News

Two reports paint damning picture of PFI hospitals (400 words)

Hospital staff paint a grim picture of the realities of working in PFI hospitals in a new report for public services union UNISON. ...

TUC says Budget should have done more to help manufacturing (347 words)

The TUC gave a cautious welcome to last month's Budget but is concerned that not enough is being done to help manufacturing. ...

Famous factories shed many jobs (333 words)

The crisis in manufacturing showed no signs of abating last month when a number of famous name companies announced large job losses. ...

Budget raises regional pay threat (243 words)

Plans to make public service pay systems more responsive to regional labour markets, announced as part of the Budget, have attracted a strong response ...

Media and telecom workers in major disputes (211 words)

Three thousand journalists at the BBC were being balloted for strike action as Labour Research went to press. ...

Features

Curran to review links with Party (173 words)

The new general secretary elect of the GMB general union has said he will undertake a "membership-led review" of the union's links with the ...

Teaching union elects woman (86 words)

The ATL teaching union is about to become the largest British union to have a female general secretary after its members elected Dr Mary ...

Prospect to set up political fund (104 words)

A new political fund is to be created by civil service union Prospect after a narrow vote in favour by its members. ...

UNISON rejects other parties (302 words)

The leadership of Britain's largest union will fend off any calls from activists to channel funds to political parties other than Labour at its ...

French pension plans increase union hostility (371 words)

Strikes and demonstrations, particularly in the public sector, have greeted the French government's proposals for changing the country's pensions system. ...

Spanish strike against the war (58 words)

One of Spain's two main union confederations, the UGT, organised a two-hour stoppage against the war in Iraq on 10 April. The union stated ...

New leader for IG Metall (100 words)

The next president of the 2.7 million-strong IG Metall is almost certain to be Jürgen Peters, at present the deputy president. He has been ...

Dutch unions (97 words)

Union density, the proportion of employees who are union members, fell slightly in the Netherlands in 2001. Figures just published by the country's central ...

Monks to preside over major changes at ETUC (231 words)

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) will hold its congress in Prague later this month. The organisation faces new challenges linked to the eastward ...

Getting back to the community (2152 words)

Patchy signs of a trades councils renaissance are taking place, where new officers are seeing the need for change. The emphasis seems to be ...

Can "zero tolerance" deliver? (1857 words)

Workers are increasingly facing violent threats and physical attack from members of the public. Labour Research examines whether "zero tolerance" provides the answer to ...

Why exclude the young? (1659 words)

The UK's statutory minimum wage system says workers are not "adults" until they are 22. But this does not reflect the practice of most ...

A new skill means a new chance at work (1497 words)

Union members are finding that taking up opportunities to learn can improve their prospects at work. And businesses should understand that they also benefit. ...

Tribunal gives key equal pay ruling (92 words)

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) last month ruled in favour of city analyst Louise Barton in her equal pay and sex discrimination claims. ...

Law Matters

Agency lecturers may win new pension rights (378 words)

Agency lecturers could soon have the right to join the pension scheme for lecturers in further education for the first time. ...

Employment law changes to get fixed dates (240 words)

From next year employment law changes will come into force on fixed dates in the year. These will be announced by the government each ...

Tribunal taskforce monitors reforms (103 words)

The government is giving the Employment Tribunal System Taskforce a longer-term role to monitor how its reform proposals are being implemented. ...

Law Queries

Law Queries (165 words)

One of our members would like to keep working after the age of 65. The employer has no objection but are there any employment ...

Law Queries (90 words)

Is it the law that an employee is entitled to 12 weeks' notice over any change to a contract? ...

Law Queries (167 words)

I have been asked by a member working in a non-unionised workplace to find out the legal position regarding wage increases. She says that ...

Law Queries (168 words)

Is it true that if work is transferred to a new employer the staff who are identified with the work have to transfer over? ...

Law Queries (175 words)

I have recently found out that my employer has overpaid me. I was unaware of the fact as the money was part of a ...

Law Back-up

Legal changes should help equal pay claims (959 words)

By the end of the year workers will have a whole range of important new rights to claim equal pay, where there are differences ...

Health & Safety Matters

Unions welcome Safety Adviser scheme success (359 words)

A pilot scheme trialing a new kind of safety rep - worker safety advisers (WSA) - has been a great success, according to reports ...

Temps face higher accident rates (173 words)

Temporary workers have a higher risk of an accident at work than those on permanent contracts, according to research published by the London School ...

Help the London Hazards Centre (79 words)

The London Hazards Centre (LHC) needs support to ensure its survival. The decision on its long-term core funding from the Association of London Government ...

Report reveals classroom abuse (86 words)

Teachers are facing a tide of violence at work, according to teaching union NASUWT. A survey of over 300 schools in the north west ...

Elder abuse (72 words)

Nearly nine out of 10 district and community nurses have come across elder abuse during their work, according to new research. ...

Health & Safety Back-up

New code should help tackle asthma at work (783 words)

Unions and campaigners will be using World Asthma day - Tuesday 6 May to raise the issue of occupational asthma with employers. Back-up looks ...

Equality news

Report exposes racism at work (325 words)

Though real progress has been made combating racism at work, hidden racism still exists in the workplace. This is the main conclusion of a ...

TUC campaigns for tougher disability law (291 words)

The TUC is urging trade unionists to sign a petition demanding the government introduces new equal rights legislation to correct the weaknesses of the ...

Government recognises British Sign Language (68 words)

The Natfhe college lecturers' union has welcomed the government's recognition of British Sign Language (BSL) as a language in its own right. ...

Workplace Back-up

Protecting workers from passive smoking (756 words)

New research shows that more people die per year due to passive smoking at work than from workplace injuries. The TUC is calling on ...

News from LRD

Conference challenges racism at work (228 words)

More than 80 people attended the Labour Research Department (LRD) conference last month on combating racism at work, most representing their local trade union ...

Reviews

Parallel lives? Poverty among ethnic minority groups in Britain (134 words)

Lucinda Pratt, Child Poverty Action Group, 165 pages, paperback, £10.95 ...

India working. Essays in society and economy (113 words)

Barbara Harriss-White, Cambridge University Press, 316 pages, price £16.95 ...

World rescue (70 words)

Nares Craig, Housmans Bookshop Publications, 52 pages, £1.50 ...

No one is illegal. Asylum and immigration controls past and present. (157 words)

Steve Cohen, Trentham Books, 268 pages, £17.99 ...

E-views

Eviews (285 words)

A new site called The union makes us strong: TUC history online is a joint initiative between London Metropolitan University and the Trades Union ...