News

Strike action continues to fall (181 words)

The number of strikes in the UK hit an all-time low of 133 in 2003, according to figures released last month by the Office ...

USDAW backs sick pay trial (516 words)

Shopworkers' union USDAW has taken the unusual step of backing a pilot by supermarket giant Tesco which will see employees receiving no sick pay ...

Young people need help over pensions (311 words)

Today's young workers are sitting on a "pensions timebomb", the TUC warned last month. Unless major changes are made to pensions law and young ...

The truth about private prisons (249 words)

The myth that the private finance initiative (PFI) has been successful in the prison service has been has been exploded in a report published ...

Campaign aims for rise in holidays (150 words)

With British workers receiving fewer public holidays than any other country in the European Union - including all the new EU member states - ...

Union news

Rail union's troubled summer set to continue (346 words)

Martin Samways, president of the troubled train drivers' union ASLEF, resigned last month, two weeks after the union received the report of the McColgan ...

Firefighters withdraw from Labour (219 words)

Delegates at the Fire Brigades Union annual conference voted by a large majority to disaffiliate from the Labour Party last month, while the CWU ...

PCS set to expand (48 words)

AMO, the 6,800-member union for magistrates' court staff, looks set to merge with the PCS civil service union after PCS conference delegates voted in ...

Union deaths (46 words)

Two senior trade union figures sadly died in the last few weeks. Len Murray, TUC general secretary between 1973 and 1984, died aged 82, ...

Amicus targets youth (61 words)

The UK's second largest union, Amicus, is holding a "summer of union recruitment" aimed at young people by ensuring it has a presence at ...

Union education unit closes (44 words)

The Trade Union Education Unit at Manchester College of Arts and Technology was suddenly closed last month with the immediate cancellation of all courses. ...

Honours for unionists (29 words)

Former Wales TUC general secretary David Jenkins received an OBE in the Queen's birthday honours list, as did Matt Smith, Scottish secretary of public ...

European news

Unions attack flaws in German training pact (414 words)

The DGB, the German union confederation, has sharply criticised a "training pact" agreed last month by the German government and German employers. In particular ...

ETUC lukewarm on EU constitution (260 words)

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has given only a lukewarm welcome to the new EU constitution agreed in principle last month at the ...

Italian unions plan pensions action (246 words)

Italian unions have called for countrywide stoppages on the day that parliament approves the government's plans to raise the retirement age for many workers ...

Features

Homing in on the worst exploitation (1892 words)

Homeworking groups have cautiously welcomed a government move to give more protection to industrial homeworkers. But they and the TUC want more. ...

Civil service to be decimated (1598 words)

The government claims its plans to axe thousands of public sector posts will shift resources to the front line. But unions say services will ...

The firms who go for gold (1278 words)

Next month all sports fans' eyes will turn to Athens for the Olympic Games. But the Olympic movement is ignoring the plight of workers ...

Sailing in choppy waters (1760 words)

Government action to reverse the decline of the UK shipping industry through tax breaks has led to a revival in the employers' fortunes - ...

Law Matters

Dozing tribunal is judged to be unfair (342 words)

The Court of Appeal has ruled that an employment tribunal hearing became unfair when a panel member nodded off. ...

Equal pay evaluations must be objective (356 words)

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has given guidance on job evaluations in equal pay claims. ...

Unfair dismissal (149 words)

The EAT has held that an employee was not entitled to her full notice pay from the employer who unfairly dismissed her. ...

Maternity pay (140 words)

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that it is discriminatory to fail to take a pay rise into account when calculating the ...

New law on asbestos is being ignored (248 words)

The duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises came into force in May, but general union GMB is concerned that many employers are not ...

Law Queries

Fixed-term contracts (127 words)

Under the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002, anyone on a fixed-term contract cannot be treated less favourably in their terms ...

Bad reference (196 words)

If you can show that your former employers gave you a bad reference because you had brought a claim of race discrimination, that would ...

Suitable alternative work (194 words)

Where there is a redundancy situation, your employer must offer you suitable alternative work if it is available. If you unreasonably refuse suitable alternative ...

Bad reference (233 words)

When an employee has been dismissed without notice and the dismissal was unfair, the date of termination of employment is extended to the end ...

Law Back-up

Employers liable in teacher's stress case (1039 words)

Seven years after he took early retirement following a breakdown caused by stress at work, the House of Lords have held that teacher Alan ...

Health & Safety Matters

Smoking ban looms in pubs and restaurants (318 words)

A smoking ban in pubs and restaurants may be on the cards after a combination of labour movement pressure and new research. ...

NAO condemns construction safety (70 words)

A National Audit Office (NAO) report has shown that building workers are three times more likely to suffer a serious workplace injury than other ...

Health in Europe (75 words)

A new European Union report indicates the staggering scale of ill health across the continent. ...

Cancer detection is worse in poor areas (71 words)

Women living in deprived areas are more likely to have advanced breast cancer when they are diagnosed than those in affluent areas. ...

Health & Safety Back-up

Stop making workers sick, demand unions (854 words)

New figures suggest sickness absence is on the increase, and some employers are taking drastic measures. Back up looks at what unions and ACAS ...

Equality news

Mental health problems create barriers to work (507 words)

Mental health charity Mind has welcomed last month's government report addressing the many inequalities faced by people with mental health problems - including problems ...

Men are struggling to find the right work-life balance (180 words)

More than 70% of men believe their performance at work is damaged by a lack of work-life balance, according to a survey by Men's ...

Lesbian & gay healthcare guidance (244 words)

Public services union UNISON and the Royal College of Nursing have published new guidelines for staff on providing healthcare for lesbian, gay and bisexual ...

Workplace Back-up

Will we all have to work until we're 70? (915 words)

Last month saw thousands of people participate in a national TUC-organised march and rally calling for better pensions provisions and protesting against a possible ...

Reviews

The children of NAFTA (133 words)

David Bacon, University of California Press, hardback, 348 pages, £18.95 ...

The good shopping guide (140 words)

Your guide to shopping with a clear conscience ...

The radical and revolting (148 words)

The English working class ...

E-views

Eviews (400 words)

Several months ago, a local union affiliated to the Canadian Auto Workers waged a successful strike against a major employer which illustrated the critical ...