Pay and prices

Little activity in pay deals as inflation rises (229 words)

This month's figures from our PayLine database of collective agreements are based on a fairly small selection of settlements, as the period October to ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (211 words)

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

Average earnings indices (155 words)

Sep 03 (r) 112.9 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.3 5.5 ...

Full-time weekly average earnings (28 words)

All workers £516.50 ...

Other pay analysts (23 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end Nov 2004) 3.0% ...

Prices (59 words)

November 03 182.7 2.5 2.5 ...

Inflation forecasts (29 words)

Fourth quarter 2005 ...

Bargaining news

Disputes threaten single status implementation (422 words)

The "single status" agreement on pay and conditions in local government has provoked disputes with unions at two English local authorities. ...

Staged pay deal averts Christmas tube strike (146 words)

In a deal struck just before Christmas, the RMT rail union settled a dispute which had threatened strike action on London Underground over the ...

PCS consults on DWP settlement (522 words)

As Workplace Report went to press, the PCS civil service union was consulting its branches on a settlement to the long-running dispute at the ...

Fewer hours, more pay for bookies' staff (113 words)

Workers at the bookmakers Stanleys are voting this month on a pay and conditions offer that will mean a phased reduction to a four-day ...

Connect calls on BT to finalise new pay system (350 words)

Connect, the union for professionals in communications, is pushing telecoms giant BT to improve its proposed new pay system. ...

Health service rolls out Agenda for Change (663 words)

The Agenda for Change (AfC) pay structure is being rolled out in the NHS, following agreement by most health unions (except radiographers' union SOR ...

Universities jeopardise pay modernisation (250 words)

Implementation of the agreement to modernise pay structures in higher education (HE) is in jeopardy, the lecturers' union NATFHE has warned. ...

Equality news

Disabled people remain under-represented in the civil service (358 words)

The civil service is making good progress in recruiting and promoting women and members of ethnic minorities, but it still has much to do ...

Employers must make the most of dyslexic workers (386 words)

Employers are not doing enough to tackle dyslexia at work, a new report from the TUC has warned. ...

Gender pay gap is widest in the capital (150 words)

London has the country's widest gulf in pay between women and men, according to a new report commissioned by the capital's mayor, Ken Livingstone. ...

Recruitment and organisation news

NUJ attracts more young female reps and members (246 words)

Young women in the NUJ journalists' union have bucked the trend by increasingly taking on representative roles, according to a survey carried out by ...

UNISON activists bring in members (72 words)

The recruitment drive in public services union UNISON is paying off, according to its activists' magazine InFocus. ...

Learning and training news

Health trusts learn about learning from Amicus (162 words)

Skilled and professional union Amicus has taken its campaign to promote workplace learning into the health sector. ...

GMB delivers learning centre for pizza workers (164 words)

Partnership working between the GMB general union and a pizza company in Deeside has led to the creation of a new learning centre for ...

New funding for Scottish learners (129 words)

The Scottish Trades Union Congress has welcomed a new funding scheme for adult learners. ...

European news

Italian unions propose a common claim (150 words)

The three main Italian trade union confederations, CGIL, CISL and UIL, have proposed to their members that they present a common set of demands ...

European minimum wage rises outstrip inflation (283 words)

The new year has seen increases in national minimum wages across Europe, with many governments increasing their rates by significantly more than inflation. ...

Limited pay rise for private sector workers in Belgian national deal (366 words)

A new two-year deal for the 2.2 million employees in Belgium's private sector looked set to be approved as Workplace Report went to press. ...

Health & safety news

Call-centre workers at risk from acoustic shock (238 words)

Hundreds of thousands of UK telephone headset users may be at risk of "acoustic shock" - yet many employers are unaware of the problem, ...

Let workers feel the heat (230 words)

The TUC is calling on employers to turn up the heating in offices, shops and factories so that all workplaces reach the legal minimum ...

Southampton imposes draconian smoking policy (115 words)

Southampton City Council's new smoking ban has forbidden workers from smoking at any time during a working day - wherever they are. ...

Guidance for drivers (92 words)

Safety charity RoSPA has produced three new publications setting out the law and good practice for driving at work. ...

