Pay and prices

Settlements move with inflation (216 words)

The latest figures from LRD's Payline database show settlements moving up to 3.5% for the three months to January - broadly in line with ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (217 words)

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

Full-time weekly average earnings (28 words)

All workers £517.50 ...

Average earnings indices (159 words)

Oct 03 (r) 113.1 3.6 3.2 3.7 3.3 4.6 ...

Other pay analysts (23 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end January 2005) 3.3% ...

Inflation forecasts (29 words)

Fourth quarter 2005 ...

Prices (60 words)

December 03 183.5 2.8 2.6 ...

Bargaining news

RMT agrees pay deal for maintenance workers (234 words)

Maintenance workers at Network Rail are to get a "no-strings" pay deal that will deliver 0.75% above inflation. ...

Michelin staff in Stoke vote on pay strike (322 words)

Production workers at the Michelin tyre plant in Stoke-on-Trent are voting on whether to strike over a non-consolidated pay offer - but a similar ...

News updates (286 words)

Members of the PCS civil service union have voted to end their 16-month dispute at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). ...

CWU secures £300 basic pay for all at Royal Mail (549 words)

The CWU communication workers' union has reached agreement with Royal Mail to raise the consolidated basic pay of all workers in delivery offices and ...

Punish TV company's bad behaviour, says BECTU (161 words)

Entertainment union BECTU has called on the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) to expel a TV production company that flouted industry agreements ...

Equality news

NHS women are in line for record equal pay award (361 words)

Public services union UNISON is on the verge of winning a multi-million pay award for women working for North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust. ...

Close gender pay gap by making audits compulsory, says Prospect (476 words)

Mandatory equal pay audits and mentoring are the keys to reducing gender inequalities in pay, according to the professional and technical union Prospect. ...

Pregnant teachers get more leave (95 words)

Camden council in north London has improved maternity leave entitlements for the borough's teachers. ...

Almost half of pregnant workers face discrimination, reveals EOC (375 words)

Around 30,000 women every year are sacked, made redundant or leave their jobs because of pregnancy discrimination, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has revealed. ...

RNIB offers IT guidance to employers (136 words)

The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) has published practical guidance for employers explaining how information technology (IT) can help meet the needs ...

TUC concern over sexual orientation monitoring (398 words)

The TUC has urged employers to adopt a cautious approach if they are considering monitoring sexual orientation and gender identity. ...

Recruitment and organisation news

Organising is centre stage as T&G begins merger talks with Amicus (409 words)

Tony Woodley, general secretary of the T&G general union, has said that organising "will be at the very heart" of any new union formed ...

Learning and training news

Usdaw trains Sainsbury's staff (231 words)

Supermarket staff at branches of Sainsbury's in south-west England are being offered training in areas such as information technology (IT), literacy and numeracy, thanks ...

Tories threaten Learning Fund (233 words)

Trade unions have unanimously condemned Tory leader Michael Howard over his recent threat to abolish the Union Learning Fund (ULF) if the Conservatives win ...

European news

Spain seeks bargaining framework (105 words)

The two main Spanish union confederations, CCOO and UGT, met the main employers' association, CEOE, last month to discuss a new framework agreement for ...

Dutch reach nursery agreement (90 words)

Unions and employers have reached agreement for the 40,000 employees employed in nurseries in the Netherlands. ...

French chemicals giant signs global "social pact" (299 words)

The French chemicals company Rhodia, which has plants in various European countries including the UK, has reached a global agreement on its social responsibilities. ...

Metalworkers trade longer hours for job security (383 words)

A new deal signed last month between the German metalworking union IG Metall and the electrical and electronic manufacturer Siemens will guarantee jobs at ...

Law - Discrimination

Discrimination case law (706 words)

This month's cases include key rulings on the burden of proof and on maternity and parental leave. ...

Dismissal and discrimination (121 words)

Ms Greaves was obliged under her contract to carry out stocktaking at evenings or weekends. When the annual stocktake came around, she told her ...

Continuous discrimination (175 words)

Claire Spencer complained of constant discriminatory actions taken against her by colleagues and managers, but no action was taken to halt it. She went ...

Excluding women from jobs (104 words)

This case challenged legislation in Austria that prohibited the employment of women in mining and in high-pressure and diving work. The state said the ...

Sick pay and pregnancy (78 words)

Ms McKenna was off sick while pregnant, and had to use up much of her occupational sick pay entitlement. She argued that her employer ...

Parental leave (124 words)

Mr Rodway requested a day's unpaid parental leave to look after his son. His employer did not give him a definite answer as to ...

