Features

Pensions minister side-steps Congress demands (311 words)

Newly appointed work and pensions secretary Alan Johnson side-stepped key union demands on pensions when he addressed Congress. His announcement of new plans to ...

Union reps urged on apprentice schemes (197 words)

The TUC and the Learning and Skills Council launched a new booklet, Apprenticeships: a guide for union reps and negotiators, at a packed Congress ...

Public sector unites (230 words)

A sense of unity in the face of civil service job cuts and growing private sector involvement brought public sector unions together at Congress ...

Wembley win cheered (103 words)

Delegates heard of an important union victory at the Wembley Stadium construction site achieved as Congress was in progress. ...

Blair speech avoids provoking Congress (348 words)

Tony Blair's speech at this year's TUC Congress came as a relief to union leaders seeking confirmation of the pledges made at the Labour ...

TUC plans learning academy (216 words)

The TUC's plans for a Union Academy, aimed at transforming access to learning for people at work, were supported by education and skills secretary ...

Unions call for further rights (174 words)

Congress re-affirmed its commitment to the repeal of the anti-union laws and called for the implementation of a charter for individual employment rights. ...

Unions move to restore integrity (319 words)

The T&G general union last month sacked its regional secretary for Scotland, Andy Baird, and five other employees of the union in the region, ...

Organising is "top priority this year" (170 words)

Recruitment moved up the union movement's list of priorities last month when the annual Trades Union Congress unanimously adopted a resolution asserting that "building ...

New union launched (114 words)

The 50,000-strong union is the result of the merger of ISTC - The Community Union and the KFAT knitwear and footwear union, and aims ...

Ritchie wins UCATT vote (70 words)

Construction union UCATT will have a new leader later this month as Alan Ritchie takes over from George Brumwell, who is retiring after 12 ...

French 35-hour week looks set to change (305 words)

The French government looks set to make changes to the law on working hours, which will make it easier for employers to extend working ...

German unions call for softer landing on cuts in benefit (300 words)

Top-level talks on cuts to unemployment benefit were held last month between the German chancellor Gerhard Schröder and union leaders. But the gap between ...

Alitalia jobs (83 words)

Italian trade unions were in negotiations on the future of the Italian airline Alitalia as Labour Research went to press. The company plans to ...

Irish unions agree pact (75 words)

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions last month formally endorsed the second stage of a national pact with employers and the government. ...

Belgian bosses attack pay (86 words)

The Belgian employers' association, the FEB, has set out a 10-point series of measures in preparation for negotiations on the 2005-2006 national pay set ...

Iraq slashes unions' faith (1746 words)

Local trade unionists' support for the Blair government has declined again over the past year. But opinions on union funding of the Labour Party ...

Labour's safety record (1474 words)

Early indications are that the government will not reach its targets on death and injury at work. Steve Tombs argues that this is due ...

Something of a nightmare (1382 words)

Delegates at the Conservative Party conference later this month will give Michael Howard the standing ovation guaranteed for Tory leaders. But when election time ...

Unions get re-organised (2575 words)

This month will see another big moment in trade union merger activity when the expanding Amicus union absorbs the 100,000-strong print union GPMU. ...

New employment laws come into force this month (346 words)

Starting from this year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is aiming to harmonise the implementation of employment law - any new legislation ...

Council victimised catering workers over equal pay claim (244 words)

A letter sent by St Helen's Borough Council to employees who had issued equal pay claims was victimisation, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ...

Voluntary workers lose out (262 words)

Voluntary workers cannot expect to rely on the law to protect them, as two recent cases have highlighted. ...

Time on call (158 words)

Time on call is counted as working time if you have to remain on the employer's premises, but not if you are allowed to ...

Relocation and dismissal (247 words)

Your employer has to consult you over any proposed change to your terms and conditions of employment. However, as long as they have consulted ...

Redundancy and consultation (222 words)

Where an employer is planning to make 20 or more employees redundant within 90 days, they have a statutory obligation to consult with trade ...

Disciplinary hearings (226 words)

The right for someone to state his or her case is a basic legal principle, and an employee should know the case against them ...

Appeal court denies rights to over-65s (746 words)

The failure of a recent legal challenge in the Court of Appeal means that employers can still deny employees aged over 65 the right ...

Safety Week targets construction sites (879 words)

The theme for European Health and Safety Week this year is construction. Back-up considers current standards in the industry. ...

Access to work scheme needs greater exposure (305 words)

A major charity has slammed the government's failure to promote a scheme that helps employers recruit and retain disabled workers. ...

Pregnant workers are still being denied their legal rights (361 words)

Research by shopworkers' union USDAW has found that almost two-thirds (62%) of pregnant women reported a negative change in attitude by their employers during ...

Domestic violence: the financial cost (246 words)

Domestic violence is costing employers and employees around £2.7 billion a year in time taken off work, according to a recent report prepared for ...

Health & Safety Matters

Union dismay as corporate killing law is put off (332 words)

The long-promised law to make it easier to prosecute companies over workplace deaths is likely to be delayed until after the next general election. ...

HSE neglect of occupational health is "deeply flawed" (240 words)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has ditched crucial occupational health functions - despite evidence showing that it is failing to meet its targets ...

People join unions for safety, says survey (96 words)

Concern over safety at work is a key reason for workers to join unions, according to the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC). ...

Poor office air slows workers down (79 words)

Poor indoor air quality affects office workers' productivity, researchers have found. ...

Ovarian cancer risk from diesel exhaust (63 words)

Exposure to diesel exhaust fumes at work can treble the risk of ovarian cancer, reports the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. ...

Workplace Back-up

TUC steps up call for pensions compulsion (886 words)

Compulsion is nothing new in UK pensions. At present, the main element of compulsion (on top of state retirement pension contributions paid through National ...

Reviews

Willing slaves (150 words)

How the overwork culture is ruling our lives ...

Globalization: tame it or scrap it? (148 words)

Gary Buckman, Zed Books, 229 pages paperback, £9.99 ...

Hope dies last (135 words)

Making a difference in an indifferent world ...

E-views

E-views (348 words)

Imagine this as David Blaine's next trick. He stops a person on the street, stares into the stranger's eyes and says: "Your web browser ...