Trade union power in Europe could be boosted by the European Commission's plans for European Works Councils. The commission has unveiled plans to overhaul laws on European Works Councils (EWCs), which could force many companies to renegotiate the a  More...
03 July 2008 10:21

Trade union Unite is to merge with the US-based United Steelworkers' union (USW), creating a new body called Workers Uniting . The new labour body will have a combined membership of about three million workers. The merger is set to be finalised at US  More...
02 July 2008 10:39

Impassioned pleas were made last night for ministers to intervene in the plight of union equality representatives. Equalities minister Harriet Harman and business secretary John Hutton received a battering on the issue from up to 100 members of unio  More...
25 June 2008 10:56

Local government workers are set for a sustained period of strike action after voting to walk out in a row over pay. Members of the Unison union in local government in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have voted by 55% to 45% for strike action fol  More...
24 June 2008 09:40

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has failed in its bid to win recognition among workers at Cable & Wireless. Employees in the communication firm's field services division have voted 'no' to union recognition. This ruling follows a b  More...
24 June 2008 08:04

Asda's HR chief David Smith braved the bear pit that was the GMB conference last week after accepting an invite from the union's general-secretary. GMB leader Paul Kenny invited people director Smith to attend the GMB's annual conference in Plymou  More...
13 June 2008 15:20

Nurses and other NHS workers have voted to accept a multi-year pay offer worth more than 8%. A postal ballot of 452,000 Unison members working in the NHS saw 64.91% of those taking part vote to accept the three-year offer worth 8.1% . An overwhelm  More...
11 June 2008 12:43

Home secretary Jacqui Smith's decision to stage the latest police pay rise was lawful, the High Court ruled today. The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, took Smith to court in February after she ignored an independent arbit  More...
10 June 2008 11:50

It's been 10 days since Jan Berry officially stepped down as chairman of the Police Federation, but it is unlikely her attentions will be far from the outcome of today's (Tuesday 10 June) court decision on the police pay row. Berry has been at the fo  More...
10 June 2008 00:00

I read with interest your editorial and front page story ('Agency worker rights could yet kick in before 12 weeks', Personnel Today , 27 May) . If this does happen it will not only bad for business, but could also represent a fundamental shift  More...
09 June 2008 00:00

Paul McKeever has taken over as the chairman of the Police Federation, the organisation which represents rank and file officers. He succeeds Jan Berry, who retired at the federation's annual conference last week. McKeever, a Metropolitan Police  More...
27 May 2008 11:00

Too many police HR directors lack understanding of police officers' jobs to deal with the motivation problems dogging the service, a senior figure has claimed. Police Federation chairwoman Jan Berry said that officers were hugely demotivated as a r  More...
27 May 2008 00:01

Hopes of a landmark decision in the High Court case between British Airways (BA) and pilots union Balpa have been dashed following a withdrawal by the union this afternoon. A decision on Balpa's right to strike over BA's plans to set up a separate   More...
23 May 2008 15:01

Workers at Cable and Wireless are set to begin voting for union recognition amid accusations of union-busting tactics by the communications giant. More than 350 ballot papers sent by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will today land on the doorm  More...
23 May 2008 14:44

Home secretary Jacqui Smith dismissed fears that police officers would go on strike as a result of the ongoing police pay dispute and denied they were demotivated. Of 60,000 members polled by the Police Federation, 86% voted in favour of the organi  More...
23 May 2008 10:44

Home secretary Jacqui Smith has attempted to defuse the police pay row by offering changes to the service's pension scheme. Officers will now get higher lump sums on retiring, although this will mean lower pension payments over the long term. If an o  More...
21 May 2008 15:21

Gordon Brown has been branded a "miserable prime minister" and told to "hang his head in shame" for his treatment of public sector workers. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS trade union, called for public sector unions to take national in  More...
21 May 2008 12:41

Police officers have voted overwhelmingly for the right to strike. Members of the Police Federation voted by 86% to 11% in favour of the body, which represents rank and file officers, pushing for a change in the law to allow them to take industrial a  More...
21 May 2008 10:26

A landmark deal on the rights of agency workers has been agreed between the government, employers and trade unions. Temporary and agency workers in the UK will receive equal treatment after 12 weeks employment. They will be entitled to the same pay   More...
20 May 2008 12:40

What action can an employer legally take when a dispute escalates into industrial action? There is no right to strike under English law, but you wouldn't know it judging by the number of industrial actions over the past few months. Schools have bee  More...
16 May 2008 00:00

