Labour Research December 2019

Top executives still pocketing millions - Leading companies continue to line the pockets of multimillionaire executives; Parties set out their stalls on rights in the workplace - A much-needed boost to the rights of UK workers and their unions is long overdue. So what are the main parties’ election offerings here?; European health and safety legislation - Unions fear that a Tory government led by Boris Johnson would reverse progress made under EU health and safety law

News

Union defiant following ‘outrageous’ court ruling
 (289 words)

The CWU postal workers’ union has lodged an appeal against the High Court ruling banning its members from striking to protect their terms and ...
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STUC calls for action to end plight of those in insecure work (221 words)

The Scottish TUC is calling for an end to contracts below 16 hours and minimum wage age inequality. 
 ...
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Nottingham College
 (141 words)

A long-running dispute at Nottingham College has ended after the college agreed to retain current workload protections and ensure no staff would see ...
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Rail commitment
 (116 words)

The RMT rail workers’ union has welcomed the commitment by Labour to end driver-only operation (DOO) on the national rail network, as it announced ...
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Debt-ridden families struggle to survive in Breadline Britain
 (310 words)

This is the most important election in a generation, the TUC said last month as it called on all parties to put working families first amid warnings ...
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Tories’ NHS failure slated
 (247 words)

Unions have hit out at the Tories’ failure to invest in the NHS as figures show hospital A&E times hit their worst level on record.
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Class sizes a number one priority (264 words)

One in three teachers say reducing class sizes should be a top priority for the next government, as data shows a 44% rise in the number of pupils in ...
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Unemployment takes a tumble
 (193 words)

Unemployment fell by 23,000, latest official figures show. 
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Inflation falls again (71 words)

The annual inflation rate under the Retail Prices Index (RPI) fell for the fifth consecutive month. In October, RPI inflation was 2.1% against the 2.4 ...
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Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (411 words)

Inflation +2.1% Average earnings +3.6% ...
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Union news

Roache re-elected for second term to head up GMB union (86 words)

Tim Roache has been re-elected general secretary of the third-largest TUC affiliate, the GMB general union, to run for a second term. He took 61% of ...
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Sarah Woolley eleccted as BFAWU general sectratary (166 words)

The 17,000-strong bakery and food workers union, the BFAWU, has elected its first ever female general secretary to replace Ronnie Draper who is ...
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PCS members ballot for leader (76 words)

Balloting is under way in the PCS public and commercial services union’s leadership election, with incumbent Mark Serwotka under challenge from two ...
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NASUWT general secetary election (166 words)

Nominations have opened for general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union following the resignation of Chris Keates. 
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POA re-elects Gillan (45 words)

The POA prison officers’ union has returned Steve Gillan as general secretary for a third term after he won just over half the votes in a ...
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STUC leader
 (94 words)

Long-standing leader of the Scottish TUC (STUC) Grahame Smith has announced he will retire from his post in May next year. He has been at the STUC ...
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PDAU appoints head of organising
 (57 words)

Pharmacists’ union the PDAU, which recently won an epic union recognition battle with Boots, has further strengthened its trade union role by ...
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Nurses’ manifesto
 (89 words)

The RCN nursing union has set out a manifesto of five priorities to help members demand action from prospective parliamentary candidates in the ...
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European news

Unions back EU gender pay transparency proposals
 (284 words)

The European Trade Union confederation (ETUC) has backed a promise from the new president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to ...
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Strikes planned in France as opposition to pension reforms intensifies
 (348 words)

Unions in France plan a day of strikes on 5 December in protest at government plans for pension reform.
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Spanish unions welcome pact
 (120 words)

The leaders of Spain’s two dominant trade union confederations, Unai Sordo of CCOO and Pepe Álvarez of UGT, have welcomed the decision of ...
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EPSU loses case
 (124 words)

The European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) has lost an important case against the European Commission. 
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Features

Top fat cats continue to rake in millions
 (2,205 words)

The Labour Research annual survey of top bosses’ pay once again finds that the highest-paid executives continue to be awarded enormous sums.
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What’s on offer for workers?
 (2,630 words)

One of the key battlegrounds in the general election campaign has been workers’ rights. So what are Labour and the other parties proposing? 
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Staying safe and healthy?
 (2,370 words)

As European trade unionists mark the 30th anniversary of the EU’s adoption of the “Framework Directive” on health and safety, UK unions worry ...
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Law Matters

Manager’s motivation made employer liable
 (329 words)

The employment appeal tribunal (EAT) has confirmed that a trade union representative was dismissed for his trade union activities even though the ...
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Reimbursement sum queried (355 words)

An offer of £500 plus VAT may not be enough for a solicitor to advise on the merits of a settlement agreement, the employment appeal tribunal (EAT) ...
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Covert surveillance didn’t violate human rights (237 words)

Secret surveillance of employees in a Spanish supermarket who were suspected of theft was not a breach of their right to a private life under Article ...
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Law Queries

Ill health dismissal
 (418 words)

Q. My friend suffered a stroke six months ago and has made some recovery but is still a long way off returning to work. Does her employer have to ...
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Right to be accompanied
 (212 words)

Q. I’ve been asked to attend a meeting with HR to discuss my sickness absence record. I want to take a union rep with me, but HR has said I can’t ...
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Deduction of holiday pay
 (180 words)

Q. I’ve just changed jobs and my previous employer deducted three days’ pay from my final pay, saying I’d taken more holiday than I was ...
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Law Back-up

Cultural change needed for truly flexible working
 (846 words)

The existing flexible working structure has been in place for five years. Back-up looks at why the TUC is calling for a change. 
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Health & Safety Matters

Rescue services must not be scapegoated
 (383 words)

The leader of the FBU firefighters’ union, Matt Wrack, has called for the first report of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire finally to be ...
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Night work at record levels
 (184 words)

Night working has hit record levels, with the over-50s accounting for all its growth since 2014, according to a TUC analysis published at the end of ...
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Train firms break pledge over sewage dumping (249 words)

The RMT rail union says greedy train companies and a government with an “appalling attitude to the staff who work in the transport industry” are ...
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Health & Safety Back-up

Supporting the victims of domestic violence
 (873 words)

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign that begins on 25 November — the International Day for the ...
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Equality news

Universities must do more to combat racism
 (366 words)

Unions have called on universities to do more to stamp out racial harassment in the wake of a damning report from the EHRC equality watchdog warning ...
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Disabled workers lose out by £3,000 a year
 (275 words)

The average disabled worker stops getting paid on 4 November, the TUC said in a new analysis last month.
 ...
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Half of women will be carers by age 46 (270 words)

Half of UK women will be carers by the age of 46, while two-thirds of all adults can expect to care unpaid for a friend or family member in their ...
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Workplace Back-up

Austerity pay policies have caused devastation
 (958 words)

As polling day draws near, the TUC has published research showing the pernicious effects of a decade of low pay under Tory austerity. Back-up looks ...
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E-views

e-views (449 words)

Which unions were the most influential on Twitter in 2019?
 ...
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News from LRD

LRD Annual General Meeting (113 words)

The 2020 annual general meeting of the Labour Research Department (LRD) is on Monday 18 May 2020 starting at 2.00pm at Jerwood Space, 171 Union ...
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