Emergency leave (198 words)

Mr Truelove needed to take a day off work to look after his daughter when his usual babysitting arrangements fell down. He requested a ...

Injury to feelings (164 words)

Ms Carney, who had worked as a bar worker for around four months, claimed that senior employees had sexually harassed her. She succeeded in ...

Unfavourable treatment test (176 words)

Solicitors Sian Heard and Sian Fellows brought claims of sex discrimination on the grounds that they were allocated fewer good cases than their colleagues, ...

Compensation (214 words)

Angelique Watt volunteered for redundancy, as she felt unable to continue working following her employer's refusal to allow her to work part-time to care ...

Burden of proof (152 words)

Kuldip Dhesi claimed that he had been treated unequally, and that it was for his employers to prove that the treatment was not on ...

Shift in the burden of proof (109 words)

Ms Webster brought a race discrimination claim after overhearing a racially offensive term in her workplace. It was not known whether the person who ...

Knowledge of pregnancy (260 words)

Emma Sharkey was pregnant when she was dismissed, and claimed that this was the reason for her dismissal. Her employer said that the person ...

Pornographic material (200 words)

Rea Moonsar worked in an office with men who were downloading pornographic images. They did not show her the images, but she was aware ...

Less favourable treatment (143 words)

Academic lawyer Suriyakumari Hiranyamali Lane had worked for her employer for over 20 years, and applied for the job of head of department. The ...

Reduced pay on phased return (213 words)

Mrs Williams worked for the Home Office for over 20 years, but became ill after an act of racial harassment by a colleague. Her ...

Right to work part-time (154 words)

Adele MacMillan had worked for the Royal Navy for many years. Following a change of work location, she asked to work part-time, but this ...

Equal pay (151 words)

When Mr Hlozek was made redundant at the age of 54, he was not entitled to a bridging allowance which, under a social plan ...

Maternity leave and service (122 words)

Ursula Sass brought a claim of sex discrimination because her employer failed to take the whole of her maternity leave period into account when ...

Health & safety news

Asbestos deaths continue (261 words)

New cases of ill health caused by exposure to asbestos are still pouring in, unions have told a seminar organised by the Northern region ...

Classroom whiteboards are a threat to eyesight (206 words)

Thousands of teachers and students could damage their eyesight by using high-tech whiteboards, according to The Times newspaper. ...

Airport safety is at stake, say striking firefighters (129 words)

Firefighters at Glasgow Airport have been on strike since January 29 in a dispute over safety. ...

Prostate cancer linked to pesticide exposure (90 words)

A Department of Health committee believes there may be a link between occupational exposure to pesticides and prostate cancer. ...

Journalists' health at risk (115 words)

An new report published by the NUJ media union has revealed that work-related pressures are causing significant mental and physical health problems among journalists. ...

New safety reps website (58 words)

Amicus health and safety rep Dennis Mac has set up a comprehensive website of safety information on almost every topic. ...

Features

Tribunal proceedings (214 words)

The Attorney-General applied for a "restriction of proceedings" order against Donald D'Souza, saying that he had consistently brought tribunal claims with no reasonable grounds ...

Compromise agreements (116 words)

Mr Byrnell signed a compromise agreement following the termination of his employment, and subsequently brought claims of unfair dismissal and sex discrimination. ...

Working abroad (147 words)

A number of Ministry of Defence employees experienced discrimination while working abroad. The EAT had to decide whether they had the right to bring ...

European chemicals strategy under fire (109 words)

European chemical safety proposals are in danger of being watered down after lobbying from business. ...

Company director jailed following roof fatality (104 words)

A managing director was jailed for 16 months in January following a worker's fatal fall from a roof. ...

Potters Bar report slams Jarvis and Railtrack (265 words)

An official report has condemned rail contractor Jarvis for lax safety measures that may have led to the Potters Bar train crash, according to ...

MPs debate company directors' safety duties (201 words)

The campaign for corporate accountability reached the House of Commons last month, when Labour MP Stephen Hepburn introduced a private member's bill on directors' ...

CWU seeks to preserve HSE's role (141 words)

Communication workers' union CWU has insisted there must be no retreat by the HSE and local authorities from inspection, enforcement and prosecution. ...

Opportunities and challenges await in the voluntary sector (3315 words)

Voluntary organisations - a diverse mix of health and social care organisations, housing associations, charities, cultural bodies and children's organisations - currently employ over ...

Employment contracts: don't believe everything you read... (2236 words)

In 1992, management and unions at car firm MG Rover signed a collective agreement, Rover tomorrow - the new deal. "Employees who want to ...