Pay and prices

Slowdown in inflation and pay continues (233 words)

Settlement levels are continuing to decline slowly, with the LRD Payline database showing a median increase of 3.0% in the three months to November ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (220 words)

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

Full-time weekly average earnings (28 words)

All workers £523.30 ...

Average earnings indices (including bonuses) (157 words)

Aug 04 (r) 117.2 4.1% 3.4% 4.0% 4.0% 4.5% ...

Other pay analysts (23 words)

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

Prices (63 words)

October 04 188.6 3.3% 2.1% ...

Inflation forecasts (28 words)

Fourth quarter 2005: ...

Bargaining news

Teaching unions slam "pay freeze" award (401 words)

Unions have given a mixed reception to the announcement that teachers in England will receive pay rises of 2.5% in each of the next ...

Official ASHE earnings figures go up in smoke (152 words)

The Office of National Statistics has admitted to errors in the 2005 Annual survey of hours and earnings (ASHE), published last month. ...

Unions back single status proposals (201 words)

Local government unions have given their approval to proposals by Sunderland City Council to protect the pay of employees who were set to lose ...

Iceland depot workers come in from the cold (262 words)

The T&G general union has negotiated lump-sum payments and enhanced weekend rates for drivers and warehouse workers at supermarket chain Iceland's distribution depot in ...

Channel 4 admits errors in holiday pay calculation (255 words)

A campaign by broadcasting union BECTU has led Channel 4 to change the way it calculates holiday pay. ...

Massive recruitment campaign pays off for T&G at UPS (131 words)

Workers at parcel delivery firm UPS have seen immediate results from an organising campaign by the T&G general union, with significant pay increases and ...

Casino unions play for high stakes - and win (272 words)

Members of the GMB and T&G general unions at Gala Casinos in London have overwhelmingly approved a pay offer worth an average of 4.89%, ...

Ill-feeling remains as bus disputes are settled (448 words)

Settlements have been reached this month in two disputes between bus company First Bus and drivers represented by the T&G transport union. ...

Survey shows that it pays to be in the NUJ (266 words)

Pay levels are significantly better at magazine publishers that negotiate pay and conditions with the NUJ journalists' union, according to a new survey carried ...

Equality news

Employers are rigid on fixed working hours (142 words)

Fewer than a quarter of employees have any provision for flexible working in their employment contracts, a new TUC report says. ...

Disability discrimination law extends protection (199 words)

An estimated quarter of a million people now have new legal rights not to be discriminated against in the workplace and elsewhere, following changes ...

CRE revises its employment code of practice (146 words)

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) has issued a revised code of practice on achieving racial equality in employment. ...

Recruitment and organisation news

UNISON recruits on the streets of Westminster (358 words)

A recruitment and organising drive by public services union UNISON among street-cleaning and refuse staff at Onyx in the London Borough of Westminster has ...

TUC organises briefings for organisers (65 words)

As part of its "Bargaining to organise" campaign (see last month's Workplace Report), the TUC is holding three half-day briefings in early 2006 for ...

Recognition is won for BBC freelancers (146 words)

Broadcasting union BECTU has won recognition to represent its 800 members who work freelance at BBC Scotland. ...

Learning and training news

Initiatives extend training's reach (342 words)

Two unions are taking action to extend the reach of their learning and training operations. ...

Skills gap threatens UK prosperity (332 words)

Half of adults in the UK do not have the functional numeracy expected of an 11-year-old, and poor skills levels pose an "urgent" threat ...

European news

Employers try to lower pay expectations (214 words)

With more than two months until the current agreement in the German metalworking industry runs out, the metalworking union IG Metall has already clashed ...

Total reaches Europe-wide agreement on equality (288 words)

French-based oil, gas and chemicals group Total has signed an equal opportunities agreement covering all its European operations. ...

Italian telecoms firms are forced to improve practices (281 words)

Employers in the Italian private telecommunications sector have lost flexibility in their employment practices - and must increase workers' pay by above the rate ...

EU defers a decision on working time (74 words)

The European Union's council of ministers, which brings together representatives of member states, has deferred a decision on the future of the Working Time ...

Law - Discrimination

Discrimination case law (473 words)

This month's decisions include key rulings on equal pay and on rights during maternity leave. ...

Disparate impact (188 words)

A number of employees of British Airways alleged indirect sex discrimination on the grounds that by working part-time they had been denied access to ...

