaign. The firm had refused recognition ...

Unions refine internet balloting (216 words)

An internet-based ballot carried out by the CWU communications union indicates that the polling method could be particularly successful for specific groups of union ...

Socialist in shock leadership victory (268 words)

A remarkable turn of events in the largest civil service union - the 250,000-strong PCS - will put socialist Mark Serwotka at the helm ...

Events (181 words)

* Friday 19: Discrimination Law in 2001. Conference, London, organised by the TUC in association with Equal Opportunities Review. . Details: Amanda Griffiths, TUC ...

EU agrees rights in "European companies" (398 words)

New rights for workers to be represented in "European companies" were agreed in a surprise move on the margin of last month's summit in ...

Rights charter agreed (124 words)

The leaders of the European Union (EU) endorsed a charter of fundamental rights for the EU (see Labour Research November 2000 page 8) at ...

Belgian two-year deal (104 words)

Belgian unions and employers have reached a framework agreement on key pay and conditions issues for 2001 and 2002. ...

Extra 3% saves Irish pay pact (158 words)

Irish unions have agreed to accept the continuation of the country's three-year national pay pact, the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF), after the ...

Recognition - the impact of the new law (192 words)

Saturday 24 March 2001 ...

Law Matters

Unions successfully prove membership in recognition claims (406 words)

Unions have had some recent successes in demonstrating their support in the workplace when employers have tried to deny claims for recognition. ...

Call for consultation rights (87 words)

The Industrial Society is calling on the government to strengthen UK workers' consultation rights by dropping its opposition to the European Union proposals on ...

Greater penalties proposed for individuals at tribunal (262 words)

Individuals submitting claims to employment tribunals will be taking much greater financial risks if proposals under consideration by the government are implemented. Trade and ...

Law Queries

Law Queries (768 words)

* Our employer is advertising for temporary workers but is making them sign a clause waiving their rights to any future redundancy pay. Weren't ...

Law Back-up

APPLYING THE TIME LIMIT IN EQUAL PAY CASES (886 words)

A recent court ruling makes clear that the six-month time limit for taking equal pay cases applies from the end of the employee's entire ...

Health & Safety Matters

COUNCIL CUTS POSE MAJOR SAFETY RISK (367 words)

Cuts to council environmental health budgets and a big reduction in local authority inspectors are putting the health and safety of millions of workers ...

EU TACKLES ACCIDENTS IN SMALL BUSINESSES (128 words)

Accident prevention in Europe's small businesses is to be the main activity of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in 2001. ...

Building charter (107 words)

The first services sector conference of the T&G general union last month heard that deaths on building sites are increasing and that the private ...

HSC funding increase (65 words)

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is to get an extra pst45 million to carry forward the government's strategy to cut deaths, injuries and ...

Safety commitment (46 words)

New powers to make transport operators and employers more responsible for the safety of their workers and the travelling public were announced in the ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Latex allergies are a preventable condition (820 words)

A large proportion of health staff and others using latex gloves are affected by skin or respiratory problems. But there are ways of preventing ...

Equality news

TUC WELCOMES PLANS FOR WORKING PARENTS (364 words)

Last month's green paper on rights for working parents has been welcomed by TUC general secretary John Monks, who said: "Working women everywhere will ...

College pays out pst1,000 for abuse (214 words)

A Lancashire college has been ordered by an employment tribunal to pay pst1,000 in compensation to a lecturer after it was found guilty of ...

UNION NEEDS STRATEGY FOR GAYS AND ETHNIC MINORITIES (195 words)

A review of union policies and practice on race equality and lesbian and gay issues undertaken by communications union the CWU has found that ...

Workplace Back-up

Employees want more flexibility at work (632 words)

A new study1 reveals an appetite among employees for more flexibility of the kind that allows them to balance work and the rest of ...

News from LRD

Working time guide (36 words)

LRD's new guide to the 1998 Working Time Regulations explains the provisions of the regulations and looks at how trade unionists are using them. ...

Health and safety law (94 words)

The Labour Research Department's comprehensive and up-to-date guide on health and safety law for union reps will be available later this month. ...

Easier payments for affiliates and subscribers (139 words)

From early in the new year the LRD will be setting up a direct debit payment system, allowing affiliates and subscribers to choose a ...