Laptop health risk for men (57 words)

Male workers should keep their laptops off their laps or risk damaging their fertility. ...

New resources online (120 words)

Safety reps at telecom giant BT in the North West have set up their own website - www.unionsafety.co.uk - featuring useful news and resources ...

Features

Employment contract law (471 words)

This month's cases include decisions on the legal status of volunteers and homeworkers, and on the contractual status of bonuses and overtime ...

Implied terms (153 words)

Mr Fisher, who received a basic salary plus an unsocial-hours allowance, was promoted to a managerial post. It was custom and practice for anyone ...

Homeworkers (131 words)

Mrs Bridges and her fellow homeworkers brought claims for unfair dismissal and redundancy, among others, to an employment tribunal. They first had to establish ...

Definition of self-employment (146 words)

James Haine worked under a series of contracts skippering a yacht and providing connected services. When his work came to an end, he brought ...

Volunteers' contractual status (263 words)

Julie Grayson, one of 11 paid employees at a Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), brought a discrimination claim under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). The ...

Contractual terms (127 words)

At the Christmas dinner-dance, Mr Judge's employer promised him that his pay would be increased within two years to bring it in line with ...

Discretionary bonus (212 words)

Nina Hansen was a partner in a firm of solicitors. Although she had no contractual right to a bonus, she was told that she ...

Zero-hours contracts (159 words)

Nicole Wippel worked under a contract with no fixed hours: she was asked to work according to the workload, and could refuse the offer ...

Breach of contract (441 words)

Mr Omilaju brought claims of race discrimination against his employer. He took unauthorised leave to attend the hearings, for which he was not paid; ...

Unlawful deductions (191 words)

Print technicians Robert Kershaw and Barry Whitmore worked a shift rota of four days on and four days off, with a shift cycle being ...

Frustration of contract (176 words)

Mr Mulford was employed by Easiwipes Ltd. His employment transferred to Manpower, but he continued to work at the Easiwipes premises until they told ...

Transfer law (285 words)

This month's developments include decisions on the definition of a TUPE transfer and the duty to consult ...

Collective agreements (148 words)

Ms Ackinclose and her colleagues worked for the school meals service, and their employment was transferred when this was contracted out to a private ...

Duty to consult (133 words)

Mr Howard was given one month's notice of redundancy, following which his employer went into liquidation and was transferred to a new company. ...

Change to pay method (187 words)

Mr Bates worked a three-week shift system of 18, 45 and 60 hours. His basic pay was based on an average 41-hour week, and ...

Entity transfers (216 words)

IBM had a contract to maintain a bank's computers. It contracted the work out to another company, SCC, but then ended the contract and ...

Economic entity (149 words)

Ms Davies and Mrs Baig worked for a travel company, dealing exclusively with one customer. They were based at the customer's premises. The customer ...

Transfers into the public sector (147 words)

Johanna Boor's employment was transferred from a private company into a government department, which did not take into account her length of service in ...

Compromise agreements (122 words)

Dr Hinton said he had suffered detriments as a result of making protected disclosures. He was made redundant and entered into a compromise agreement; ...

Date of a detriment (162 words)

Paul Cure and Peter Fraser's employer announced in April 2001 that it would pay its permanent employees a bonus when a phase of work ...

GM consultation (65 words)

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is consulting on amendments to the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000. ...

Research on MSDs (104 words)

High levels of stress contribute to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as back pain and repetitive strain injuries, according to new research published by the ...

Campaigners concerned over Hampton proposals (227 words)

The Hampton review's interim report on reducing administrative burdens on business has been criticised by campaign group the Centre for Corporate Accountability (CCA). ...

MPs call for better safety in construction industry (162 words)

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should do more to reduce the toll of ...

GP surgeries to host work advisers (215 words)

Employment advisers are to be placed in doctors' surgeries, as part of the government's strategy for rehabilitating workers following periods of illness. ...

Does drug and alcohol testing do more harm than good? (2585 words)

Employers' attitudes to drug and alcohol misuse are hardening, and a major expansion of drug testing at work is now a real possibility - ...

Another slow year for European pay rises (1838 words)

For this year's survey, we have again looked at 50 key pay settlements across the European Union (EU) over the last 12 months - ...