Fact Service June 2014

Issue 25 (26/06/2014) - Boost to factory output; New right to request flexible working; Zero-hours contracts developments; Asbestos in schools; Minimum wage arrears; Executive pay

Issue 24 (19/06/2014) - Dramatic drop in tribunal claims; UK unemployment stays at five-year low; No joy in negative earnings growth; Charities slam work placements scheme; Inflation continues on downward trend

Issue 23 (12/06/2014) - Executive pay: 39 with a £1m package; Campaign spending on Scottish referendum; Justice for sale; Living Wage win in higher education; Reforms fail to bring reality to boardroom; World Cup Advice

Issue 22 (05/06/2014) - Cable’s plans for zero-hours contracts; Lost in tax; Dockers say no return to 50 years ago; Trade unions steady ship in 2013; 2.5% rise for settlements; Boardroom-worker divide on remuneration

Issue 25

Boost to factory output (200 words)

Manufacturing output posted a healthy rise in the three months to April. ...
Open access

New right to request flexible working (228 words)

The right to request flexible working arrangements changes from next week. ...
Open access

Zero-hours contracts developments (458 words)

Employees on zero-hours contracts will have the freedom to find work with more than one employer after business secretary Vince Cable announced plans ...
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Asbestos in schools (250 words)

In 2013-14, around one in eight non-local authority schools that were inspected by the Health and Safety Executive over asbestos on their premises ...
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Minimum wage arrears (235 words)

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed that over £4.6 million in wage arrears has been paid to more than 22,000 workers following a successful ...
Open access

Executive pay (881 words)

Pay at the top of the retail sector is very healthy, as it is for bookies and bus and rail firms. ...
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Issue 24

Dramatic drop in tribunal claims (282 words)

The number of single claims being taken in employment tribunals has slumped by 59%. ...
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UK unemployment stands at five-year low (582 words)

Unemployment was it lowest level since 2009, according to the latest official figures. ...
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No joy in negative earnings growth (621 words)

Annual "growth" in average weekly earnings hit negative territory in April. ...
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Charities slam work placements scheme (364 words)

More than 350 charities have united in opposition to the coalition government’s community work placements scheme, which has been branded slave ...
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Inflation continues on downward trend (398 words)

Price inflation was down on both main measures,, official figure show. ...
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Issue 23

Executive pay — 39 with a £1m package (753 words)

Thirty-nine executives from 15 of the top 350 FTSE companies feature in Fact Service's latest table of boardroom excess. ...
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Campaign spending on Scottish referendum (186 words)

The start of the formal “referendum period” began on 30 May, which means spending rules are now in force for campaigners on the Scottish ...
Open access

Justice for sale (667 words)

Over the last four years, the scale of private sector involvement in the UK’s prisons and probation service has increased dramatically, with the ...
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Living Wage win in higher education (213 words)

Members of the public service union UNISON working in higher education have voted overwhelmingly to accept a pay offer that will see thousands of ...
Open access

Reforms fail to bring reality to boardroom (343 words)

Regulations introduced by the coalition government to reduce the runaway growth of executive pay have had little effect, according to new research. ...
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World Cup advice (105 words)

With the World Cup starting on 12 June, the employment relations service Acas has produced some guidance around issues that affect employees and ...
Open access

Issue 22

Cable's plans for zero-hours contracts (283 words)

People on zero-hours contracts could be given a right to request a permanent fixed-hours deal under a plan announced by Vince Cable, the Liberal ...
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Lost in tax (323 words)

The Treasury is losing £40 billion a year in VAT, income tax, national insurance and corporation tax due to a shadow economy where firms and ...
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Dockers say no return to 50 years ago (298 words)

Management at SCA Logistics, based at Tilbury docks, east London, want to turn the clock back 50 years to a time when dockers had to rely on a tap on ...
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Trade unions steady the ship in 2013 (368 words)

Last year, the number of people who were members of a union at 6.5 million was broadly unchanged on 2012, with a reduction of just 0.1% or 6,000 over ...
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2.5% rise for settlements (65 words)

In April, pay settlement rises continued to match the rise in the cost of living, the latest figures show. ...
Open access

Boardroom-worker divide on remuneration (933 words)

The divide between the boardroom and workers is writ large in the total remuneration package of one of 30 top executives in the table over who ...
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