Network Rail HR director Peter Bennett has called for the firm's employees to "consider carefully" before voting for national strikes this month. The RMT union yesterday announced plans to ballot 17,000 of its members for industrial action over two   More...
13 May 2008 10:20

The latest instalment in the soap opera that is Northern Rock sees the troubled bank entering into a 90-day consultation period with the Unite union and employees over 2,000 proposed job cuts. A quick scan of Northern Rock's website flashes   More...
12 May 2008 10:00

Lobbyists have hit back at a report by the TUC-backed Commission on Vulnerable Employment, saying employers shouldn't be punished by tougher laws just because of actions by "rogue organisations". The Hard Work, Hidden Lives report published last  More...
12 May 2008 07:26

Oil refinery staff at Grangemouth have returned to work as union members prepared to re-enter negotiations with employers in the wake of a 48-hour strike. Emergency fuel supplies are being shipped into Scotland following the industrial action by  More...
29 April 2008 14:09

Unions will hold last ditch talks tomorrow with Blackburn & Darwen Council to prevent strike action by council workers in a dispute over equal pay. The GMB union said that 600 employees at the council, including school caretakers, refuse co  More...
29 April 2008 11:18

Hundreds of oil workers at Ineos' Grangemouth refinery began a 48-hour strike yesterday , following a dispute over pensions. The strike forced the closure of the Forties Pipeline System at Scotland's only oil refinery, which transports almost h  More...
28 April 2008 11:10

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has threatened to expose media firms that break the law by using so-called work experience placements to cover full-time jobs. A survey of journalism student placements among UK media firms found that over   More...
24 April 2008 09:01

Workers at the Fujitsu plant in Birmingham are to be balloted on strike action after the electronics firm announced plans to axe 140 jobs. Last week, the telecoms equipment division said it wanted to move manufacturing to the US to increase ef  More...
23 April 2008 08:02

Lives are being put at risk by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) refusal to negotiate in a row over pay, a union has warned. More than 700 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) are taking part in a second one-day strike t  More...
11 April 2008 09:10

The government and the main Civil Service union have reached a deal over job security and protection from compulsory redundancies. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which has more than 315,000 members in 200 departments and agencies, h  More...
04 April 2008 14:30

Concerns were raised this morning after the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) announced its intention to secure a rapid rewriting of the Works Council Directive. David Yeandle, deputy director of employment policy at manufacturers' body the   More...
03 April 2008 11:06

Teachers and postal workers could both strike in separate rows over pay and pension changes. Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) have voted for a one-day strike on 24 April. It would be its first national stoppage for 21 years. The u  More...
02 April 2008 10:31

An eight-year legal battle to secure part-time firefighters the same rights to pensions and sick pay as their full-time colleagues has ended in victory. The Croydon Employment Tribunal ruled that firefighters working retained duty  – those who   More...
13 March 2008 08:00

Unions have threatened further industrial action for up to 7,000 signalling staff at Network Rail, after rejecting a two-year pay and conditions offer . The Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) has issued Network Rail with a seven-day ultimatum  More...
06 March 2008 11:02

Coastguard staff are staging the first strike in their 158-year history today, in a dispute over pay. The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said up to 700 staff at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) would walk out for 24 hours from 7am  More...
06 March 2008 10:48

A war of words has broken out between the CBI and the GMB union over the controversial issue of agency workers. The government has put forward the idea of a one-off commission in a bid to come to some agreement between unions and employers on the r  More...
06 March 2008 10:31

Fears that hundreds of jobs at a London council will be moved to northern England have been expressed by an angry trade union leader. Islington Council plans to relocate up to 100 jobs in its parking services and contact departments to Greater Man  More...
26 February 2008 16:20

Teaching unions are blocking reform of the education system, a report by independent think-tank Reform has said. Written by Richard Tice, chairman of governors at Northampton Academy, part of the network of publicly-funded independently run sc  More...
26 February 2008 10:00

Union members at Staffordshire County Council have voted overwhelmingly in favour of its pay and grading proposals of 28,000 staff. Members of the GMB union voted 83% in favour of the new pay proposals, joining members of Unison (86%) and the T&  More...
26 February 2008 08:03

More than 200 specialist staff at the UK's national science museum have voted to take strike action over a pay dispute. Members of the Prospect union including museum curators, conservators, technical staff and managers are angry that they have s  More...
20 February 2008 15:32

