Pay and prices

Settlements stay steady as inflation falls (222 words)

Pay settlements on our Payline database were running at a median increase of 3.4% in the three months to July, the same level as ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (216 words)

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

Other pay analysts (23 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end May 2005) 3.0% ...

Full-time weekly average earnings (28 words)

All workers £528.60 ...

Average earnings indices (157 words)

Apr 04 (r) 115.6 4.4% 4.5% 4.4% 4.5% 4.2% ...

Prices (62 words)

June 04 186.8 3.0% 2.3% ...

Inflation forecasts (29 words)

Fourth quarter 2005: ...

Bargaining news

Finance workers set to cash in at Royal Mail (401 words)

A new settlement for Royal Mail finance workers includes major improvements to family-friendly policies, as well as above-inflation pay rises. ...

Breakthrough in pay for demolition workers (136 words)

Demolition workers are to receive pay rises totalling 11% over two years, in a deal agreed last month between the National Federation of Demolition ...

Three-year deal settles HSBC pay row (271 words)

The first-ever three-year pay deal for banking giant HSBC's UK employees has been reached with financial services union Amicus, ending a dispute that led ...

Employers' policies drive sick leave to a record low (395 words)

Sickness absence in the UK is at its lowest level this century, according to a new survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and ...

O2 retreats from plan to abandon pay increments (309 words)

A six-month pay dispute at mobile phone company O2's call centre in Cheshire may be at an end, following a recommendation from the CWU ...

Good news for journalists after prolonged disputes (319 words)

Industrial action by the NUJ media union has resulted in two victories last month. ...

Summer bus strikes lead to improved pay deals (420 words)

Two pay disputes involving bus drivers at opposite ends of the UK were settled in August. ...

Innovia offer comes with a job guarantee (280 words)

A manufacturing firm in Cumbria is offering its 800 staff a guarantee of job security until January 2007 - if they vote to accept ...

Equality news

Failings led deaf employee to kill himself (271 words)

A tragic case of disability discrimination has ended in the imposition of a £15,000 fine plus interest on Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. ...

Council employees receive equal pay compensation (347 words)

Newcastle City Council has agreed a £12 million deal to compensate some of its employees for past pay inequalities. ...

Legal rulings may have undermined human rights (369 words)

A recent ruling by the Court of Appeal has suggested that there may be further limits on the application of human rights legislation in ...

Recruitment and organisation news

NUJ membership rises at The Sun (148 words)

Union organisation is being revitalised at The Sun newspaper for the first time since its controversial move from Fleet Street to Wapping. ...

NTL staff reject derecognition (152 words)

Broadcast union BECTU has fended off a derecognition bid by cable TV firm NTL in its field operations division. ...

Learning and training news

ESOL training slashes migrant worker turnover (200 words)

A learning programme at the Christian Salvesen distribution centre in Lutterworth has drastically reduced staff turnover. ...

BBC targets adult literacy (127 words)

The TUC is supporting a new BBC campaign to raise literacy levels among the UK's 12 million adults with intermediate reading skills. ...

MPs support legal rights on learning (143 words)

Moves to give union learning reps the legal right to be consulted by employers have gained strong Parliamentary support. ...

European news

Volkswagen faces job cuts in Germany (121 words)

The agreement signed last year at car manufacturer Volkswagen, guaranteeing current levels of employment at the company's German plants until 2011 in return for ...

Dutch pay rises reach a 20-year low (91 words)

The second quarter of 2005 saw the lowest level of pay increases reached in the Netherlands under collective agreements since 1984. ...

Unions welcome pay boost for Spanish public sector (231 words)

Unions and the government in Spain have reached an agreement that will significantly improve public administration workers' pay from next year. ...

French unions set to sign agreement on teleworking (293 words)

A draft "teleworking" agreement has been reached by unions and employers in France, and is likely to be signed this month. ...

Don't punish illegal immigrants, say Swedes (83 words)

The Swedish union confederation LO, which primarily organises manual workers, has proposed an end to the current system of fining migrants who work illegally ...

Law - Discrimination

Discrimination case law news (504 words)

This month's decisions include confirmation that it is harder for employers to justify their actions in indirect discrimination cases than in unfair dismissal cases. ...

