News

UK call-centre employment set to grow despite offshoring (277 words)

The UK call-centre industry will recruit an extra 200,000 workers in the next three years, according to a report published by the Department of ...

Media union will support BNP refuseniks (104 words)

The BECTU media union says it will give its "full support" to members who refuse to work on election broadcasts for the far-right British ...

Overseas nurses are ruthlessly exploited (222 words)

The government should give greater protection to overseas nurses to prevent them being exploited by unscrupulous private nursing homes, says health union UNISON. And ...

Rises in support staff masks teacher decline (271 words)

Teaching staff across England's schools rose by 4,200 (1%) last year but primary schools lost 800 teachers, say official figures released at the end ...

Public sector work is healthier (228 words)

The public sector is a healthier place to work than the private sector, with greater job stability and better work-life balance, say undergraduate students ...

Firefighters' conference halted to consider strikes (218 words)

The FBU firefighters' union reconvenes its annual conference this month, following the suspension of the week-long conference on its opening day last month. ...

Union news

UNIFI starts ball rolling on route to super-union (212 words)

Skilled and professional union Amicus will expand by nearly 140,000 members next month after finance union UNIFI voted to join them. ...

T&G makes recruitment top priority (212 words)

The T&G general union has launched a major recruitment drive, reflecting a major refocusing of its priorities. It says the "radical strategy" will "refocus ...

GPMU keeps fund (43 words)

Members of the GPMU print and media union have voted by 67% to retain their political fund. The union's national officer, Mike Griffiths, welcomed ...

Shopworkers organise (61 words)

Shopworkers' union USDAW has enrolled another 18 reps to its Organising Academy, after a successful pilot project involving 15 reps last year. They will ...

Key recognition deals reached (206 words)

Two major recognition agreements were reached last month, giving union protection to over 9,000 workers. ...

European news

Unions agree Alitalia rescue plan (165 words)

Italian unions last month agreed a rescue plan for the Italian airline carrier Alitalia, which avoids it going into receivership. ...

Employers accept call-centre guidelines (147 words)

Guidelines for call centres across Europe have been agreed between the European union federation representing workers in the telecommunications industry - UNI-Europa Telecom - ...

Commission starts review of European works councils (517 words)

The European Commission has finally launched the formal process which may lead to a revision of the European works council directive. ...

Features

Unions notch up pensions victory (1403 words)

After winning concessions from the government for workers who have lost their pensions, this month's TUC pensions rally will act as a spur to ...

Childcare still a problem (1834 words)

The government has made some progress with providing more childcare for working parents, but it still far from making quality, affordable childcare available for ...

Affordable homes a key issue for capital's mayor (2193 words)

The average price of flats and maisonettes in London is now over a quarter of a million pounds. What chance has the capital's mayor ...

Tackling manual skills shortages (1395 words)

Crippling shortages of skilled tradespeople are being addressed in England through radical changes to the apprenticeship system. ...

Transfer rights (152 words)

Unfortunately the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE) only protect your terms and conditions as they stood at the date of ...

Rights to privacy (243 words)

Rights to privacy under the Human Rights Act 1998 are not unqualified rights. Your employer can impose limits on the scope of an employee's ...

Discipline and holidays (152 words)

Every worker has the right to at least four weeks' paid holiday a year, and an employer cannot use the disciplinary procedure to avoid ...

Agency workers' rights (111 words)

Your member may be able to take a claim against the council, even though notionally she is an agency worker. In a recent ruling, ...

Holidays and overtime pay (104 words)

The Court of Appeal has recently ruled that, for the purpose of the Working Time Regulations 1998 there is no obligation to pay at ...

Preventing manual handling injuries (810 words)

Manual handling injuries are still a major issue in many workplaces. Back-up looks at newly revised guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ...

Mentally ill suffer under benefits system (307 words)

People with mental health problems get a raw deal at work, as well as from the benefits system and as consumers, according to a ...

Unemployment worsens for ethnic minorities (313 words)

Unemployment among the white population is at a record low 4.4%, but a report launched in May at the TUC Black Workers' Conference reveals ...

New equality body (165 words)

Government plans to set up a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) were published in May, with a pledge to oblige public ...

CRE revises code (143 words)

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) is consulting on its revised statutory Code of Practice on Racial Equality in Employment. ...

Law Matters

Employment Appeal Tribunals face reform (289 words)

The Department of Trade and Industry has published a consultation document seeking views on proposed changes to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) rules of ...

TUPE rights (128 words)

The Pensions Bill, currently being debated in the House of Commons, will give workers some protection against loss of pension rights if transferred to ...

Job checks (141 words)

The Immigration and Asylum Act 1996 places a legal obligation on employers to check that job applicants have the right to work in the ...

Reservists told to inform their employers (182 words)

Employers have been given the right to be told if their employees are members of the volunteer reserve forces. ...

Law Back-up

Transgender ruling bars discrimination (942 words)

Employers must take significant steps to ensure that they do not discriminate against transgendered people, even at the risk of revealing their gender status. ...

Health & Safety Matters

"Big Brother" invades Scottish call-centres (311 words)

UNISON public services union has uncovered shockingly high levels of unwarranted surveillance by bosses in Scotland's call centres. ...

Rail inspection must be independent, says TUC (247 words)

Government proposals to take railway inspection away from the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) would reduce safety standards in the industry, according to the ...

Forcing ill workers in to work is sick (86 words)

Encouraging workers to leave their sick beds and struggle in to work is a costly mistake, a recent US study reports. ...

Company growth makes workers wilt (86 words)

Working for a rapidly expanding company increases an employee's risk of long-term sickness and hospital admission - and women working in the public sector ...

Long hours increase injury risks (62 words)

Long working days, excessive consecutive work days and limited involvement in scheduling are all linked to increased risk of ergonomics-related injuries. ...

Workplace Back-up

Apprenticeships must tackle gender biases (788 words)

Plugging Britain's skills gap: challenging gender segregation in training and work is the initial report from the EOC's investigation into workforces divided along gender ...

News from LRD

Information and consultation (251 words)

In preparation for the new information and consultation regulations due to come into force from March 2005, the Labour Research Department (LRD) organised a ...

LRD Executive Committee (128 words)

At the annual general meeting of the Labour Research Department, held on Saturday 17 April, the result of the election for the Executive Committee ...

Reviews

Waving not drowning (136 words)

Southern & Eastern Region TUC (SERTUC) Women's Rights Committee, 58 pages, £4.00 ...

The betrayal of dissent (164 words)

Beyond Orwell, Hitchens and the New American Century, Scott Lucas, Pluto Press, 324 pages, paperback, £10.99 ...

True mission: Socialists and the Labour Party question in the US (75 words)

Eric Chester, Pluto Press, 260 pages, paperback, £14.99 ...

E-views

E-views (393 words)

If you belong to Amicus, GMB, ISTC, NUJ, RMT, T&G, TSSA or UNISON then you may already be familiar with PayLine - the Labour ...