An employers' group has rubbished a report claiming UK firms are increasingly hiring 'union-busting' consultants to persuade staff not to join unions. The TUC-commissioned study said employers were using scare tactics to keep workplaces union-free,   More...
19 February 2008 08:40

UK employers are increasingly hiring "union-busting" consultants to persuade workers not to join trade unions, the TUC has warned. The trade union said employers were using scare tactics to keep workplaces union-free, and are hiring US-style consulta  More...
12 February 2008 15:02

Civil servants are urging MPs to support a lobby of Parliament next month as they renew hostilities in the ongoing dispute about public sector pay. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) have been given letters to send to the  More...
12 February 2008 12:23

In case you haven't noticed, there is a not-so-secret campaign being waged by the government to directly control the management of public sector pay deals . The economy is moving into uncertain territory, which always makes governments nervous, but  More...
04 February 2008 13:00

The opportunities for European businesses to take advantage of the cheaper labour available in the EU accession states was challenged recently in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) by a landmark case. International Transport Workers Federation and  More...
04 February 2008 12:00

Pop singer Lily Allen will star in a TUC cartoon to encourage workers to improve their skills. The 10-minute animated film, entitled 'Kate and Umar's Incredible Learning Journey', will be played at music festivals such as Glastonbury 2008 , a  More...
04 February 2008 11:17

Trade union lobbyists met European employment ministers yesterday to press for stronger working rights across the EU. Leaders of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and other workers' groups held talks with senior politicians from Sloven  More...
01 February 2008 15:02

Unions representing 250,000 further education (FE) staff have submitted a pay claim for 6% more pay, or £1,500. The 'catch-up' claim from unions covers lecturers, learning support staff, cleaners, managers, caterers, librarians, security staff  More...
31 January 2008 11:52

Public service workers are to protest in Westminster on 11 March over pay levels. The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) yesterday announced the day of action as part of its ongoing campaign for better pay. "Changing the government's pay   More...
30 January 2008 11:05

Policing improvements chief Angela O'Connor has spoken about the "strength of feeling" among officers about their pay award. More than 20,000 police officers are said to have marched in Westminster last week in protest at their sub-inflation pay ris  More...
29 January 2008 11:06

Police officers protesting about the staging of their pay deal have been boosted by messages of support from fellow trade unionists. Thousands of police officers are planning a day of action in Westminster to protest about pay today (23 Janua  More...
23 January 2008 08:05

Manufacturers have rejected renewed calls from trade unions for laws to make it harder for firms to axe their workforces. Trade union Unite launched a policy document, Ripping the Heart Out of the UK's Motor Industry, at Westminster last week. It c  More...
21 January 2008 09:24

News and analysis in the human resources sector including: alarming news on news EU proposals for health and safety the potential for shared HR services in the higher education sector the decision of the employment tribunal brought by a CBe  More...
18 January 2008 14:55

Unions have demanded 'meaningful consultation' after outsourcing provider Capita confirmed it is to close its site in Wythall, Birmingham, with the loss of more than 370 jobs. Capita said it would transfer work to India and other parts of the UK, in  More...
18 January 2008 10:34

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers' Union (RMT) has suspended the proposed strike of 500 guards at First Great Western (FGW) planned for 20 January . RMT said it would continue negotiations with FGW, after the train operator agreed not to   More...
16 January 2008 10:38

News and analysis in the human resources sector including: a look at the possible establishment of a new diversity association shocking statistics on the number of equal pay claims lodged and brain training and how it should - or perhaps should  More...
11 January 2008 15:29

Up to 500 Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers' Union (RMT) guards and drivers at First Great Western are to go on a 48-hour strike, starting on 20 January, in a dispute over a breakdown in industrial relations and the use of managers to guard and  More...
11 January 2008 11:46

Employers will not want to recruit people who are forced to work with them, the TUC has argued in response to the Conservative 'workfare' proposals. Tory leader David Cameron yesterday unveiled a series of measures he claimed would get the long-ter  More...
09 January 2008 15:30

Furious union leaders have claimed government plans for a three-year pay deal in the public sector make a "mockery" of bargaining procedures. Prime minister Gordon Brown revealed plans to implement three-year pay deals rather than the traditional 12  More...
08 January 2008 16:40

The UK's largest union, Unite, will oppose car maker Ford's intention to sell its Jaguar and Land Rover marques, following talks with India's Tata Motors. Ford confirmed that it is in discussion with Tata Motors as a possible suitor to buy Jaguar  More...
04 January 2008 16:43

