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Workplace Report April 2022
Mind the gap? What statutory reporting reveals - As employers open their books on their gender pay gaps and, on a voluntary basis, between ethnic minorities and other staff, we look at what the figures reveal; Gender identity and the workplace - As the Scottish Parliament tables its gender recognition bill (after Westminster shelved similar plans for reform) and controversy continues on the subject, we look at the issues from a union perspective
Pay and prices
Inflation/pay gap yawns wider (110 words)
The largest single-year fall in disposable incomes for over 60 years is forecast, as the gulf between prices and pay widens. The Office for Budget ...
Open access
Labour Research Department’s Payline database (222 words)
Percentage increases on lowest basic rates (by agreements covered) ... Open access
Average weekly earnings (AWE) (239 words)
Regular pay excluding bonuses. Percentage annual increases ... Open access
Full-time weekly average earnings (39 words)
... Open access
XpertHR (21 words)
Median increases for three months to end of February 2022 ... Open access
Prices (77 words)
1 Retail Prices Index (RPI),
Jan ’87=100 ... Open access
2022 forecasts (48 words)
1 Fourth quarter ... Open access
Bargaining news
P&O Ferries: above the law? (872 words)
Rarely has an industrial relations decision by a leading company seemed quite as shocking as P&O Ferries’ sacking of 800 seafarers on 17 March. ...
Subscribers only
Doctors push for pay and excellence awards (329 words)
The TUC-affiliated Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) has lodged a claim for an inflation-busting pay award for 2022-23. But, ... Subscribers only
Employers snub FE compromise (393 words)
A compromise offer by EIS-FELA (part of Scotland’s EIS teaching union) to reduce its original pay claim failed to draw an acceptable response from ... Subscribers only
Natural England in a state over pay (295 words)
Outdoor environments like those curated by Natural England came into their own during the pandemic, but that hasn’t fed through to pay and ... Subscribers only
Deal means TUPE rules at BT Supply Chain (422 words)
A surprise move by telecoms giant BT to transfer some of its supply chain operations to US-based GXO Logistics prompted an energetic round of ... Subscribers only
Doctors’ union takes minister to court (279 words)
The BMA has launched a legal action against the secretary of state for defence over the lack of employment rights enjoyed by the armed forces. While ... Subscribers only
Pensions for retained firefighters (188 words)
Retained “RDS” firefighters, who work on-call alongside whole-time fire fighters, will be able to claim pension entitlement going back to earlier ... Open access
Pay plus at Sodexo (73 words)
Health and sickness absence were part of this year’s bargaining agenda at Sodexo, Community reports. In addition to a 4.5% base pay uplift with a ... Open access
Equality news
Sickness forcing older people out of work (321 words)
Thousands of older workers are being forced out of the labour market due to ill health, according to a new report from the TUC that highlights the ... Subscribers only
Only a third of top jobs filled by women (411 words)
THE pace of change towards gender equality in the UK’s top jobs remains “glacial”, the Fawcett Society’s biennial survey of women in power ... Subscribers only
Zero-hours figures ‘reveal structural racism’ (138 words)
Insecure work has “tightened the grip” of structural racism on the labour market and deepened gender inequalities, according to a TUC analysis. ... Open access
Inflexibility keeping young women out of work (140 words)
Young women are facing barriers to employment caused by inflexible and inaccessible work and recruitment practices, according to research from the ... Open access
Learning and training news
Welsh union learning fund delivers record results (472 words)
In the same year the government axed the Union Learning Fund in England, the equivalent scheme in Wales delivered learning to record numbers of ... Subscribers only
College pay leads to vacancy crisis (155 words)
The UCU lecturers’ union slammed both government and college leaders after a report showed that college staff vacancies were at their highest in 20 ... Open access
Recruitment and organisation news
Care giant derecognises union amid massive director payouts (327 words)
Members of the GMB general union staged protests at several care homes owned by Barchester Healthcare in protest at the company’s derecognition of ... Subscribers only
European news
French government promises end to public sector pay freeze (361 words)
Last month, a few weeks before the first round of France’s presidential elections, the government announced that it proposed to increase public ... Subscribers only
Regular overtime may carry grave health risk (370 words)
