Pay and prices

Further divergence in inflation measures (195 words)

The latest inflation figures show a further divergence between the government's new preferred measure, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), and the Retail Prices Index ...

Labour Research Department three monthly pay figures (219 words)

Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered) ...

Average earnings indices (156 words)

Sep 02 (r) 108.8 3.6 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.8 ...

Prices (57 words)

November 02 178.2 2.6 2.8 ...

Other pay analysts (30 words)

Confederation of British Industry (manufacturing, three months to Nov 2003) 3.2% ...

Full-time weekly average earnings (28 words)

All workers £486.30 ...

Inflation forecasts (31 words)

RPI forecasts (and underlying inflation- excluding mortgage interest payments) ...

European news

Pay rises fall in the Netherlands (187 words)

Full-year figures from the Netherlands show that negotiated pay increases last year continued to fall and at 2.8% were lower than at any time ...

38-hour week to stay until 2008 (173 words)

The union IG Metall and the employers have agreed that the 38-hour week in the metalworking industry in the former East Germany will remain ...

Minimum wages rise in Spain and Portugal but frozen in Netherlands (190 words)

Minimum wage rates have gone up by 2.5% in Portugal and by 2.0% in Spain this month but remain the same in the Netherlands. ...

Ford agrees code of conduct with European works council (174 words)

Ford has agreed a code of conduct for its European operations with its European works council. ...

H&M signs agreement (65 words)

Hennes & Mauritz the Swedish retail clothing group, better known as H&M, has also just signed an agreement to secure and promote fundamental employee ...

Italians settle quickly in chemicals industry (97 words)

An agreement has been reached for the Italian chemical industry which will see average monthly pay rise by €100 over the two years January ...

Law - Discrimination

Discrimination case law news (972 words)

This month's discrimination law update covers key rulings on equal pay and part-time workers. It also looks at cases on proving discrimination and pension ...

Pay difference defence (84 words)

Margaret Christie and two colleagues worked for a seed-packing firm. They claimed they were being paid less than male employees. The men they were ...

TUPE and equal pay (139 words)

Mrs Clark worked at the dental school at St Thomas' Hospital. She was paid less than a colleague Mr Tate, who was doing similar ...

Pay based on service (160 words)

The Health and Safety Executive had operated a pay system based on incremental increases by service. As a result women HSE inspectors were more ...

Where there is no sex difference (146 words)

William Milligan is a primary school teacher. A colleague had taken an equal pay claim comparing her job with that of a secondary school ...

Employer comparisons (476 words)

Debra Allonby used to work for Accrington and Rossendale College as a part-time lecturer. The college made a decision that it would no longer ...

Pension rights for part-time workers (164 words)

Hilde Schonheit and Silvia Becker worked part-time for their respective employers after a period of full-time employment. When they became entitled to a pension ...

Race discrimination (195 words)

Yvonne Patterson is a solicitor working in her own firm. She claimed discrimination by the Legal Services Commission on their refusal to award a ...

Transssexuals and marriage (119 words)

KB works for the NHS and lives with a partner. Although they would wish to marry they are prevented by law from doing so ...

Dress codes (213 words)

Matthew Thompson works for the Department for Work and Pensions in the Jobcentre Plus section. Even though he has no frontline duties his employer's ...

Law - Tribunal procedures

Tribunal procedures (366 words)

This month's round-up covers key rulings on costs awards, as well as cases involving those working abroad and tribunal hearings where not all the ...

Award of costs (122 words)

Safeway Stores employed Ms Kopel in their Ealing store. She resigned claiming she had been discriminated against and constructively dismissed and that her human ...

Jurisdiction of the tribunals (149 words)

Karen Jackson, a British national, was hired in the USA to work in the New York store substantially owned and controlled by a UK ...

Duty on tribunals to inform the parties of relevant law (170 words)

Ms Sheridan claimed unfair dismissal and a tribunal found in her favour. It was only when the hearing to discuss her compensation took place ...

Tribunal hearing (94 words)

Jasmine De Haney was asked if she would mind two members sitting on her tribunal hearing, instead of three. She agreed and signed a ...

Human rights fair trial (91 words)

This case involved a complaint by a soldier over the army's failure during his period of service, to provide him with halal meat. The ...

Health & safety news

UNISON warning over safety and contracting out (330 words)

Private contractors are consistently worse than public authority employers when it comes to their record on health and safety, according to a report by ...

Health tests could be prohibited (206 words)

Drug and alcohol tests, genetic screening and snooping into personal medical histories could be ruled out of order, if the government approves draft data ...

