Labour Research January 2012

The year ahead - The ongoing crisis in the UK and across Europe continues to set the agenda for workers and their unions; Is it all academic? - The Tory-led coalition government seems intent on turning more state schools into academies; Employment rights - "Partnership" is well and truly dead and a massive attack on employment rights is now getting under way; The future for Remploy - The jobs and futures of workers at the Remploy factories employing disabled people are at stake

LRD Centenary

Labour Research Department celebrates its centenary year (415 words)

This year the Labour Research Department is celebrating its centenary year and over the coming months we will be commemorating 100 years of ...
Subscribers only

Centenary News - January 1939 (246 words)

To mark the start of LRD’s centenary year, we’re revisiting an article which first appeared in Labour Research in January 1939. ...
Open access

News

Further care home crisis on horizon (366 words)

The GMB union has warned that the Southern Cross care home crisis may repeat itself, with the care home industry at risk of sinking under the weight ...
Subscribers only

Pensions anger hits Unilever as public sector talks reach deadlock (385 words)

Anger over pensions was not limited to the public sector last month, with employees from the consumer goods giant Unilever taking part in their ...
Subscribers only

Council job cuts ‘unnecessary’ (282 words)

Unions have responded angrily to a report by the Audit Commission and Local Government Association which says that further job losses in councils ...
Subscribers only

Lowest-paid at higher risk of long-term joblessness (312 words)

Cleaners, caterers and machine operators are among those most at risk of long-term unemployment if they lose their jobs, according to a TUC analysis. ...
Subscribers only

Youth unemployment up again (235 words)

Young people continue to bear the brunt of the coalition’s economic policies as youth unemployment hit another grim record. ...
Open access

Inflation eases down to 5.2% (72 words)

A slowdown in the rise in food prices and non-alcoholic drinks helped cut inflation. ...
Open access

Key economic indicators

Key economic indicators (391 words)

Inflation +5.2%, Average earnings ...
Subscribers only

Union news

Cameron makes common cause with union-bashing campaign (357 words)

Prime minister David Cameron has written in support of a union-bashing group called the Trade Union Reform Campaign (TURC) which is campaigning for ...
Subscribers only

UCATT election (198 words)

Steve Murphy has been elected general secretary of the troubled construction union UCATT after beating Jerry Swain in a two-horse race. Murphy ...
Open access

Unite initiative (109 words)

General union Unite has launched an initiative to allow those “pushed to the margins of society” to “benefit from collective ...
Open access

Union merger (72 words)

Professionals’ and managers’ union Prospect will be bolstered by a further 4,000 members this month when it is joined by the Aspect ...
Open access

General secretaries (109 words)

The 59,000 members of the EIS Scottish teachers’ union will have a new general secretary for the first time in nearly two decades. ...
Open access

GFTU correction (51 words)

In the December 2011 issue of Labour Research we stated that Doug Nicholls, the new general secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions, has ...
Open access

European news

Unions protest in face of more government austerity (494 words)

Unions across Europe are organising strikes and demonstrations as governments introduce new austerity measures in response to the financial crisis. ...
Subscribers only

Dutch confederation to dissolve (191 words)

The largest union confederation in the Netherlands, FNV, with around 1.4 million members, has announced that it plans to dissolve its existing ...
Open access

New labour code agreed in Hungary (220 words)

Unions, employers and the government in Hungary have reached agreement on a new labour code. ...
Open access

Features

Ongoing crisis shapes outlook (2,742 words)

The experts at Labour Research take a look at what workers and their trade unions can expect from the forthcoming year. ...
Subscribers only

Gove forces academies pace (1,607 words)

A new school term starts this month with over a million children now in academies. Labour Research looks at the “academisation” of ...
Subscribers only

Workers’ rights come under siege (1,974 words)

It’s farewell to “partnership” as the Con-Dem coalition embarks on an onslaught on employment rights. ...
Open access

Workers fear jobless future without Remploy (1,590 words)

Unions have mounted a vigorous campaign to prevent the closure or sell-off of Remploy factories employing disabled people. ...
Subscribers only

Law Matters

Employer was wrong over docking of pay (350 words)

An employee had suffered unlawful deductions from her pay, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled. ...
Subscribers only

Sacking over Facebook comments was unfair (302 words)

The use of social networking sites were at the heart of a case where an employee was found to have been unfairly dismissed for making ...
Subscribers only

Working time changes (240 words)

Working time rules in the UK are under threat from a deal made by the UK with two European partners. ...
Open access

Law Queries

Redundancy (230 words)

Q. Our employer has recently started a redundancy consultation. In the last few days it has set out what each individual, whose post is at risk of ...
Open access

Representation (300 words)

Q. The employer intends to make redundancies and asked for someone to represent the workers at meetings about their plans — I was elected by ...
Subscribers only

Pregnancy (215 words)

Q. Our member is pregnant. For some time she has been suffering from bad bouts of morning sickness, and because of this her standard of work has ...
Open access

Law Back-up

Plans for less time to talk over job losses (860 words)

A cut in the time taken in consultation over redundancies is one of the coalition government’s latest attacks on employment rights. Back-up ...
Subscribers only

Health & Safety Matters

‘No win, no fee’ cases to become too expensive (315 words)

A Bill, which makes the pursuit of compensation for personal injury unaffordable to most people, had its second reading in the House of Lords at the ...
Subscribers only

Call to protect NHS staff (279 words)

Unions have called for concerted action to stem the rise in violence against NHS staff, amid fears that financial cuts will make matters worse. ...
Subscribers only

Solvent linked to Parkinson’s (250 words)

Altough its carcinogenic qualities have been known for some time, the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) has been long been suspected of ...
Subscribers only

Health & Safety Back-up

No reform of workers’ safety in review (913 words)

A government-commissioned, independent review of health and safety legislation headed by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt reported last November. ...
Subscribers only

Equality news

Disabled people face hurdles over jobs (415 words)

A disabled person’s chances of finding employment very much depend on the nature of their disability according to data released by the Office ...
Subscribers only

Lack of part-time work hits women’s careers (253 words)

A shortage of part-time roles is affecting women’s careers and earnings, according to a University of Warwick Institute for Employment ...
Subscribers only

Trans violence (123 words)

In 2010, there were 357 trans victims of hate crime reported in Britain — a 14% rise on 2009, according to data from the Association of Chief ...
Open access

Rise in living standards down to women working (151 words)

The rise in living standards in low and middle income (LMI) families over the last 40 years is predominantly down to more women working. ...
Open access

Workplace Back-up

Pay gap narrows but equality still elusive (980 words)

The gender pay gap has narrowed, but chancellor George Osborne’s continuing public sector pay freeze, followed by a pay cap and the proposed ...
Subscribers only

News from LRD

LRD invites nominations to our Executive Committee (115 words)

The LRD is inviting nominations for the 16 places on its executive committee, as well as for the post of honorary treasurer. ...
Open access

Reviews

23 things they don’t tell you about capitalism (238 words)

Ha-Joon Chang, Allen Lane, 288 pages, paperback, £9.99 ...
Open access

A people’s history of poverty in America (241 words)

Stephen Pimpare, The New Press, 336 pages, hardback, £15.99 ...
Open access

E-views

e-views (358 words)

In the search engine market, Bing has made an impression and Yahoo still has a loyal following. ...
Subscribers only