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Fact Service April 2014
Issue 16 (24/04/2014) - Women and surrogacy; Asda women launch equal pay claim; Executive pay and benefits - a new era?; Smoke-free workplaces; PCS in potential merger talks; Ex-Remploy workers still unemployed; Recognition success
Issue 15 (17/04/2014) - Unemployment rate falls below 7%; Gangmaster worries after transfer; Ignore the spin - living standards still hit; Youth unemployment - top hotspots; Inflation cut
Issue 14 (10/04/2014) - Union victory ends two-tier pay at NHS trust; UNISON appeals over tribunal fees; Manufacturing and production increase; Launch of mental health campaign; Government benefit reforms hit vulnerable; Shopworkers need more protection
issue 13 (03/04/2014) - Jobs linked to Europe; The economy; Employment law changes introduced; Not so fair Britain; Royal Mail sold cheap; Dads not taking paternity leave; Zero-hours contracts - NI to investigate
Issue 16
Women and surrogacy (216 words)
Women who have children through surrogacy arrangements are not entitled to maternity leave under EU law, the European Court of Justice has ruled. ...
Open access
Asda women launch equal pay claim (217 words)
More than 400 female employees at Asda have launched legal action against the supermarket over equal pay. ... Open access
Executive pay and benefits — a new era? (774 words)
The company annual general meeting season is just about to get into full swing and business secretary Vince Cable has written to the top 100 UK stock ...
Subscribers only
Smoke-free workplaces (403 words)
In recent years electronic cigarettes have become more popular with a threefold increase in sales in 2013. However, the TUC strongly recommends in ... Subscribers only
PCS in potential merger talks (160 words)
Conference delegates of the PCS public and commercial service union have authorised the national executive to open discussions on a merger if ... Open access
Ex-Remploy workers still unemployed (273 words)
The majority of disabled workers who lost their jobs following the government’s heartless closure of the Remploy factories are still out of work, ... Subscribers only
Recognition success (88 words)
Public service union UNISON has signed a recognition with Ocean Integrated Services, covering the company’s employees working in higher education. ... Open access
Issue 15
Unemployment rate falls below 7% (606 words)
Unemployment numbers were down and the unemployment rate fell to below 7% for the first time in five years, according to the latest official figures. ... Subscribers only
Gangmaster worries after transfer (227 words)
Unions have expressed concern over the transfer of the departmental oversight of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA). ... Open access
Ignore the spin — living standards still hit (711 words)
Earnings growth has failed to match the rise in retail price inflation once again, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show. ... Subscribers only
Youth unemployment — top hotspots (222 words)
The lack of employment opportunities among 16- to 24-year-olds remains widespread, with more than 10 UK cities having youth unemployment higher than 2 ... Open access
Inflation cut (476 words)
Retail price inflation edged down again for the second month in a row, while consumer price inflation hit its lowest level for more than four years, ... Subscribers only
Issue 14
Union victory ends two-tier pay at NHS trust (245 words)
Strike action by 150 GMB members employed by Compass (Medirest) at Ealing NHS Hospital Trust, London has been called off after members won a new ... Open access
UNISON appeals over tribunal fees (295 words)
Public service union UNISON is to apply to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal the High Court’s ruling rejecting its claim for a judicial ... Subscribers only
Manufacturing and production increase (156 words)
Manufacturing output increased by 0.8% in the three-month period ending February 2014 compared with the previous three-month period. ... Open access
Launch of mental health campaign (327 words)
A group of leading employers has launched a campaign to end the culture of silence around mental health in the workplace that is costing the UK ... Subscribers only
Government benefit reforms hit vulnerable (909 words)
The vulnerable are sufferings as a result of the coalition government's welfare reforms that rought in the “bedroom tax” and the benefit cap, an ... Subscribers only
Shopworkers need more protection (311 words)
Usdaw, the retail and distribution workers’ union, has welcomed an official consultation on new sentencing guideline for theft offences, but has ... Subscribers only
Issue 13
Jobs linked to Europe (315 words)
Nearly 4.2 million jobs in the UK, including 1.7 million manufacturing jobs, are dependent on trade with the rest of Europe, new research says. ... Subscribers only
The economy (140 words)
The UK economy grew by 0.7%, unchanged on the last estimate for gross domestic product (GDP) from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). However, ... Open access
Employment law changes introduced (402 words)
A number of employment law changes come into force in April. ... Subscribers only
Not so fair Britain (420 words)
Nearly half the jobs in some parts of Britain are paying less than the Living Wage, the TUC has revealed as part of its Fair Pay Fortnight campaign. ... Subscribers only
Royal Mail sold cheap (538 words)
The privatisation of Royal Mail was at some cost to the taxpayer, according to a critical report from the public finance watchdog, the National Audit ... Subscribers only
Dads not taking paternity leave (215 words)
Male workers are being put off from taking advantage of shared parental leave schemes due to the attitudes of their employers, according to new ... Open access
Zero-hours contracts — NI to investigate (312 words)
Measures to regulate zero-hours contracts in Northern Ireland are being considered by the Stormont employment minister, according to the BBC News ... Subscribers only