Miners appalled by "dark age" shifts (96 words)

Miners are threatening industrial action after the UK's biggest coal producer announced plans in December to introduce flexible working at one of its pits. ...

Asbestos campaign continues (91 words)

The company that administers T&N, the bankrupt asbestos giant, is making millions in fees while sufferers receive nothing. ...

The hazards of acting (93 words)

More than three-quarters of actors in the UK have suffered some discomfort or injury during their career according to research by the Chartered Society ...

Guidance welcomed by T&G (100 words)

General union T&G has been welcomed new guidance published by the Department for Transport (DfT) to tackle crime on buses and coaches. ...

Features

Hours cut in film construction deal (190 words)

Freelance construction workers on feature films have voted in favour of a new pay and conditions package that will cut their weekly hours from ...

3.8% on Accenture HR staff pay bill (243 words)

Staff at Accenture HR Services, represented by the CWU and Connect communications unions, agreed a settlement worth 3.79% on the pay bill effective from ...

New efforts to license and control "gangmasters" (329 words)

New efforts are being made to control the activities of "gangmasters" who supply and supervise 60,000 casual workers for agriculture and the horticulture industry. ...

Pay pressure weak in 2004? (365 words)

Despite a fall in unemployment and an increased number of vacancies, there are predictions that the labour market will not be as "tight" this ...

Plumbers top New Year pay settlements (148 words)

Plumbers in England and Wales top the league of New Year pay settlements so far, according to the PayLine database. Their JIB agreement for ...

Pay round so far (103 words)

The mid-point trend for the pay round so far has been 3.1% and some the early New Year deals have settled at around that ...

Civil service pay crisis as Treasury maintains tough stance (592 words)

A tough stance by the Treasury held up civil service pay negotiations last year, and is threatening to plunge the service into a crisis ...

Joint review body to negotiate printing partnership agreement (199 words)

The GPMU print union is working with the industry employers (BPIF) to negotiate a new partnership agreement for the industry. ...

Flexible working: shop stewards "suspicious" (458 words)

A study based on a survey of members of the former AEEU engineering union has concluded that unions need to pay attention to the ...

Workplace audits uncover recruitment discrimination against disabled workers (236 words)

Employers are less likely to have a positive approach towards employing a disabled person than they are to keep an existing employee who becomes ...

Poll shows disfigurement believed to be barrier to employment (107 words)

A poll for the charity Changing Faces has found that nine out of ten people consider a facial disfigurement would be a significant obstacle ...

Family-friendly working (95 words)

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is appealing to union reps and workers to let the commission know about their experience of family friendly working ...

Five-year recognition campaign results in victory (326 words)

A five-year campaign for recognition has finally resulted in victory for unions at Doncaster-based plastic pipe firm Polypipe Building Products. ...

TUC gives strong support to new Home Computing Initiative (464 words)

The TUC is giving strong support to a new government scheme, Home Computing Initiatives (HCIs), which makes it easy for employers to offer computers ...

Proving discrimination (259 words)

Ms Nelson worked for Carillion Services alongside other workers some of whom were being paid more than she was. She claimed equal pay. The ...

HSE attacked over cancer risks (206 words)

The HSE has been accused of failing to protect thousands of workers in the micro-electronics industry from cancer-causing chemicals. ...

Competent persons research (106 words)

Employers are required to appoint one or more competent persons under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. ...

Price of life is a £100,000 fine (151 words)

Steelwork design company Conder Structures Ltd has been fined £100,000 following the death of 16-year-old Chris Kesterton. At the court hearing earlier this month ...

"Largest ever" fine for illegal waste activities (171 words)

Cleansing Services Group Ltd (CSG) has been fined £250,000 and ordered to pay £400,000 costs for breaches of environmental and health and safety regulations ...

New union rep on Health and Safety Commission (66 words)

Liz Snape, head of policy at the public service union UNISON, has been appointed to the Health and Safety Commission for the next three ...

New accident book (139 words)

Accident books now have to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, after a ruling last year by the Information Commissioner. Unions support the ...

Dangerous substances (76 words)

The HSE published the fifth and final approved code of practice (ACOP) supporting the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) in December. ...

Pay settlements in Europe show downward trend in 2003 (1779 words)

In the fifth annual survey of bargaining across Europe Workplace Report finds a downward trend in pay increases for 2003, with a similar outlook ...

Legal protection from sexual orientation discrimination (2023 words)

Last month new legislation was introduced which, for the first time, gives legal protection to lesbian, gay and bisexual workers from discrimination or harassment ...