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Labour Research April 2013
BME youth - Do today's BME youth have better labour market prospects than previous generations? Migration and wages - Don Flynn asks whether immigration makes things better or worse for "native" wage earners; Still part of the union - Despite challenges, union organisation and representation appears to be holding up; NHS reforms - The government's Health and Social Care Act became law last year, but the battle for the NHS is still on
News
VAT hike will cause low-paid workers to lose out, says TUC (432 words)
TUC analysis contradicts government claims that low-income families will benefit from tax changes. ...
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Thousands of council jobs vanish (278 words)
Local councils have shed over 380,000 jobs since 2010, the GMB general union has revealed. ... Subscribers only
Industrial news (252 words)
On Budget day, 20 March, nearly a quarter of a million civil servants took strike action across the UK in defence of their pay, pensions and working ... Subscribers only
Government is ‘crushing morale’ with public sector pay policies (297 words)
The 1% pay rise awarded to over one million public sector workers has angered unions, with general union Unite describing it as “woefully ... Subscribers only
Construction scheme slammed (233 words)
Construction union UCATT has labelled the government’s Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) as not fit for purpose. ...
Open access
AstraZeneca (114 words)
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca plans to cut 700 jobs in the UK and transfer 1,600 jobs from its Alderley Park site in Cheshire to a new research ... Open access
Teachers’ strike (140 words)
Two teaching unions have announced staged strike action this summer in response to the government’s “relentless attacks” on the ... Open access
New inflation measures launched (215 words)
Two new measures of price inflation were launched by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last month. ... Open access
Joblessness edges up (63 words)
Under the Labour Force Survey count, unemployment rose by 7,000 to 2.52 million in three months ending January 2013. The rise was mainly due to more ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (401 words)
Inflation +3.2%, Average earnings +1.0% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Government maintains attack on trade union facility time (397 words)
The GMB general union has branded as “disgraceful” and “insulting” the latest government attack on union workplace ... Subscribers only
UNISON recruitment campaign (124 words)
A series of TV adverts is one of a wide range of measures being put in place by public services union UNISON in a major recruitment and organising ... Open access
Union elections (253 words)
One union general secretary election is off, while another is definitely on, as GMB general union leader Paul Kenny confirmed he has changed his ... Subscribers only
European news
Strike action at Iberia airline produces improved terms (423 words)
Following 10 days of strike action, Spanish airline company Iberia has agreed to reduce the number of redundancies and improve the payments to those ... Subscribers only
Victory for agency workers’ rights (275 words)
In a landmark decision welcomed by trade unions, the German labour court has agreed that in future, agency workers should be taken into account in ... Subscribers only
Irish unions vote on pay package (124 words)
Public sector trade unionists in Ireland are voting on a pay package which involves pay cuts of between 5.5% and 10% for those earning more than £ ... Open access
Bonus cap welcomed (44 words)
The European Trade Union Confederation has welcomed the agreement between the European Parliament and the council of ministers (representatives of ... Open access
Labour law reform (64 words)
The Slovenian government has introduced major changes in the country’s labour laws. ... Open access
Features
Young, gifted and blocked (2,218 words)
Historically, black and minority ethnic people have been at a disadvantage in the labour market — and things don’t appear to be ... Open access
Do migrants cause low wages and joblessness? (1,640 words)
There is a widespread belief that migrant workers depress wages. Don Flynn takes a look at the facts. ... Subscribers only
Holding on to union organisation (1,700 words)
Despite continuing economic gloom, union representation and organisation in Britain remains resilient — although the union presence in the ... Subscribers only
Can the NHS be healed of government cuts? (1,509 words)
A renewed battle against health service cuts and privatisation is under way. ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Timetable for law changes is published (337 words)
The government has published a timetable for the many employment law changes it plans to introduce over the next three years. ... Subscribers only
Legal aid cuts criticised (274 words)
Britain’s most senior judge, Lord Neuberger, has spoken out against the drastic cuts to the Legal Aid budget which become effective from this ... Subscribers only
Research finds that laws do not hinder (204 words)
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has published new research into employment relations — Employer Perceptions and the ... Open access
Law Queries
Agency workers (217 words)
Q. My employer is engaged in outsourcing services to the private sector and this is resulting in TUPE transfers and redundancies across the whole ... Open access
Casual workers (347 words)
Q. My employer says I have no employment rights because I’m a “casual worker”. Is this right? ... Subscribers only
Zero hours contract terms (166 words)
Q. I have a “zero hours” contract but I work the same 25 hours every week. What does this mean? ... Open access
Law Back-up
Challenging dismissal after a final warning (874 words)
Several recent Employment Tribunal cases have flowed from dismissals following a Final Warning. Back-up explores what guidance reps can draw from ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Council workers face ‘impossible demands’ (404 words)
A survey of 14,000 local government workers by the public services union UNISON has found that almost nine out of 10 (87%) are struggling to cope ... Subscribers only
Union issues cuts warning (157 words)
Lives will be lost if coastguard stations continue to lose experienced staff, the PCS civil service union says. ... Open access
Environmental health (126 words)
Cuts to local council environmental health departments are putting public health at risk in Scotland, the public services union UNISON says. ... Open access
Mesothelioma (115 words)
According to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive, 128 school teachers in Britain died from mesothelioma in the nine-year ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Workers’ safety needs greater union role (819 words)
The TUC is publishing a series of bulletins under the banner Health and safety: time for change, which flesh out the points in its recently ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Still too few women getting into top roles (412 words)
Women are missing from top roles in politics and public life, according to a new report, Sex and power 2013: who runs Britain? ... Subscribers only
Remploy workers make social enterprise bid (233 words)
Workers employed at the troubled Remploy plants are bidding to turn factories in the Remploy automotive business into social enterprises to save the ... Open access
Anti-gay bullying continues (220 words)
Homophobic bullying continues to be a problem for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teachers, according to findings disclosed at a ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Older women need better work options (924 words)
Large numbers of working women aged over 50, working part time and on low pay nevertheless want to work even fewer hours. In new research, the TUC ... Subscribers only
Reviews
The global hunger crisis (218 words)
Tackling food insecurity in developing ... Open access
Shadow lives (235 words)
The forgotten women of the War on ... Open access
E-views
e-views (387 words)
I’ve recently been working with the Prospect union and the TUC’s Unionlearn service to develop an app aimed at people doing, or ... Subscribers only
News from LRD
LRD Annual General Meeting (43 words)
The Labour Research Department annual general meeting is on Monday 20 May from 2pm at Jerwood Space, 171 Union Street, London SE1 0LN. ... Open access