Pay and prices

Pay deals still lag behind inflation (215 words)

Pay settlements are still trailing behind inflation, with the latest figures from LRD Payline showing a median increase of 3.5% for the three months ...

Labour Research Department three-monthly pay figures (74 words)

Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered) ...

Other pay analysts (23 words)

Industrial Relations Services (median, three months to end May 2007) 3.0% ...

Full-time weekly average earnings (16 words)

All workers£555.00All male£610.50All female£468.60Managers£837.50Professionals£753.50Associate professional£573.10Admin & secretarial£368.20Skilled/craft£462.90Services£324.10Sales£307.20Operatives£426.60Other manual£331.40 ...

Average earnings indices (including bonuses) (55 words)

Earnings index*% annual riseWhole economyManufacturingServicesPrivate sectorPublic sectorFeb 2006(r)125.14.4%5.2%4.3%4.4%4.1%March (r)125.44.5%4.8%4.7%4.6%4.3%April (r)125.44.3%6.0%3.7%4.1%3.0%May125.94.4%5.7%4.2%4.7%3.7%June126.64.9%5.8%4.9%5.3%3.7%July126.53.9%4.8%3.8%3.8%4.1%August126.83.8%5.3%3.7%3.9%3.2%September127.34.1%5.4%4.2%4.3%3.4%October127.64.2%5.1%4.4%4.4%3.3%November128.24.0%4.7%4.1%4.1%3.1%December129.03.9%3.9%4.2%4.1%3.3%Jan 2007130.04.6%3.5%5.0%5.0%3.3%February (r)131.75.2%3.5%5.7%5.7%2.8%March (r)129.93.5%3.5%3.3%3.6%3.1%April (p)129.53.3%2.8%3.5%3.2%3.3%Headline rate** for Apr4.0%3.3%4.2%4.2%3.1% ...

Prices (13 words)

Retail prices index (RPI)*% annual increasesRPIRPI excl. mortgages April 2006196.52.6%2.4%May197.73.0%2.9%June198.53.3%3.1%July198.53.3%3.1%August199.23.4%3.3%September200.13.6%3.2%October200.43.7%3.2%November201.13.9%3.4%December202.74.4%3.8%January 2007201.64.2%3.5%February203.14.6%3.7%March204.44.8%3.9%April205.44.5%3.6%May206.24.3%3.3% ...

Inflation forecasts (17 words)

Fourth quarter 2007 ...

Bargaining news

Unions gear up to fight Remploy closures (508 words)

Unions representing workers in Remploy, the public sector network of 83 plants employing disabled workers, were set to ballot for national strike action over ...

School staff to get national pay system (163 words)

Last month schools minister Jim Knight announced that work would begin on a national pay and grading structure for professional and support staff in ...

3.6% plus bonus at car maker (87 words)

Workers at car manufacturer Toyota, members of the Amicus section of general union Unite, have settled for a 3.6% pay rise plus a 0.7% ...

Pension switch helps firms make big saving (236 words)

Employers operating defined contribution pension schemes, where there is no guarantee of the level of pension at retirement, pay less than half as much ...

Media unions' tactics win improved pay offers around the country (564 words)

Around 30 journalists at Doncaster-based South Yorkshire Newspapers have achieved pay rises of between 5.8% and 18.3% after several weeks of industrial action. Pay ...

Sunvic deal gets a warm welcome (64 words)

Industrial action has won improved work security for 40 workers at Sunvic Controls, the central heating controls manufacturer, in Uddingston in South Lanarkshire. ...

Flat-rate offer resolves pay dispute at charity (271 words)

A pay dispute at one of Scotland's largest charities was finally settled last month, when staff at social care provider Quarriers staff voted overwhelmingly ...

Compulsory overtime creates discontent (167 words)

A deal which gave a significant pay rise to 500 workers at Caterpillar Products' construction machinery plant in Leicester has turned sour because they ...

Farm deal pegs lowest paid to minimum wage (191 words)

The T&G section of the Unite general union is currently conducting a six-week consultation with its agricultural members over a pay offer of 4.5%. ...

Holiday pay win delivers £1.2 million (242 words)

The Amicus section of the Unite general union has resolved a long battle over holiday pay at Bombardier Shorts aircraft factories in Northern Ireland. ...

Equality news

Study shows need for more specialist recruitment (221 words)

While almost three-fifths of employers have people with learning disabilities on the payroll, learning disabled workers continue to struggle in the employment arena. ...

Classroom assistants' pay is "national disgrace" (402 words)

Scotland's classroom assistants survive on "scandalously low pay" and their work is unrecognised and undervalued, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) said last month. ...

Studies find high levels of anti-gay harassment (248 words)

Two new studies have indicated that unions may need to step up their role in combating anti-gay harassment and bullying in the workplace. ...

Recruitment and organisation news

Cleaners vote for union recognition at top store (289 words)

Cleaners at the famous Harrods department store have won collective bargaining rights after voting in favour of union recognition in a statutory ballot. ...

TUC looks to international organising (90 words)

Union organising must take a quantum leap forward to face up to the challenge of globalisation, according to TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady. ...