Human resources news and analysis including: a look at what 2008 has in prospect for employers the first major tribunal outcome of the year - a heterosexual employee has won damages regarding her sexual orientation a new government cam  More...
04 January 2008 13:35

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has warned businesses that 2008 may be a "rocky year". In his new year message to trade union members, Barber said that instability has not come from events in the real econo  More...
02 January 2008 12:27

Line managers need more support to create a true culture of learning within organisations, the TUC has warned. Frances O’Grady, deputy general secretary at the union umbrella body, said the UK’s workforce would only achieve higher skills if   More...
02 January 2008 10:40

A landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has reaffirmed employers' rights to relocate to another EU country. The ECJ found that industrial action that stopped an employer moving to another member state could only be justified if it w  More...
12 December 2007 12:35

Local government workers should receive a 7% pay rise as well as two extra days' holiday, union members have insisted. The GMB union today set out its stall for negotiations that will decide terms and conditions for council staff from April 2008.   More...
05 December 2007 15:52

Directors and chief executives of major organisations earn an average of £214,000 annually, 714% of the UK average wage of £29,999, according to a GMB analysis of pay by occupation for 2007. Second on a list of 341 posts in the union's occupat  More...
04 December 2007 10:16

UK trade unionists demonstrated their support for Hollywood's striking screenwriters today as part of an international day of solidarity called by the Writers' Guild of America (WGA). Members of the WGA began their industrial action on 5 Novem  More...
28 November 2007 15:32

Postal workers have backed a deal that finally ends the long-running dispute with Royal Mail . The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) said its members voted by 64% in favour of an agreement, and will now receive a pay rise of 6.9% over two years  More...
27 November 2007 16:48

The UK's biggest Civil Service union has backed the striking French public services workers that have closed schools, airports and post offices across the Channel. According to reports, 30% of civil servants joined 58% of high school teachers and s  More...
21 November 2007 11:13

Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, has called for tougher enforcement to tackle a health and safety 'crime wave', responsible for 20,000 work-related deaths and 2.2 million injuries annually. Speaking at a conference on safety enforce  More...
21 November 2007 08:00

Trade unions have condemned the final recommendations of Sir David Walker's review of disclosure by private equity firms. City banker Walker said the private equity industry must open itself up to wider scrutiny and supply more detailed informa  More...
20 November 2007 11:47

The TUC has issued a rallying call to Aussies living in the UK to vote to restore workers' rights in the Australian elections held this coming weekend. An estimated 500,000 Australians live in this country, and can vote from now until 24 Novem  More...
20 November 2007 08:03

Employers will not be forced to grant union representatives paid time off for training after the government rejected calls for a change in the law. A push for statutory rights to be extended to union environmental and equality reps has also been dis  More...
13 November 2007 08:00

Trades Union Congress (TUC) has launched a new application on Facebook in an effort to network activists or promote campaigns on the social networking site. My Union enables members to place their union badge onto their Facebook profile  More...
09 November 2007 16:41

Transport for London (TfL) will take over the running of the failed Metronet Underground maintenance contract , bringing much needed security to former Metronet workers. TfL was the only bidder for Metronet's Tube line contract, according to adm  More...
07 November 2007 11:11

Civil servants have voted overwhelmingly for more industrial action , the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has announced. Sixty-eight per cent of PCS members have voted in favour of the union's proposals for national industrial action  More...
31 October 2007 15:16

Local government union Unison has abandoned plans for strike action over low pay after an inconclusive ballot among its members. However, the union warned that employers and the government were in the "last chance saloon" over pay following thi  More...
30 October 2007 15:30

Louisa Peacock presents the latest human resources news. This week we bring you a taste of what’s making the headlines in HR, including a councillor who got into trouble over Christmas shopping, latest news from the disability employer Rem  More...
26 October 2007 14:16

NHS Employers and the health service trade unions have jointly launched a three-month consultation on proposals to manage an integrated approach for staff sickness absence and ill health retirement in the NHS. The proposals are the result of a  More...
23 October 2007 16:43

The deal to end the ongoing and bitter postal dispute between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has been agreed. The union's postal executive has endorsed a deal aimed at ending the row over pay, working practices and job los  More...
23 October 2007 09:42

The GMB union constructively dismissed an employee by refusing to allow her grievance to be heard by anyone other than her line manager, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled. In June 2003, the claimant – Ms Brown – lodged a grievance ag  More...
22 October 2007 10:10