Stable employment relationship (165 words)

Dr Thatcher was employed at a university under the same terms from 1978 to 1992, and from 1994 on a permanent contract. For the ...

Post-employment discrimination (165 words)

Rebecca Hough, an employee of retailer BHS, engaged model Sonja Walker via an agency on photo shoots. Walker brought a sexual harassment claim against ...

Less favourable treatment (124 words)

Black employee Kelvin Warner was suspended and then dismissed following allegations by colleagues. A tribunal found that he had been unfairly dismissed and discriminated ...

Discrimination during pregnancy (106 words)

Clare Fletcher, Shelley Wilkinson and Tracey Parkes were student midwives. Their training consisted of three years' academic study combined with practical training, for which ...

Disproving discrimination (335 words)

Allan Dattani, the only police officer in his division from an ethnic minority, was transferred to a smaller station. He claimed that the transfer ...

Indirect sex discrimination (178 words)

Airline pilot Jessica Starmer brought a claim of sex discrimination when her employer refused her request to reduce her hours by half. ...

Sexual harassment (164 words)

Suzanne Loosley brought a claim for sex discrimination following conduct by her manager that, she claimed, amounted to sexual harassment. A tribunal found that ...

Equal pay (208 words)

Kim Hope was promoted but found that she was paid less than her male predecessor had been in the same job. Her role was ...

Justifying discrimination (381 words)

Lisa Lax asked to do her job on a part-time or job-share basis when she returned from maternity leave, but her employer refused. She ...

Dependency leave (167 words)

Mr Uzowuru was granted three weeks' dependency leave, later extended by a further two weeks, to visit his sick mother in Nigeria. Nine months ...

Law - Tribunal procedures

Tribunal law (396 words)

Decisions this month include rulings on costs awards. ...

Procedural rules (284 words)

Kim Grimmer submitted a tribunal claim after her employer refused her request for flexible working. On the claim form, she wrote that her claim ...

Delays in presenting claims (340 words)

Mr Smith submitted a claim for unfair dismissal, but it was out of time because it was presented more than three months after his ...

Costs awards (208 words)

Annette Power was awarded more than £5,000 for disability discrimination and unfair dismissal, but a tribunal awarded costs of £10,000 against her on the ...

Failure to mitigate (178 words)

Five weeks before her tribunal hearing, Ms Fadina applied unsuccessfully for an adjournment on the grounds of lack of preparation. The day before the ...

Order to strike out (141 words)

After issuing a claim for disability discrimination, Mr Criddle failed to attend a directions hearing and did not comply with the tribunal's directions in ...

Health & safety news

Emergency workers "are not covered for terrorism" (350 words)

Emergency service workers killed or injured during a terrorist incident may not be covered by personal insurance policies, unions have warned. ...

Pub landlord's landmark victory over long hours (337 words)

A pub landlord has won a landmark case after his employers breached the Working Time Regulations. ...

Laptop payout (90 words)

Drivers for gas firm Transco have won compensation after they were injured while using company laptop computers. ...

CWU criticises RIDDOR (96 words)

The CWU communication workers' union is seeking major changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). ...

NASUWT wins payouts (83 words)

Teachers' union the NASUWT has won compensation of around £150,000 for two members in the Nottingham area. ...

RMT demands action on hazardous substances (129 words)

The RMT rail union is warning its safety reps to be vigilant on the issue of hazardous substances, and to "ensure that any problems ...

Features

Use ASBOs against bad firms, says regulator (163 words)

More use should be made of Anti Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) to prevent unhealthy workplace practices, the Environment Agency has said. ...

No room for complacency over workplace fatalities (260 words)

The announcement of a slight fall in workplace deaths last year has been met with a guarded response from unions. ...

GMB reveals the riskiest areas to work in Britain (256 words)

Birmingham is the most dangerous place in Britain to work, according to research into industrial accidents by the GMB general union. ...

Inspections by local authorities are in decline (115 words)

Health and safety enforcement by local councils is stagnating, according to new figures released in July. ...

Fairness and finances influence pay protection arrangements (3384 words)

The pay and grading reviews now under way or already completed in many local authorities (see last issue) aim to remove the old divide ...

Campaigning for a living wage (2239 words)

As well as boosting the income of the UK's very lowest-paid workers, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) has been a valuable tool in collective ...