News

Train and bus workers lead off first strikes of the new year (299 words)

The dispute at Arriva Trains Northern has continued into 2003 with strikes taking place over the Christmas and New Year period. Hundreds of conductors, ...

First batch of PFI schools fails to impress spending watchdog (307 words)

Evidence so far indicates that the private finance initiative (PFI) does not deliver better schools than traditional procurement according to a report from the ...

Power firm announces 1,000 will go (234 words)

London Electricity Group (LEG) has announced it is to cut its UK workforce by 1,000 as part of a restructuring after last year's purchase ...

Teacher unions divided over teaching assistants deal (379 words)

A common union approach to the problem of teachers' workloads broke down last month over the details of a package agreed by education secretary ...

Fire dispute widens to job cuts (211 words)

The scale of fire service job losses and service cuts implied by the "modernisation" agenda emerged last month as one of the central issues ...

TUC provides pension advice (48 words)

The TUC has launched a service to enable employees without an occupational pension to work out how much they need to save a month ...

Features

Training to equip lay members for union jobs (264 words)

A union leadership programme, developed to give lay members the skills to take on leading union jobs, is being piloted in Wales. ...

TUC calls for law to allow e-voting in union elections (163 words)

The TUC is calling for a change in the law to allow union members to use new technologies in statutory union elections, known as ...

New general secretaries (111 words)

New general secretaries have been announced in two unions - the Musicians' Union (MU) and airline pilots' union BALPA. ...

Recognition (65 words)

Finance union UNIFI has gained union recognition in Providian Card Services, owned by Barclaycard, after a 91% vote in favour by staff. Providian employs ...

Gongs for trade unionists (61 words)

Bill Connor, general secretary of shopworkers' union USDAW, was knighted in the Queen's New Year's honours list for services to industrial relations. ...

General strike planned for Italian industry (213 words)

Italy's largest union confederation has called a four-hour general strike on 21 February to protest against the decline of the country's productive capacity. ...

Divisions in Portugal (130 words)

There are increasing divisions between the two major confederations in Portugal since the general strike in December, which was called by the CGTP but ...

Chirac promises decisions on pensions (221 words)

French president Jacques Chirac last month said the government would take decisions on pensions "before the summer", although he promised that government would "follow ...

Spanish to strike for rural economy (157 words)

The two main Spanish trade union confederations have called for a general strike in large parts of the Spanish countryside on 20 February. The ...

Irish pay deal hangs in balance (78 words)

Talks on a new national pay deal in Ireland were taking place as Labour Research went to press. The negotiations, to replace a previous ...

Fat cats have fun when work is done (1470 words)

While companies are increasingly axing employees' pension schemes, many top executives are looking forward to a luxurious retirement. ...

Fatigue: the hidden killer (1633 words)

The Selby rail crash, caused by a car driver falling asleep at the wheel, highlighted the dangers of driving while tired. Labour Research looks ...

Carers of adults need rights too (2012 words)

Millions of workers juggle their jobs with caring for elderly or disabled adults. Now they are calling for rights to balance their responsibilities through ...

Council house policy in chaos (1691 words)

Campaigns by tenants and unions against mass sales of council houses are forcing the government to throw open its policy of transfers. ...

Law Matters

Government publishes further plans to help working parents (415 words)

Working parents and working fathers in particular, may get new rights to allow them to better combine work and family responsibilities, if the proposals ...

Court sets limits on awards (261 words)

The Court of Appeal has set down the maximum amount which tribunals should award in cases where the employee, in a discrimination claim, has ...

Minimum wage for night watchmen (75 words)

The Court of Session in Scotland has upheld the findings of an Employment Appeal Tribunal decision on the pay rights of night watchmen. The ...

Law Queries

Law Queries (179 words)

There are some part-time employees in our workplace. What rights do they have to holidays, and in particular, to bank and public holidays? ...

Law Queries (135 words)

One of my members has been dismissed for bullying. In her disciplinary hearing she was not allowed to challenge those who had made the ...

Law Queries (133 words)

Can we call a meeting of union members to discuss industrial relations problems and potential industrial action in works time and in the workplace? ...

Law Queries (127 words)

One of our members has been off sick but is now back at work and has to see the company doctor. Does she have ...

Law Queries (187 words)

What constitutes an unfair dismissal? Would it be legal to keep someone on a temporary contract for more than two years? ...

Law Back-up

Army reservists have special protection (787 words)

As the USA and UK governments move closer to war with Iraq, Backup looks at what happens to workers who are called up as ...

Health & Safety Matters

Collective action is good for you (71 words)

Kicking up about workplace problems is good for you, new research from Sussex University has revealed. Psychologist Dr John Drury found that people participating ...

Six figure pay out for overwork stress (64 words)

A financial adviser for Pearl Assurance has obtained six-figure compensation for work-related stress. The man, in his mid-thirties, routinely worked 75 hours a week ...

Unions call for safer call centres (66 words)

Unions have launched a new guide for call centre workers in the financial sector. The guide is by Liz Cairns from the UNIFI finance ...

Hazards conference (32 words)

This year's conference of the Hazards safety campaigning group takes place on 5-7 September in London. Contact Margaret Sharkey at the London Hazards Centre ...

Government could miss safety targets (362 words)

There will need to be a "major improvement" if the government is to meet its health and safety targets, says a new report by ...

Rail safety system faces delay (194 words)

A hi-tech rail safety system that will save hundreds of lives is to be put on hold by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), the ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Why farmworkers need roving safety reps (900 words)

A pilot scheme for roving safety reps is currently taking place in agriculture. Back-up looks at how the scheme is working, and the lessons ...

Equality news

Union exposes civil service pay gap (223 words)

A pay gap which sees women civil servants earning 27% less than their male colleagues means the government is setting a "shocking" example as ...

Equal value victory (67 words)

Fifty-four members of the GMB general union working for Mansfield District Council recently won a total of £62,000 in equal value claims. The mainly ...

T&G on flexible hours alert (93 words)

The T&G general workers' union has set up a "flexible hours" watch, placing its negotiators on alert to monitor employers to ensure workers who ...

Black workers' childcare project (85 words)

The national childcare charity the Daycare Trust has launched a project to discover more about the childcare needs of black and ethnic minority parents ...

Bill aims to create duty to promote disability equality (287 words)

A private member's bill to place a positive duty on public sector bodies to promote equal opportunities for disabled people has been backed by ...

Workplace Back-up

Report helps workers check pension schemes (730 words)

Cutbacks to final salary pension schemes have made millions of workers painfully aware of the importance of pension provision and the need to improve ...

Reviews

Democracy and regulation - How the public can govern essential services (151 words)

Greg Palast, Jerrold Oppenheim and Theo MacGregor, Pluto Press, 233 pages, paperback, £16.99 ...

Health and safety at work handbook 2003 (143 words)

Tolley's, 1,200 pages, paperback, £70.00 ...

In praise of centralism - A critique of the new localism (113 words)

David Walker, Catalyst Forum, 32 pages, paperback, £5.00 ...

E-views

Trades councils (322 words)

Trades councils, many of which have been stagnating in recent years, have found in the internet a possible means of revitalising themselves. ...