Fact Service November 2015

Issue 47 (26/11/2015) - Chancellor climbs down on tax credit; Blocs carve up trade and services
; More money saved into workplace pensions
; Pay in manufacturing


Issue 46 (19/11/2015) - Depressing effects of fit-for-work scheme; Retail price inflation down again

; Annual survey of hours and earnings 2015


; Roache is new GMB general secretary; Poorest hit hardest by tax credit cuts; Low pay in April 2015; Councils pay Living Wage but £10 is aim

Issue 45 (12/11/2015) - UK unemployment down again


; Average earnings growth punctured


; Life's not fair
; Reasons behind presenteeism

; Sunday trading extension on hold
; New earnings data

Issue 44 (05/11/2015) - New Living Wage rates – but 6m on less
; Say No to TiSA
; No wage worries for top executives
; Safety worries over scab agency workers
; Bidding for public contracts in Scotland


Issue 47

Chancellor climbs down on tax credit
 (595 words)

Chancellor George Osborne announced a climb down over tax credit changes in his Spending Review and Autumn Statement.
 ...
Subscribers only

Blocs carve up trade and services
 (743 words)

The world is being carved up in favour of global capital in a series of trade agreements, which will nothing for workers' rights.
 ...
Subscribers only

More money saved into workplace pensions
 (415 words)

There has been an increase in the amount saved into workplace pensions, according to a report from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
 ...
Subscribers only

Pay in manufacturing
 (650 words)

Factory workers have made up some lost ground against inflation in their pay this year, official figures show. However, they lost ground to other ...
Open access

Issue 46

Depressing effects of fit-for-work scheme
 (253 words)

Hundreds of suicides and thousands of prescriptions for anti-depressants are directly linked to the government’s Work Capability Assessment, a ...
Subscribers only

Retail price inflation down again 
 (436 words)

Retail price inflation edged down for the second consecutive month.
 ...
Subscribers only

Annual survey of hours and earnings 2015
 (606 words)

Adjusted for inflation, full-time average weekly earnings increased, while the gender pay gap closed by a narrow margin in April 2015, according to ...
Subscribers only

Roache is new GMB general secretary
 (57 words)

Tim Roache, regional secretary for Yorkshire and North Derbyshire region, has been elected to succeed Paul Kenny as general secretary and treasurer ...
Open access

Poorest hit hardest by tax credit cuts
 (362 words)

Chancellor George Osborne’s tax credit cuts will hit the UK’s poorest regions and nations the hardest, the TUC says.
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Subscribers only

Low pay in April 2015
 (254 words)

Well over 200,000 jobs were paying less than the statutory minimum wage in April 2015, official figures show.
 ...
Subscribers only

Councils pay Living Wage but £10 is aim
 (183 words)

The GMB general union has published the names of 175 local authority employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland paying and nine councils ...
Open access

Issue 45

UK unemployment down again
 (557 words)

Unemployment fell more than expected in September, official figures show.
 ...
Subscribers only

Average earnings growth punctured
 (548 words)

The rise in average weekly earnings for the whole economy was provisionally 2.0% in September — down from the revised figure of 3.2% for August — ...
Subscribers only

Life's not fair
 (410 words)

Life on many fronts has got worse particular young people and poor white boys, according to the Equality and Human Rights commission (EHRC).
 ...
Subscribers only

Reasons behind presenteeism
 (347 words)

High job demands, stress and job insecurity are among the main reasons why people go to work when they are ill, according to new research by an ...
Subscribers only

Sunday trading extension on hold
 (243 words)

Plans to extend Sunday trading in England and Wales have been put on hold by the government in the face of a defeat in the House of Commons.
 ...
Open access

New earnings data
 (90 words)

The Office for National Statistics has introduced a new table in their Labour Market Statistics press release on Average Weekly Earnings — real and ...
Open access

Issue 44

New Living Wage rates – but 6m on less
 (786 words)

Increases have been announced in the two voluntary Living Wage rates.
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Subscribers only

Say No to TiSA
 (242 words)

The GMB general union has called on the EU to oppose the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) which transfers sovereignty over labour market ...
Open access

No wage worries for top executives
 (752 words)

The 33 top executives listed in the table on page 175 laugh in the face of the Living Wage, as they earned at least £1 million a year.
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Subscribers only

Safety worries over scab agency workers
 (271 words)

Using agency workers as strike breakers has repercussions for health and safety, the TUC says.
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Subscribers only

Bidding for public contracts in Scotland
 (269 words)

New statutory guidance for public sector procurement to promote fair work has been produced by the Scottish government.
 ...
Subscribers only