News

Auto unions agree "benchmark" deals but also plan industrial action (417 words)

While unions at Ford are celebrating a new "benchmark" deal, elsewhere in the industry they are finding it tougher to get what they want. ...

Studies reveal migrant boost to economy (307 words)

Home Office research concludes that migrant workers do not have an impact on unemployment levels of the resident population, and may have a positive ...

London weighting disputes rumble on (134 words)

The dispute over London weighting in higher education is set to lead to further industrial action on 3 February. This follows an earlier strike ...

Firefighters wait for "serious" pay offer (291 words)

Last month the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) suspended strike action due to take place before Christmas and set new dates for late January and ...

Survey says final salary pension closures have doubled (171 words)

The number of UK firms that have closed their final salary pension schemes has almost doubled in the past year, according to the main ...

NHS pay scheme is based on job evaluation (158 words)

After four years of talks the government has released details of a new NHS pay scheme which could lead to pay progression being based ...

Features

Union organising work recognised (179 words)

Print union GPMU and finance union UNIFI have emerged as winners in new TUC awards for outstanding organising work. ...

USDAW plans own organising academy (142 words)

Shop and distribution workers' union USDAW is to launch its own "organising academy". The specialist training centre will develop the organising skills of activists ...

Labour relies on union cash (117 words)

The Labour Party was heavily reliant on trade union money in the third quarter of 2002, according to figures from the party finance watchdog ...

New TUC leader (84 words)

The next general secretary of the TUC will be the current deputy, Brendan Barber. He was the only nomination to replace John Monks, who ...

Recruitment success (45 words)

Shopworkers' union USDAW notched up another recruitment success last year, taking on more than 74,000 new members. The result is a net membership increase ...

Leahy re-elected (28 words)

Members of ISTC - the Community Union have re-elected Michael Leahy as their general secretary and Eddie Lynch as assistant general secretary. Both candidates ...

Ethnic minorities (65 words)

Shopworkers' union USDAW has helped shape and fund a new post at Labour Party head office of ethnic minorities officer to encourage more black ...

Portugal and France hit by widespread strike action (348 words)

Union fears about employment rights and privatisation were behind last month's general strike in Portugal and widespread industrial action by French public sector workers ...

Council of ministers pushes for compromise on agency workers (226 words)

Last month the European Union's Council of Ministers, the representatives of member states, agreed on the need to move forward on the agency workers' ...

Survey shows pay deals steady across Europe (216 words)

Leading pay settlements across Europe averaged 3.2% during 2002 according to a survey by the Labour Research Department's Bargaining Report magazine. ...

Pay fears unfounded (1984 words)

Tony Blair claims that a decent deal for the firefighters would result in a pay spiral the government can't afford. But most public sector ...

The nation's richest part-time workers (1205 words)

Non-executive directors are not just a bunch of semi-retired company bosses doing the odd day's work to bolster their pension. Some of them are ...

Widening the gap in the NHS (1544 words)

The government says that its latest plans for modernising the health service - the establishment of "foundation hospitals" - will bring choice and diversity ...

Law is needed to prevent bullying (1808 words)

The indications are that bullying at work is on the increase. And unions say the voluntary approach to prevent it is not enough. ...

Law queries (193 words)

I know that you have the right to time off to look for alternative work if you are under notice of redundancy. Do workers ...

Law queries (157 words)

We have a bonus scheme in our workplace that pays out in December every year. Permanent employees in post on 1 July of that ...

Law queries (89 words)

Is it legal to use sickness absence as the basis for an appraisal in redundancies? ...

Law queries (168 words)

Our employers have announced that we are going from seven-day to five-day working. This will mean a 12% cut in pay. Do they have ...

Law queries (166 words)

For at least 10 years staff have been able to finish at lunchtime on New Year's Eve. This year we have been told that ...

Union forces asbestos move (86 words)

Workers will not have to work in a Lewisham council building while disturbed asbestos is removed, after a campaign by general union T&G. Management ...

Survey says age bias is main discrimination (294 words)

The most commonly-cited form of employment discrimination is age bias, according to recent research by the MORI Social Research Institute. ...

Unions urged to act on domestic violence (213 words)

The TUC has published a guide to help unions and their employers assist the victims of domestic violence. ...

Legal status for same-sex partners (186 words)

Government plans to recognise same-sex relationships have been welcomed by unions and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). ...

Flexibility fine is too low - TUC (98 words)

The TUC has criticised the £2,000 limit on fines on employers who refuse to consider fairly an employee's request to work flexibly. The TUC ...

Law Matters

Friction dynamex strikers celebrate tribunal win (281 words)

Sacked workers at the Friction Dynamics automotive plant in Caernarfon won an important tribunal victory in November. ...

Union warns over court privatisation danger (176 words)

The PCS public and commercial services union has warned that the Courts Bill, debated for the first time in parliament in early December, could ...

Tribunals plans to go ahead (87 words)

The government is to go ahead with plans that could result in a further restriction on access to employment tribunals. It has accepted the ...

Whistleblowing in local councils (162 words)

A survey of confidential reporting and whistleblowing procedures in local authorities in England and Wales has found that 98% of councils have a procedure ...

Law Back-up

Tribunal undermines notice pay rights (963 words)

A recent ruling from the Employment Appeal Tribunal has set alarm bells ringing over rights to pay during notice periods. Back-up explains the facts ...

Health & Safety Matters

Nurse wins major latex gloves case (286 words)

A High Court decision last November, described by unions as "groundbreaking" means that employers must ensure that their employees are protected from exposure to ...

Stress epidemic contributes to rise in sickness absence (250 words)

More workers are off sick, and for longer - with stress the major culprit, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) revealed in its annual ...

Union gets postal workers' pay back (89 words)

Postal workers who had their pay docked after refusing to work during an anthrax scare have had their wages reimbursed following action by their ...

Back injury payout (80 words)

An ambulance worker who lost his job as a result of a serious back injury has been paid £140,000 compensation by the Greater Manchester ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Fire dispute highlights risk assessment need (834 words)

With normal cover not provided during the firefighters' dispute, unions have been reminding reps about the need to get employers to carry out risk ...

Workplace Back-up

Workplace reps - who they are, what they do (816 words)

A new TUC survey of workplace union reps shows that the issue they most commonly deal with is resolving difficulties between individuals and management. ...

Reviews

Labour Party plc - New Labour as a party of business (159 words)

Dave Osler, Mainstream Publishing, hardback, 256 pages, £15.99 ...

Trade unions, the Labour Party and political funding - The next step: reform with restraint (136 words)

Keith Ewing, The Catalyst Forum, PO Box 27477, London SW9 8WT, 42 pages, paperback, £5.00 ...

Our City is not for sale (156 words)

Newcastle City Council trade unions, c/o Room 145, Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8QH, tel: 0191 211 6980, paperback, 60 pages, £5.00 (£2.50 ...

E-views

E-views (346 words)

The firefighters' dispute, and in particular last month's national march and rally in support, was the focus for a highly successful union e-initiative. ...