News

Union targets young workers (98 words)

Shopworkers' union USDAW is focusing on young workers in a campaign to alert them to their rights and to win improvements in the National ...

Postal union's pay campaign (85 words)

The CWU communication workers' union has begun the first stage of a pay campaign among its postal membership in the lead up to annual ...

UNISON challenge to Iraq union law (66 words)

Public services union UNISON has written to foreign minister Jack Straw to protest about an Iraqi government decree that could restrict union activity in ...

Council ends "partnership" contract eight years early (269 words)

Bedfordshire County Council has ended a 12-year, £267 million strategic service delivery partnership with contractor HBS eight years early. ...

Computer giant signs offshoring deal as British Gas cuts 2,000 jobs (257 words)

Technical and professional union Amicus believes that it has made a major breakthrough on offshoring with US computer company, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). ...

Ministers intervene as sacked workers maintain protests (590 words)

As Labour Research went to press the Guardian newspaper reported that government ministers were intervening behind the scenes to resolve the Gate Gourmet dispute ...

Engineers strike over sacked convenor (235 words)

Members of the technical and professional union Amicus began an indefinite strike on 22 August at Rolls-Royce's aero engine plant in Bristol. ...

Price rises at eight-year high (58 words)

Inflation hit an eight-year high under the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure. The CPI, which excludes housing costs, rose to 2.3% in July - ...

Jobless rise hits women (189 words)

Women were the main sufferers as unemployment rose in the second quarter of the year. ...

Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (320 words)

June 2004 (r) 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.7 3.0 ...

Union news

Unions see modest rise in membership (272 words)

Membership of TUC-affiliated unions crept up a little in 2004, thanks to increases among some of the largest unions. ...

Two unions break from AFL-CIO (88 words)

The US trade union confederation, the AFL-CIO, has begun its forecast split. Two of the largest unions have broken away to form a rival ...

Statutory recognition tops 100 (109 words)

Over 100 declarations of union recognition have been granted through the statutory process in the first five years of its operation. These figures are ...

Big deficits send finances into red (287 words)

Union finances went seriously into the red in 2003-04, according to the annual report of the government certification officer, the union regulatory body. ...

European news

Polish minimum wage rise (94 words)

The Polish President last month agreed to new arrangements intended to push up the relative value of the national minimum wage (NMW). ...

Irish unions say consultation proposals are "untenable" (296 words)

Later this month Irish trade unionists will meet to discuss their detailed response to the Irish government's bill on new information and consultation rights. ...

French unions unite to oppose "Thatcherite" dismissal law (291 words)

The main French union confederations have unanimously condemned new government regulations, which, among other things, make it easier to dismiss employees in small companies. ...

Employee involvement commission goes ahead (86 words)

The German government has announced that a planned commission to examine the German system of employee representation at board level is to go ahead. ...

Features

Unions want more support for their reps (2372 words)

Fewer than half of all British workplaces with recognised unions have a union representative on site. This is one of the worrying findings of ...

Win or no-win - union legal services are no-fee (1913 words)

Last year the T&G general union recovered over £72 million in compensation for its members. The GMB general union estimates that it recovers over ...

Getting the facts to the activists (1315 words)

Most unions have a wide range of activists providing an important link between individual members and head offices. Shop stewards, workplace reps, safety reps, ...

Over 200 in million-a-year directors' club (1556 words)

It has been another record year for directors of stock exchange companies, with 220 now on over £1 million a year and a total ...

Law Matters

Rules relating to tribunal forms are "unsatisfactory" (377 words)

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has called for the rules relating to tribunal procedures to be reviewed - and "the sooner the better". ...

NUJ fights to amend rules on statutory recognition (301 words)

The NUJ journalists' union is seeking a repeal of the law that has allowed a non-affiliated union, with no proof of membership in a ...

Victimisation case ends in appeal court defeat for council workers (275 words)

A local council did not victimise its employees when it sent them and their colleagues a letter warning of the consequences of pursuing an ...

Law Queries

Reps who work part-time (142 words)

Q: One of our reps has attended a five-day union training course but has only been paid for three, since she normally works three ...

Protection for union members (112 words)

Q: A union member has been rejected twice for promotion for no good reason. She thinks it is because of her union membership. Is ...

Revised job description (261 words)

Q: A member has been issued with a revised job description, but the salary details have been left blank. Should he be given the ...

TUPE and ETO defence (241 words)

Q: My employment was transferred under TUPE five years ago, and my employer has just reduced my pay and increased my weekly hours so ...

Law Back-up

Tribunals punish inflexible employers (903 words)

Since April 2003, the Employment Act 2002 has given the parents of children under six or disabled children under 18 the right to request ...

Health & Safety Matters

Safety warning over London Olympics (85 words)

Construction unions have warned that carnage will accompany the 2012 London Olympics unless safety concerns are addressed. ...

Union anger at Corus verdict (84 words)

The Community steelworkers' union is angry that industrial giant Corus has not been called to account over an explosion at its Port Talbot plant ...

TUC scotches compensation myth (57 words)

A TUC report has produced further evidence demolishing business myths about a "compensation culture". ...

Conference calls for end to "deregulation fetish" (303 words)

The government's "fetish" for deregulation will cost lives and must be stopped, the Hazards campaign has warned. ...

Government statistics show extent of safety victimisation (217 words)

Raising concerns over health and safety issues is still costing workers their jobs, according to analysis by Hazards magazine of figures from the Department ...

Health & Safety Back-up

The safety benefits of worker consultation (826 words)

Employers take note. As well as being required by law, worker representation and consultation on health and safety issues is both morally and economically ...

Equality news

Dismissal of BNP candidate "may have been unfair" (389 words)

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has raised the possibility that members of the British National Party (BNP) may be able to claim race discrimination ...

Compensation increases for victims of discrimination (268 words)

Employment tribunals are now hearing more claims - and awarding higher levels of compensation - for disability discrimination than race discrimination. ...

Landmark win in claim for sexual orientation discrimination (231 words)

A gay man has won £6,000 in compensation from his former employer in the first claim of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation to ...

Workplace Back-up

Learning reps need increased support (876 words)

Workplace learning through trade unions is on the rise. TUC research shows that in the year to July 2005, 67,000 people used unions to ...

Reviews

United we stand (149 words)

Alistair Reid, Penguin, 496 pages, paperback, £14.99 ...

Trade unions of the world (141 words)

John Harper Publishing and ICTUR, 432 pages, paperback, £65.00 ...

United they stood (136 words)

Roger Seifert and Tom Sibley, Lawrence & Wishart, 304 pages, paperback, £18.99 ...

E-views

e-views (359 words)

We're more than a decade into the Internet revolution but British unions still hardly make any use at all of the power of online ...