A new study, carried out by the EU research agency Eurofound, has examined how overtime is organised and regulated in Europe. One of its key ... Subscribers only
Irish government to review pay deal because of rising prices (131 words)
Michael McGrath, the Irish minister for public expenditure, has said that the government will look again at the pay deal it negotiated for public ... Open access
Pay increase in Italian construction (168 words)
Unions and employers have reached an agreement on a pay deal for around 450,000 workers in the construction industry in Italy. ... Open access
Employment law - Case reports
Agency workers have no right to apply for vacancy (461 words)
Agency workers do not have the right to apply for an advertised vacancy, only to be informed of it. ... Open access
Workers can claim back pay for holiday taken but not paid (435 words)
Workers can recover payment for annual leave taken, but not paid, dating back to the start of their employment. ... Open access
Groundsman was self-employed, not a worker or employee (544 words)
Cricket groundsman was self-employed, not a worker or an employee. ... Subscribers only
Panel chair was a worker (579 words)
Panel chair was a worker and not self-employed. ... Subscribers only
Employers who blacklist striking workers are liable under blacklisting regulations (708 words)
Employers who use lists of workers who took part in strike action to treat them less favourably are liable under the blacklisting regulations. ... Subscribers only
Offer letters were unlawful inducements (488 words)
Letters to staff asking them to accept changes to their terms and conditions that had not been agreed with the union were “unlawful inducements”. ... Subscribers only
Earlier EAT decision was not ‘manifestly wrong’ and should be followed (459 words)
An earlier decision that bound the EAT to conclude that bringing forward the date of termination following the employee’s resignation did not ... Subscribers only
Employment tribunal entitled to order claimant to pay deposit (839 words)
An employment tribunal was entitled to order the claimant to pay a deposit to proceed with his disability discrimination claims on the basis that ... Subscribers only
Health & safety news
New menopause policy for City Hall (278 words)
A “ground-breaking” new menopause policy announced by London mayor Sadiq Khan on International Women’s Day was developed with the UNISON public ... Subscribers only
Coronavirus safety concerns raised at tax office (232 words)
The PCS public and commercial services union has used a UIN union inspection notice to raise safety concerns around risk assessments with the HMRC ... Open access
Union secures mental health first aid agreement with Royal Mail (196 words)
The CWU communications union has reached a major agreement on mental health first aid (MHFA) training with the Royal Mail Group (RMG). The initiative ... Open access
Global union federation launches sanitation rights toolkit (123 words)
Millions of transport workers worldwide are having their dignity and safety compromised by poor sanitation, including lack of access to toilets and ... Open access
Campaign launches conference sponsorship appeal (125 words)
The 34th annual Hazards Conference will take place from 29 to 31 July 2022 and will move to a hybrid model, so delegates will have the option of ... Open access
Health & safety - HSE Monitor
Clear up Covid confusion, TUC tells ministers (298 words)
New Covid guidance due to come into force on 1 April 2022 will put workers’ safety at risk, the TUC told business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. ... Subscribers only
EU tightens exposure levels (196 words)
Last month the European Council gave the go-ahead for a revision to the carcinogens and mutagens directive that will set exposure limits for nickel ... Open access
Families mourn justice delay (205 words)
The FACK families against corporate killers campaign has expressed concern that six years of investigation into the collapse of Didcot boiler house ... Open access
£1.5 million fine unlikely to be paid (123 words)
A £1.5 million fine has been handed down to Darlington-based structural engineering company Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd following the death of ... Open access
HSE focus on Birmingham ahead of Commonwealth Games (135 words)
Last month, HSE inspectors visited building sites in Birmingham following an almost doubling of new construction schemes last year. The city is due ... Open access
Features
Mind the gap? What statutory reporting reveals (2,805 words)
Employers are once again “opening their books” on gaps in pay between men and women, and – on a voluntary basis – between ethnic minorities ... Subscribers only
Gender identity and the workplace (2,245 words)
Last month, the Scottish parliament tabled its gender recognition bill, which simplifies the process by which a person can change their legally ... Subscribers only