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Labour Research June 2025
What implications do US tariffs have for the UK? Which sectors of the UK economy will be most exposed to US president Donald Trump’s trade war tariffs? Unions restate support for trans equality Unions have questioned the basis of the Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of ‘sex’ and have restated their support for trans equality Work-related mental health crisis How are unions responding to the increasing crisis in workrelated stress, depression and anxiety and their toll on workers’ mental well being?
News
UK and EU agree major new trade deal (219 words)
A major new trade and security agreement between the UK and the EU was announced at a summit in London mid-May, aimed at rebuilding ties and easing ...
Open access
‘Megapicket’ shuts down refuse depot in Birmingham bin strike (265 words)
Hundreds of trade union activists shut down a refuse depot in Birmingham on 9 May in solidarity with the ongoing bin workers’ dispute in the city. ...
Subscribers only
Immigration plans raise alarm (356 words)
The government’s immigration White Paper, unveiled last month, sets out sweeping changes that unions say could deepen crises in both social care ... Subscribers only
Reform UK party clashes with trade unions after local elections (302 words)
The local elections in May saw Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party win more council seats than any other party. But the party has clashed with unions ... Subscribers only
Google staff seek unionisation (184 words)
In May, around 300 employees at the London office of Google’s DeepMind research laboratory sought to unionise in response to concerns that their ... Open access
Equity pushes against AI misuse (226 words)
The Equity performing arts and entertainment trade union is leading a campaign to protect performers and creative workers from the exploitation of ... Open access
Inflation surges to 4.5% (69 words)
RPI inflation hit its highest level for over a year in April at 4.5%, up sharply from 3.2% the month before. Higher utility bills and tax rises were ... Open access
Labour market indicators (203 words)
Earnings growth over the whole economy in January to March 2025 was 5.6%. RPI inflation in March was 3.2% so this means that pay across the economy ... Open access
Key economic indicators
Key economic indicators (369 words)
Inflation (RPI) +4.5%, Average earnings (ONS regular) +5.6% ... Subscribers only
Union news
Unions slam Trump over collective bargaining attack (465 words)
American unions have condemned president Donald Trump’s executive order to end collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of US federal ... Subscribers only
Warning to Labour (230 words)
Union conferences have warned the Labour government against “surrendering to the far right” and losing support to the far right Reform UK party ... Open access
Anti-austerity demo (99 words)
Trade unions, including the NEU, PCS, RMT, UNISON, Unite and others, along with NHS campaigners and disabled activists, are supporting the People’s ... Open access
Equity (66 words)
Paul W Fleming has been re-elected to serve a second term as general secretary of the Equity performing arts and entertainment trade union. ... Open access
European news
Referendum abstention call ‘undemocratic’, says union (232 words)
Italy’s largest union confederation, the five million-member CGIL, has attacked Italian politicians on the right and centre right who have called ... Open access
Strike in Cologne as unions highlight manufacturing threat (184 words)
Last month, for the first time in almost 100 years of its existence, the Ford body and assembly plant in Cologne came to a complete halt as IG ... Open access
37.5-hour Bill to Spanish parliament (95 words)
The Spanish government has formally presented legislation to parliament that will cut the maximum length of the normal working week from 40 to 37.5 ... Open access
Tax relief loss on contributions (84 words)
In a further attack on unions in Finland, the right wing government has announced that union members will no longer be able to claim tax relief on ... Open access
Polish-language branch founded (49 words)
Polish workers in Stockholm have founded the first ever Polish-language branch of the Swedish construction union Byggnads. ... Open access
Features
Polish-language branch founded (678 words)
President Donald Trump’s global trade war has direct implications for the UK, especially in exposed sectors like steel and automotive manufacturing. ... Subscribers only
What now for trans rights? (2,511 words)
On 16 April 2025, the UK Supreme Court (SC) ruled that the meaning of the protected characteristic of sex in the Equality Act 2010 (EA10) is to be ... Subscribers only
Laws needed to tackle work-related stress (1,690 words)
Instead of “increasing pressure on disabled and sick people to take up work” the government should address the “work-related mental health ... Subscribers only
Law Matters
Abuse did not occur ‘in course of employment’ (238 words)
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld the decision of an Employment Tribunal (ET) that an NHS trust was not liable for a racist comment made by ... Open access
Dismissal was unfair (275 words)
The Court of Appeal (CA) has upheld the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) that the dismissal of an Ofsted inspector was unfair. ... Subscribers only
New rules for international care worker recruitment (105 words)
From 9 April 2025, care providers in England planning to recruit a new care worker from overseas — including via a visa switch — must first show ... Open access
Neonatal leave and pay regulations now in force (117 words)
New statutory entitlements to neonatal leave and pay came into effect on 6 April 2025, following approval in both Houses of Parliament. ... Open access
Law Queries
Q&A (681 words)
Dismissal and consistency ... Subscribers only
Law Back-up
Supreme Court rules on meaning of ‘sex’ (489 words)
Until relatively recently, UK law did not recognise legal gender change. In Corbett v Corbett [1971] P 83, the court held that sex was immutable — ... Subscribers only
Health & Safety Matters
Unite calls for climate-proofing of safety laws (195 words)
The Unite general union has urged government departments and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland to climate-proof health and safety ... Open access
Teaching unions criticise Ofsted proposals (131 words)
Teaching unions, including NAHT, NASUWT and NEU, have joined a “coalition of voices” urging education secretary Bridget Phillipson to delay ... Open access
NASUWT Scotland president warns schools becoming battleground (99 words)
Incoming NASUWT Scotland president David Anderson has warned that some schools are becoming “battlegrounds of blame and violence” due to the ... Open access
Unions respond to toxic conditions in prisons and probation (119 words)
Prison and probation unions say their members feel vindicated after a long-awaited report into bullying, harassment and discrimination within His ... Open access
Support needed for low-paid staff to switch to greener transport (171 words)
Care workers must be supported with free e-bikes, discounted bus travel and access to car sharing schemes to encourage the shift to green transport, ... Open access
Rail unions win campaign to scrap peak fares (135 words)
Rail unions and the Scottish TUC have celebrated the Scottish Government’s commitment to end peak-time fares on ScotRail services starting ... Open access
Unions urge rethink on net zero strategy (109 words)
Following the shutdown of oil refining at Grangemouth, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has called on the government to fundamentally rethink ... Open access
Prospect calls for union recognition in offshore wind investment (113 words)
Prospect union has urged the government to tie offshore wind supply chain funding to conditions requiring union recognition and the creation of ... Open access
Call for shift to rail freight to cut emissions (103 words)
The TSSA travel and transport union has renewed its call for an “urgent modal shift” to move freight transport from road to rail, citing major ... Open access
Equality news
Disability benefit cuts will hit women hard (312 words)
The government’s planned disability benefit cuts will hit women particularly hard, according to the Women’s Budget Group (WBG) feminist economic ... Subscribers only
Early years poverty ‘deeply damaging’, says report (314 words)
The scale of early years poverty is “staggering”, and a “serious and intolerable problem”, according to a new report by the Fabian Society ... Subscribers only
BBC unions respond to workplace review (221 words)
Media unions have responded to the publication of the BBC’s Workplace Culture Review. ... Open access
Workplace Back-up
BBC unions respond to workplace review (920 words)
UK Employment Tribunals (ETs) are the judicial bodies that resolve disputes between employers and employees over employment rights. Formally known as ... Subscribers only