Discrimination during maternity leave (181 words)

History teacher Mrs Athis was denied a pay rise under the performance-related review system because her pupils' exam results were poor. She claimed that ...

Redundancy during maternity leave (185 words)

Ms Bray, a depot manager, was on maternity leave when her employer began consultation over proposed redundancies, including her own. ...

Victimisation (146 words)

In an attempt to get a number of catering staff to settle their equal pay claims, a local council wrote to all catering staff ...

Continuing discrimination (126 words)

After his employment with an NHS trust ended, Dr Ghosh brought a claim of race discrimination relating to a number of incidents that had ...

Justifying unequal pay (160 words)

When accountant Ms Sharp brought an equal pay claim, an independent expert found that she was doing work of equal value to one of ...

Liability for discrimination (217 words)

Miss Gilbank had a good relationship with her manager, Ms Miles, until she announced that she was pregnant. A tribunal found that Gilbank was ...

Refusal of job share (163 words)

Full-time administrator Aileen Brown asked to reduce her hours after having a baby. Her employer advertised once for a job-sharer, unsuccessfully, and was told ...

Derogatory remarks (182 words)

Mr Khan raised a grievance against a colleague who had said: "You Pakistanis are all the same" and "You Muslims are all troublemakers". Claiming ...

Law - Tribunal procedures

Tribunal case law (451 words)

Rulings this month cover topics such as confidential information and the late submission of claims. ...

Tribunal bias (113 words)

Dr Korashi brought an unsuccessful claim of race discrimination, then appealed on the grounds that the tribunal chair had exhibited bias. ...

Compromised claims (167 words)

Cecilia McNaughton brought an equal pay claim in respect of her exclusion from a pension scheme while she was working part-time. ...

Claims submitted by fax (191 words)

In these two appeals, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) reconsidered the time at which a faxed appeal is deemed to have been submitted to ...

Conduct of hearing (171 words)

Mrs Moir was dismissed after refusing to accept a detrimental change to her contract that her employer said was necessary owing to financial pressures. ...

Evidence of dismissal (113 words)

Mr Mack, a sanitation manager, was dismissed following allegations of irregularities in the processing of payments. A tribunal found that senior management had been ...

Striking out of defence (205 words)

Represented by the construction union UCATT, Mr Woolf and Mr Jones brought claims for outstanding allowances and holiday pay. The union applied to adjourn ...

Disclosure of documents (139 words)

Office supervisor Ms Devon resigned because she believed her employer had not properly dealt with her harassment complaint. She brought a constructive dismissal claim, ...

Late claims (539 words)

Mr Chouafi submitted claims for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination three months outside the time limit. He suffered from severe depression and had been ...

Health & safety news

UK workers aren't being protected against cancer (333 words)

An occupational cancer epidemic could be killing up to 24,000 people in the UK every year - four times the official estimate, and one-sixth ...

Unions unite on fire safety (211 words)

Rail and fire unions are fighting to retain essential fire safety regulations for sub-surface stations, introduced after the 1987 King's Cross disaster in which ...

Union action reduces accidents at paper mills (105 words)

Amicus professional union has helped slash accident rates at a paper company in Kent. ...

First prosecution by new NHS security service (134 words)

A man who punched a nurse and a security guard in the face at a Birmingham hospital has been successfully prosecuted in the first ...

Railway workers in Wales need protection from vicious attacks (142 words)

The scale of attacks on railway staff in Wales has reached "civil unrest" proportions, according to the RMT rail union. ...

Features

Better regulation, not less regulation, demands TUC (278 words)

The government's "better regulation" drive should concentrate on making workplace safety more effective rather than simply trying to reduce regulatory burdens on business, the ...

HSE looks at new penalties (219 words)

Penalties other than criminal prosecution are being considered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for employers that breach health and safety law. ...

New centre will focus on preventing ill health (108 words)

A national centre to promote workplace health opened its doors last month. ...

Workplaces are less safe without unions (138 words)

Non-unionised workplaces have lower levels of consultation and worker participation, and a worse safety culture, than unionised workplaces. That's the message implicit in a ...

RSI database launched (99 words)

A new legal database should help safety reps to tackle cases of repetitive strain injury (RSI). ...

Reps "act local" to create the eco-friendly workplace (2521 words)

Some workplace reps may consider that environmental issues aren't their concern - it's more important to focus on issues that are really relevant to ...

Shift premia keep pace with pay deals (2252 words)

As usual, this year's Labour Research Department survey of shift premia has found that a large majority of employers are maintaining the same level ...