Fact Service July 2014

Issue 30 (31/07/2014) - Earnings and top executive pay; Only now is economy above 2008 peak; Union safety concerns over Network Rail; ESA not fit for purpose, say MPs; Priced out of justice

Issue 29 (24/07/2014) - Workers in the heat; Young hit hardest by recession; Labour disputes in 2013; Boost for union political funds; Network Rail faces equal pay claim; Tories ramp up rhetoric on strikes

Issue 28 (17/07/2014) - Fall in unemployment; Weak earnings growth; Inflation higher; Executive pay gap; Acas in demand

Issue 27 (10/07/2014) - Pay-off 'value for money' or 'obscene'?; Smaller increase in manufacturing output; Executive pay - 35 on £1m or more; Guidance on working from home; Car industry expands; Scottish referendum campaign money

Issue 26 (03/07/2014) - Forty two executives with £1m plus packages; Upturn in settlements to 2.6% in May; Deaths at work fall, but not in construction; Watchdog says Work Programme is flawed; Balance of payments - trade deficit narrows; Living Wage to be paid by food and drink firm

Issue 30

Earnings and top executive pay (665 words)

The fall in earnings under the Con-Dem coalition government will be the biggest in any parliament since 1880, according to a new analysis by the ...
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Only now is economy above 2008 peak (297 words)

The economy is at long last above the peak reached in early 2008, according to official figures. ...
Subscribers only

Union safety concerns over Network Rail (725 words)

Government cuts to Network Rail’s funding are putting the lives of both passengers and maintenance workers at risk, according to a report by the ...
Subscribers only

ESA not fit for purpose, say MPS (281 words)

The Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), which is supposed to help those with health problems and disabilities into work, is not achieving its ...
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Priced out of justice (376 words)

Employment tribunal fees have been a huge victory for Britain’s worst bosses, according to a new TUC report to mark the first anniversary of the ...
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Issue 29

Workers in the heat (297 words)

With the temperature rising across the country, the TUC is calling on employers to temporarily relax workplace dress codes to help their staff work ...
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Young hit hardest by the recession (387 words)

The recession and its aftermath have been much harder on the young than the old, according to a respected think tank’s report. ...
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Labour disputes in 2013 (606 words)

The number of working days lost to industrial action increased by 78% last year, official figures show. ...
Subscribers only

Boost for union political funds (273 words)

The number of members contributing to their union’s political fund has increased, according to the 2013-14 annual report of the union watchdog, the ...
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Network Rail faces equal pay claim (266 words)

The TSSA rail union has launched a multi-million pound equal pay claim against Network Rail, the largest in rail history. ...
Subscribers only

Tories ramp up rhetoric on strikes (516 words)

A general election can never be far away when the Conservative Party turns up the rhetoric over trade unions. This time the Tories have turned their ...
Subscribers only

Issue 28

Fall in unemployment (581 words)

Unemployment continues to fall on both main counts, according to the latest official figures. ...
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Weak earnings growth (644 words)

Official average weekly earnings figures hold no hope of Britain getting a decent pay rise, judging by the latest official figures. ...
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Inflation higher (525 words)

Price inflation rebounded on both main measures, official figures show. ...
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Executive pay gap (326 words)

The government should consider requiring companies to cap executive pay at a fixed multiple of their lowest-paid employee, according to the High Pay ...
Subscribers only

Acas in demand (201 words)

The services of workplace expert Acas continue to be in demand, according to it latest annual report. ...
Open access

Issue 27

Pay-off ‘value for money’ or ‘obscene'? (250 words)

A pay-off to a former chief executive of an NHS health board in Wales was “value for money”, according to its chair, but branded “obscene” by ...
Subscribers only

Smaller increase in manufacturing output (204 words)

Factory output was up by 1.1% in the three months to May, compared with the previous three months and up by 3.8% on the same period 2013. ...
Open access

Executive pay — 35 on £1m or more (589 words)

The pay counter on the High Pay Centre’s website for the average pay of a FTSE 100 chief executive has so far reached around £2.2 million this ...
Subscribers only

Guidance on working from home (179 words)

The number of employees working from home — in office-type jobs or roles involving travel where home is used as a base — is steadily increasing. ...
Open access

Car industry expands (350 words)

Employment in the car industry, which has already been expanding, received a further boost from the US-owned Vauxhall Motors. ...
Subscribers only

Scottish referendum campaign money (494 words)

Prominent Conservatives are some of the main backers of the No campaign in the Scottish independence referendum. Almost £4 million in donations to ...
Subscribers only

Issue 26

Forty two executives with £1m plus packages (748 words)

Property prices, particularly in London, seem to be hitting the headlines at regular intervals, so the table over concentrates on top executives in ...
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Upturn in settlements to 2.6% in May (182 words)

Collectively agreed pay settlement rises outpaced the rise in the cost of living in May and showed a small rise on the previous month’s figure, the ...
Open access

Deaths at work fall, but not in construction (415 words)

The overall number of workers fatally injured work has fallen, but the number is up in construction, according to the latest annual figures. ...
Subscribers only

Watchdog says Work Programme is flawed (617 words)

Tens of millions of pounds could be paid in bonuses to underperforming contractors responsible for the government’s flagship back-to-work scheme, a ...
Subscribers only

Balance of payments — trade deficit narrows (281 words)

Britain’s trading position with the rest of world showed a little improvement as official figures showed that the UK’s current account deficit ...
Subscribers only

Living Wage to be paid by food and drink firm (166 words)

The food and drink multinational Nestlé has become the first large manufacturer to commit to paying its staff and contracted-out staff the Living ...
Open access