Features

Pay and prices (422 words)

Labour Research Department three monthly pay figures ...

Pay deals (751 words)

Each month in Pay News Bargaining Report looks at the latest pay deals and recent surveys on pay and related issues. Brief details on ...

Positive outlook for recognition despite complexities of law (2441 words)

Last month over 100 delegates attended a Labour Research Department conference to discuss the new law on recognition and recent union successes in recognition ...

Protection for strikers (97 words)

Nine months after the passing of the Employment Relations Act 1999, the necessary regulations are in force to give a measure of protection to ...

Tribunal procedures (44 words)

Tribunals must give the reasons for their decision, says the EAT in the case of Brown v First Edinburgh (EAT/1080/99). If a tribunal merely ...

Protection versus competition (289 words)

Social protection rules override economic aims, according to a recent ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The ruling, which comes from a ...

Payment during sickness (106 words)

An employee who is signed off from being sick and who is ready and willing to work has a common-law right to be paid, ...

Minimum wage and barristers (64 words)

The Court of Appeal has reversed an earlier decision of the High Court (see Bargaining Report, November 1999) and held that while a pupil ...

Tribunals and race discrimination (96 words)

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has set down guidelines for tribunals dealing with race discrimination claims. It has said that the tribunal must set out ...

Positive discrimination (82 words)

The European Court of Justice has ruled that it is not contrary to European Union (EU) law to adopt measures, which favour the employment ...

On standby for a call out (1663 words)

In many industries, particularly those delivering essential services arrangements exist to compensate anyone who agrees to make themselves available for work outside their normal ...

Transfer law continues to develop (1301 words)

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE) represent one of the most important employment rights of recent years. They guarantee the ...

Unions tackle bullying in the health service (243 words)

Complaints of bullying in the NHS by general union GMB members have prompted the union to carry out a survey to find out whether ...

Management Regulations code of practice published (148 words)

The new approved code of practice (ACOP) to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 reminds employers of the vital role ...

Hearing damage compensation for GCHQ members (94 words)

Public and commercial services union PCS has welcomed the announcement by the GCHQ communications centre that it will pay compensation to workers whose hearing ...

Research indicates increased radiation risk from "hands-free" mobiles (144 words)

Hands-free kits for mobile phones channel three times the radiation dose into the ear as normal mobiles. This is because the ear piece attachment ...

UNISON publishes stress guide for safety reps (138 words)

Public services union Unison has published a new guide on tackling workplace stress. The union argues that half a million people a year have ...

Survey finds employers reluctant to agree flexible working (285 words)

A survey by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has revealed that employers are not allowing staff to benefit from flexible working. The EOC study ...

Union research exposes pay gap in universities (331 words)

Lecturers' union NATFHE has published new research showing that universities are breaking the equal pay laws by paying women academics up to £8,000 less ...

Pay deals (775 words)

Unichem ...

Manufacturing-services pay gap narrows (503 words)

Pay negotiations and settlements monitored this month continue to show the service sector outpacing manufacturing although the gap has narrowed. Figures released by the ...

Local pay response to recruitment and retention problems in retail (1224 words)

Only a small number of major employers vary pay rates to match local labour market conditions. The main exception to this is the use ...

Major German agreements settle above inflation (879 words)

Above-inflation pay settlements have been reached in a range of key German agreements, in all cases setting pay not just for this year but ...

Long-term deals in Spanish car firms (207 words)

Three motor manufacturers in Spain have recently reached agreements on pay and hours. ...

Irish unions back national pay pact (254 words)

Irish unions have now formally backed the latest national pay pact in Ireland, the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF). Following member votes in ...

Key industry deals follow strike action in Finland (339 words)

Two major strikes over pay have settled in Finland in recent weeks while a third began as Bargaining Report was going to press. ...

Pay deals (657 words)

East of Scotland Water ...

Government pilots combined pensions statements (178 words)

The government is piloting a new pensions statement which sets out an individual's estimated income in retirement by adding estimates of both state and ...

Pensions sharing on divorce (171 words)

The Department of Social Security (DSS) has announced measures to implement pension sharing on divorce which will be available for couples divorcing from 1 ...

Survey shows defined contribution schemes favoured to cut costs (76 words)

A survey of over 100 organisations by the employment benefit consultants Towers Perrin found that most employers switch from defined benefit (final-salary) scheme to ...