Learning and training news

Happy birthday unionlearn (206 words)

Unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation, celebrated its first birthday this month with the announcement of a 50% increase in the number of ...

European news

Print and paper deals done but firms reject settlement in construction (235 words)

Last month's settlement in the German metalworking industry (see Workplace Report, May 2007) has been followed by agreements in other industries, but building industry ...

Italy's unions get government to back public sector deal (452 words)

Public sector unions and the Italian government finally reached an outline agreement on pay at the end of last month, after the government agreed ...

Dutch agency workers secure 3% and higher pensions contributions (205 words)

Unions and the ABU employers' association, representing private employment agencies, have signed a deal which broadly matches inflation and improves pensions for long-term agency ...

Chemicals deal agreed in Spain (85 words)

Unions have signed a three-year, inflation-plus deal in the Spanish chemicals industry. ...

Law - Tribunal procedures

Tribunal rules (453 words)

Cases this month include more on what constitutes a written grievance, as well as guidance on time limits in discrimination claims. ...

New points on appeal (309 words)

Mr Lipscombe, who had worked for the Forestry Commission for over 25 years, resigned after a long-running complaint of bullying and harassment was not ...

Time limits (209 words)

Police sergeant Gurpal Virdi applied for promotion but was rejected. His appeal against the decision was rejected on 2 June and he was notified ...

Written grievances (322 words)

Rymell Francis notified his human resources manager by e-mail that he wanted to make a complaint of bullying against management and his mentor. She ...

Details of claim (330 words)

Howard Sharpe was offered a job at Heathrow Terminal 5 subject to references, but the offer was subsequently withdrawn because no references had been ...

Costs (145 words)

A tribunal struck out Mr Thomas's claim at a pre-hearing review because he had failed to comply with tribunal orders and had conducted the ...

Postponed hearings (222 words)

Mr Cook was successful in his claim for unfair dismissal on grounds of whistleblowing and was awarded compensation of £6,764, which included an additional ...

Written grievance (121 words)

Mr Lawrence was dismissed and brought claims of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination, alleging that the dismissal itself was an act of discrimination. He ...

Health & safety news

TUC calls for workplace action on the environment (298 words)

Climate change is the defining economic issue of the age and unions have a vital role to play politically and in the workplace to ...

Union wants direct labour on Olympic building sites (186 words)

The construction of venues for the 2012 Olympic games will involve serious safety risks unless workers are given proper employment rights, building union UCATT ...

Journalists' union stands up for safety at media conglomerate (119 words)

Job cuts at the Newsquest media group in Scotland have led to serious health and safety concerns and must be stopped, the NUJ journalists' ...

GMB demonstration at Tesco head office (112 words)

Members of the GMB general union at Bakkavor food suppliers staged a demonstration outside the head office of the Tesco supermarket group last month, ...

Former car workers win compensation battle (113 words)

Workers struck down by a disease affecting their breathing have won the fight to lodge disability claims, following a long battle by the T&G ...

Features

CWU puts focus on learning (239 words)

The CWU communication workers' union has brought learning into the centre of its structures following new policy and rule changes agreed at its annual ...

Contract law (461 words)

This month's round-up includes rulings on the employment status of agency workers and the extension of a probation period. ...

Non-competition clause (249 words)

Huw Thomas was managing director for insurance broker Farr plc. He resigned as a result of a proposed change to his job following a ...

Probationary period (250 words)

Miss Przybylska was appointed as a business development manager. Her contract stated that her first three months of employment would be a probationary period, ...

Agency workers (704 words)

Mrs Kalwak and a number of other workers were recruited in Poland by employment agency Consistent Group Ltd to work at Welsh Country Foods, ...

Holiday (163 words)

Mr Sumsion, a standby carpenter for the BBC, was contracted to work on a production for five and a half months. He could be ...

Suspension (202 words)

After one of her patients killed somebody, South West London and St.George's Mental Health Trust held a series of inquiries and eventually suspended consultant ...

Homeworkers (236 words)

Mrs James worked for courier company Redcats, delivering parcels to private addresses using her own vehicle. She was paid according to the number of ...

Scientists protest at cuts to nuclear clean-up funds (175 words)

Over 200 scientists employed at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) research site at Winfrith, Dorset held a lunchtime protest last month over the ...

HSE first aid newsletter (57 words)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published the first issue of its first-aid newsletter, warning training providers not to suggest that they are ...

UCATT wants increase in inspections all year round (200 words)

More inspections of construction sites are welcome, but firms need to held to account all year round, UCATT construction union has argued. ...

Unions call for decision on corporate killing bill (304 words)

As the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill is bounced back and forth between the House of Commons and the House of Lords over ...

Research confirms display screen risk (97 words)

New research for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has confirmed the risks associated with working with display screen equipment such as computer monitors. ...

Getting the smoking ban right (3000 words)

The ban on smoking in public places has been introduced because second-hand tobacco smoke is a major cause of heart disease and lung cancer ...

Long wait for London weighting increases (1481 words)

Only a handful of workplace agreements listed on the Labour Research Department's Payline database have achieved increases on London weighting that match or exceed ...