Pay and prices

Settlements remain static, but inflation may be rising (216 words)

The level of settlements as monitored by the LRD PayLine database of collective agreements showed little change this month, with the three-monthly median to ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (216 words)

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

Other pay analysts (20 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end April 2004) 2.8% ...

Average earnings indices (153 words)

Jan 03 (r) 109.1 2.7 4.0 2.9 2.1 5.2 ...

Full-time weekly average earnings (28 words)

All workers £498.20 ...

Inflation forecasts (30 words)

Fourth quarter 2004: ...

Prices (59 words)

March 03 179.9 3.1 3.0 ...

Bargaining news

Tesco trials "no sick pay" contracts (347 words)

Supermarket chain Tesco has launched a trial scheme that will not pay employees if they are off work sick for three days or less. ...

Firefighters' dispute flares up again (170 words)

The dispute over pay for firefighters, which led to 15 days of strike action between November 2002 and February 2003, has restarted. ...

Museum staff secure improved pay progression (332 words)

Negotiators have thrashed out a three-year-plus pay deal for staff at National Museums Liverpool, covering the period from 1 April 2003 until 1 October ...

Narrow vote in favour of new contracts at NTL (411 words)

The broadcasting union BECTU has successfully negotiated a new terms and conditions package for employees of the cable company NTL, following industrial action that ...

Rolling rises at Stagecoach Manchester (275 words)

A two-year pay deal agreed at the end of March provides for three successive pay rises over the period for bus drivers at Stagecoach ...

Pensions guide is published (157 words)

Pay analysts Incomes Data Services have published a new guide covering a wide range of pensions issues. ...

Finance workers secure pay deals (150 words)

Settlements have recently been agreed at three finance companies. ...

Government long-hours evidence is "riddled with errors", says TUC (431 words)

The TUC has told the European Commission that the UK government's case for maintaining the working time opt-out - which allows individual employees to ...

Equality news

Lack of information helps to retain gender pay gap (295 words)

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has called on the government to develop a national strategy that will tackle gender segregation in training and work. ...

Judge clarifies law on religious discrimination (201 words)

Seven TUC-backed unions have lost their High Court challenge to the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003. ...

Registration scheme for working migrants (189 words)

Migrant workers from the eight eastern European countries that joined the European Union this month must register with the Home Office, for a £50 ...

Union praise for trainee nurse fund (278 words)

The UNISON public services union has welcomed the government's announcement that trainee nurses and other NHS professionals will receive help with childcare costs while ...

Recruitment and organisation news

T&G recruits Canary Wharf cleaners to seek better pay and conditions (499 words)

The T&G general union has launched a campaign to organise low-paid, mostly immigrant, cleaners at London's huge Canary Wharf office complex. The drive is ...

Learning and training news

Apprenticeships get radical reform (407 words)

In a move to tackle the severe skills shortages that continue to plague the economy, the government announced this month a range of radical ...

European news

Ten new countries join European Union (372 words)

The start of this month saw 10 new states join the European Union, and as a result Workplace Report will report from time to ...

German unions offer concessions (321 words)

Two German unions - IG BAU, which organises construction workers, and NGG, which covers the food and hospitality industry - are proposing concessions to ...

Dutch unions abide strictly by pay freeze (154 words)

Figures published last month by the Netherlands' central statistical office show that the pay freeze agreed by the unions, employers and government at the ...

Law - Dismissal

Dismissal law (453 words)

* An employee has the right to compensation if a dismissal is unfair, even if the amount awarded would take account only of the ...

Compensation for dismissal (130 words)

Case 1: The facts ...

Termination date (176 words)

Case 2: The facts ...

Sickness and dismissal (103 words)

Case 3: The facts ...

Reasonable investigation (131 words)

Case 4: The facts ...

Resignation letter (126 words)

Case 5: The facts ...

Notice of dismissal (141 words)

Case 7: The facts ...

Injury to feelings (122 words)

Case 8: The facts ...

Law - Redundancy

Redundancy law (368 words)

* The purpose of a protective award is not to compensate employees for the loss they have suffered but to provide a sanction against ...

Protective awards (166 words)

Case 1: The facts ...

Job security agreements (92 words)

Case 2: The facts ...

Trial period (177 words)

Case 3: The facts ...

Health & safety news

Workers' Memorial Day observed at Wembley (305 words)

Hundreds of building workers and trade unionists rallied at the new Wembley stadium to commemorate Workers' Memorial Day last month. ...

Bakers face asthma risk (207 words)

Workers - and especially bakers - are still at risk of getting asthma at work, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has reported. ...

Compensation for white finger (120 words)

The community union ISTC has won an important legal victory on behalf of its current and former members who were employed by Corus at ...

Recognise the warning signs (122 words)

Many office-based professionals cannot identify common office health and safety warning signs, according to a survey carried out by the health and safety equipment ...

Postal workers take action on lifting injuries (82 words)

Safety reps from the CWU communication workers' union have taken action to deal with overweight mail bags, which cause musculoskeletal disorders such as back ...

TUC safety reps survey (69 words)

The TUC is conducting its biennial survey of union safety reps, which can now be completed online. The survey is designed to provide the ...

Asbestos conference (42 words)

The Merseyside Asbestos Victims Support Group is organising a conference in Liverpool on 24 June, to discuss the legal and medical issues relating to ...

Features

Loss of dismissal protection (116 words)

Case 6: The facts ...

Disability law (227 words)

* The non-renewal of a disabled employee's temporary contract can amount to disability discrimination (case 1). ...

Temporary contracts (158 words)

Case 1: The facts ...

Addiction and disability (116 words)

Case 2: The facts ...

Health and safety (133 words)

Case 3: The facts ...

Duty to make adjustments (245 words)

Case 4: The facts ...

Mental impairment (145 words)

Case 6: The facts ...

Holiday pay and overtime (260 words)

The facts ...

Industrial action ballots (110 words)

The facts ...

Employers' duties in stress cases (148 words)

The facts ...

Concern at proposals for regulating chemicals (180 words)

The government has launched a consultation on the new European Union chemicals strategy. ...

Employers happy with health and safety role (192 words)

Three out of four employers say that health and safety requirements benefit their companies as a whole, according to a MORI survey published by ...

Don't be fooled by bogus agencies (210 words)

The HSE has urged companies and unions to ignore any information they receive from three firms purporting to regulate health and safety legislation. It ...

Employers ignore stress standards (96 words)

New health and safety management standards, brought in to combat workplace stress, are largely being ignored by firms, according to a poll by Croner ...

Carriage of dangerous goods regulations (78 words)

New regulations on the carriage of dangerous goods by road and rail came into force on 10 May. The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and ...

Big firms, small fines (103 words)

Companies with annual turnover running to hundreds of millions are continuing to face relatively trivial fines for safety offences. ...

Employers increase workplace consultation with unions (2925 words)

In less than a year, employee representatives in larger organisations will gain new legal rights to be informed and consulted about issues relating to ...

Corporate social responsibility offers opportunities to unions (2032 words)

An increasing number of employers now claim to recognise that their role in society involves more than simply maximising profits, and have developed policies ...