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Labour Research November 2021
Victimisation of trade union reps - Unions say their local reps have been coming under increasing attack from employers during the pandemic; Workers denied access to toilet facilities - Thousands of workers are denied decent and adequate toilet and washing facilities, with implications for health and workers’ dignity; Classifying Covid as an occupational disease - Prescribing Covid as an occupational disease would put pressure on employers to prevent Covid infections in the workplace
News
University staff vote on action over pay and pensions (329 words)
Ballots are due to close at over 150 academic institutions as members of the UCU college and lecturers’ union vote on whether to strike. ...
Subscribers only
Care sector ‘is on the precipice’ (334 words)
Care sector unions are demanding that the care home staff crisis be urgently addressed. ... Subscribers only
Cost of rail privateers revealed (239 words)
The RMT rail workers’ union last month released a report revealing “the true cost of the government’s slavish devotion to subsidising private ...
Open access
Elections Bill risks silencing unions and suppressing voting (342 words)
The government’s Elections Bill “risks silencing trade unions” as well as disenfranchising many people from minority groups, says Labour ... Subscribers only
Covid rise needs urgent action (199 words)
Unions have warned that the country risks “sleep-walking into a winter of chaos” unless urgent action is taken to curb the rise in Covid cases. ... Open access
Johnson must ‘get a grip’ on energy crisis (239 words)
The government must “get a grip” and solve the energy crisis, say unions, warning that jobs and livelihoods are at risk. ... Open access
Labour shortages still to the fore (206 words)
Labour shortages remain in the spotlight, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reporting over a million (1,102,000) vacancies. ... Open access
RPI inflation rises (77 words)
Inflation is either up or down slightly, depending on the measure used. The unions’ preferred Retail Prices Index measure rose to a high of 4.9%, ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (408 words)
Inflation +4.9%, Average earnings +7.2% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Coronavirus pandemic sees membership gains and losses (367 words)
While some unions gained members during the coronavirus pandemic crisis, others lost out — some shedding numbers in dramatic fashion. ... Subscribers only
Union remains on political scene (193 words)
The decision by the BFAWU food workers union to disaffiliate from the Labour Party does not mean they are leaving the political scene, says its ... Open access
TSSA merger (152 words)
The TSSA transport and travel union has entered merger talks with the US International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) union, following endorsement ... Open access
Recognition at the FCA (96 words)
The Unite general union is campaigning to be formally recognised by the Financial Conduct Authority, following what it calls “the massive growth in ... Open access
European news
Amazon signs ‘historic’ agreement with unions (357 words)
Online retail giant Amazon has signed a “historic” framework agreement with transport federations in Italy’s three main union confederations. ... Subscribers only
Unions exert pressure over rights (245 words)
Representatives of the European Trade Union Confederation and industry unions at European level have met the European Commission (EC) to press for ... Open access
Self-employed unionisation (116 words)
A new union for the self-employed has been set up in Poland. Called wBREw, it aims to recruit among the around 1.6 million self-employed Poles. ... Open access
Union involvement (122 words)
A new study by a Swedish think tank, Futurion, founded by the TCO union confederation, looks at the reasons for trade union involvement. ... Open access
Features
Attacked for standing up for their members (2,120 words)
Trade union reps are under increasing attack from employers, according to a motion carried by this year’s TUC Congress. ... Open access
Workers denied toilet dignity (2,527 words)
Thousands of workers in the UK do not have safe access to decent toilet facilities, or are routinely denied access to restrooms during the working ... Subscribers only
Classifying Covid as work-related (2,308 words)
Unions are pushing for the prescription of Covid-19 as an occupational disease, something currently under consideration by the Industrial Injuries ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Tories ensure fire and rehire tactics remain (238 words)
Tory MPs have blocked a new law that sought to prevent employers using “fire and rehire” tactics to force employees to accept worse terms and ... Open access
Flexible working proposals unlikely to be satisfactory (419 words)
The government’s consultation on changes to flexible working provisions, Making flexible working the default, is underway. But its lacklustre ... Subscribers only
Delivery courier was a ‘worker’ (283 words)
A recent case that reached the Court of Appeal has considered the question of whether a substitution clause in a person’s service contract ... Subscribers only
Law Queries
Establishing contract terms (476 words)
Q. Our terms and conditions are set out in both a “Red Book”, which is historical, and a revised Statement of Terms and Conditions (STC), agreed ... Subscribers only
Third party pressure (288 words)
Q. Is it fair to dismiss someone because of pressure from the client’s site manager? Our member has not been guilty of misconduct, but the site ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
Mandatory vaccination adds to care homes crisis (907 words)
Care home staff in England face dismissal as a result of mandatory vaccination law. Back-up investigates. ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Mental health of key workers is hit hard (308 words)
Covid is hitting the mental health of low-paid key workers particularly hard, according to new research by the Usdaw retail union. ... Subscribers only
UK Covid response condemned (237 words)
A damning report has condemned the UK’s response to the Covid pandemic as one of the worst public health failures in its history, leading to an ... Open access
More needed to prevent Covid spread in schools (226 words)
Five education unions last month joined forces to call on the new education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, to do more to prevent the spread of Covid in ... Open access
Health & Safety Back-up
Increasingly, workers are feeling the heat (858 words)
This month world leaders are meeting at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow to try to agree action to limit global temperature rises (see ... Subscribers only
Equality news
Survey shines light on sexual harassment (401 words)
At least 40% of women experience sexual harassment during the course of their careers, says a report by women’s campaigning charity the Fawcett ... Subscribers only
HR body wants ethnicity pay reporting by 2023 (203 words)
Calls are growing to make ethnicity pay reporting mandatory, with HR body the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) wanting to see ... Open access
Black graduates need in-work support (223 words)
Black graduates need support not just at the recruitment stage but also during their early careers, according to a recent study from the Institute of ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
Scotland: securing a living minimum income (890 words)
The cost-of-living squeeze is on. And life for many low-paid families looks set to get harder. On the eve of last month’s Challenge Poverty Week, ... Subscribers only
E-views
e-views (431 words)
Throughout the pandemic, many key workers have still been travelling to their places of work. ... Subscribers only