Fact Service May 2015

Issue 21 (28/05/2015) - Persistent poverty in UK and Europe; 'Union effect' in training; University lecturers hit by casualisation; Safety probes at schools; Exclusivity banned in zero-hours contracts; Growth and divide in weekly earnings

Issue 20 (21/05/2015) - Retail price inflation stays under 1%; Increasing pressure on older carers; Reform of executives' performance pay; Crown Estate to pay Living Wage; Co-op Group to continue political support; Tories won donations battle in election run-up

Issue 19 (14/05/2015) - Tories take power after general election; City bonuses boost earnings growth; Unemployment dips by 35,000 in first quarter; Factory output slows at beginning of 2015; Tory Party resumes its attack on unions

Issue 18 (07/05/2015) - Economy slows in first quarter of year; Blacklisted rep in tribunal victory; Top executives enjoy £1m a year packages; Women still face back-to-work barriers; Unequal treatment to end at airport security; Union reps’ meetings qualify as working time

Issue 21

Persistent poverty in UK and Europe (457 words)

Almost a third of the UK population experienced income poverty in at least one year between 2010 and 2013, official figures show. ...
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‘Union effect’ in training (314 words)

Workers who are union members are much more likely to receive job-related training compared to workers who don’t belong to a union, a new report ...
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University lecturers hit by casualisation (422 words)

More than two out five university and college lecturers on casual contracts, such as zero-hours contracts, have struggled to pay household bills. ...
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Safety probes at schools (357 words)

The health and safety watchdog has launched nearly 300 investigations at schools in the past three years, according to the Schools Week website. ...
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Exclusivity banned in zero-hours contracts (242 words)

The government has finally outlawed the use of exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts from 26 May. But unions are unimpressed. ...
Open access

Growth and divide in weekly earnings (398 words)

The growth in weekly earnings in 2014 was the lowest reported for 17 years, according to an analysis from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). ...
Subscribers only

Issue 20

Retail price inflation stays under 1% (521 words)

Cheaper air travel, offset by dearer motoring, kept the rate of inflation steady last month, official figures show. ...
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Increasing pressure on older carers (385 words)

Older people are struggling through their later years caring in increasing numbers for a loved one, according to a new report. ...
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Reform of executives' performance pay (492 words)

There should be wide-ranging reforms to performance-related executive pay, a report from the High Pay Centre says. ...
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Crown Estate to pay Living Wage (269 words)

The Crown Estate has become the first national property business and landowner to achieve accreditation as a Living Wage employer. ...
Subscribers only

Co-op Group to continue political support (206 words)

The future of the Co-operative Group’s membership of the Co-operative Party has been secured after a vote at the group’s AGM in Manchester. ...
Open access

Tories won donations battle in election run-up (171 words)

The Conservatives received around £140,000 more in donations than the Labour Party in the run-up to general election day. ...
Open access

Issue 19

Tories take power after general election (457 words)

The 2015 general election saw the Conservative Party confound the opinion polls by winning power with an overall majority of 12 seats. ...
Subscribers only

City bonuses boost earnings growth (713 words)

Average weekly earnings growth picked up in March, but only as a result of City bonuses, official figures show. ...
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Unemployment dips by 35,000 in first quarter (597 words)

The fall in unemployment has continued in the early months of 2015, but at a slower rate than last month, the latest official figures show. ...
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Factory output slows at beginning of 2015 (210 words)

Manufacturing output appears to be faltering in the early months of 2015, official figures suggest. ...
Open access

Tory Party resumes its attack on unions (150 words)

The Conservative Party wasted no time in using its return to power to start union bashing. ...
Open access

Issue 18

Economy slows in first quarter of year (260 words)

Economic growth has slumped to its weakest level since the final quarter of 2012, according to the Office for National Statistics. ...
Subscribers only

Blacklisted rep in tribunal victory (402 words)

A union rep blacklisted after complaining about anti-Liverpool jibes on his manager’s Facebook page said he was proud to stand up for Scousers ...
Subscribers only

Top executives enjoy £1m a year packages (599 words)

Forty top executives feature in the latest table of directors who picked up at least £1 million last year. ...
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Women still face back-to-work barriers (207 words)

Three-quarters of women felt workplaces were still too inflexible for them to return to after they had taken an extended career break, to have ...
Open access

Unequal treatment to end at airport security (176 words)

Workers in Scottish airport group HIAL’s security company AMSL have voted to accept a management offer to harmonise their terms and conditions over ...
Open access

Union reps' meetings qualify as working time (431 words)

Attending meetings at the workplace in the capacity of a union or health and safety rep is working time for the purposes of the Working Time ...
Subscribers only