Trade union wranglings over Royal Mail's latest offer in the postal dispute forced the cancellation of a Commons hearing with business secretary John Hutton today. Communication Workers Union bosses have yet to decide whether to approve the de  More...
17 October 2007 12:44

Employers must offer higher quality jobs as well as helping workers increase their skills, the European Trade Union Confederation has insisted. Walter Cerfeda, confederal secretary of the organisation, said that as people became more skilled, t  More...
16 October 2007 13:30

The long-running dispute between the Communications Workers Union (CWU) and the Royal Mail is close to an end as unions will today vote on whether to accept a deal over pay, pensions and modernisation. A simple majority would be required to ap  More...
15 October 2007 10:27

Tube strikes, postal strikes, wild-cat strikes by prison officers and predictions of an 'autumn of discontent': pick up a newspaper and you're likely to see reports of the latest threat of industrial action. Last year saw a dramatic increase in the  More...
15 October 2007 00:13

Aer Lingus has threatened to suspend pilots who fail to co-operate with new staff recruitment and training programmes at its planned new Belfast base. On Monday, Dermot Mannion , chief executive of the airline, called on relevant staff   More...
09 October 2007 12:31

Union safety representatives make a real difference when it comes to improving an organisation's health and safety, a study has suggested. The research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and 'super union' Unite found that, after leaving traini  More...
05 October 2007 00:00

The GMB is renewing its drive to recruit more sex workers. The union held a two-day conference for women last week to discuss a range of issues relating to the role of women in trade unions. This included a debate on the problems faced by women w  More...
05 October 2007 00:00

Local government workers who are members of the Unite union have voted to accept a revised pay deal worth just under 2.5%. The union confirmed that in a consultative ballot, 57% voted to accept the employers' offer, which had been increased f  More...
02 October 2007 10:00

Most employers are still in the dark about the motives and ambitions of super-union Unite, five months after its formation from the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union. Exclusive research from Personnel Today, sponsored  More...
02 October 2007 08:20

Remploy's HR chief has vowed to wipe the slate clean with the organisation's trade unions and work towards securing the future of its manufacturing sites. Last week, unions postponed the threat of strike action following work and pensions secretary  More...
01 October 2007 10:51

Research from Personnel Today and Eversheds reveals that the new super union Unite has been slow to communicate its strategy to the HR sector. Rob Willock reports. After much anticipation, a bit of 'will they, won't they?' and a fair degree of fact  More...
01 October 2007 08:00

Unions across the globe will tomorrow (Thursday) be setting up the first ever cyber picket line in Second Life – the virtual reality world . IBM workers in Italy are protesting against the company's decision to slash bonuses worth up to 1,  More...
26 September 2007 15:00

SPITTING FEATHERS... The GMB union has been accused of fowl play after its latest publicity stunt to attack the new owners of the AA . The union aims to give the company's boss Andrew Goodsell the bird by opening a chicken farm in East Farleigh in  More...
24 September 2007 10:15

The Royal Mail has condemned yesterday's decision by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to stage further strikes next month, criticising the CWU leadership for failing to understand the challenges ahead. Tony McCarthy, group director of peo  More...
21 September 2007 13:07

A leading civil service HR director has warned of difficult times ahead for the public sector as it faces up to turbulent industrial relations. Speaking at the CIPD annual conference in Harrogate, Angela O'Connor, chief people officer at the Nation  More...
19 September 2007 14:26

Last year 144 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers' rights, while more than 800 suffered beatings or torture, according to a worldwide survey by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The Survey of Violations of Trade Un  More...
18 September 2007 13:30

The annual TUC Congress in Brighton last week was a mine of information as speak­ers from unions debated topics as wide-ranging as the future of the post office and fires in high-rise dwellings. Here's our guide for HR professionals to th  More...
17 September 2007 10:30

Guru loves a trip to the seaside, so it is lucky for him that the trade unions all tend to have their annual shindigs in Brighton. The mother – or in light of the location’s allegiance to the ‘pink pound’, should that be the co-habiting father? – of thes  More...
17 September 2007 08:00

The controversial Agency Workers Directive (AWD) has been hanging over the British workplace for almost all of the new millennium but despite an uneasy cease-fire in recent time the battle lines are once again being drawn. The Agency Workers D  More...
17 September 2007 08:00

The Conservative Party has again called on the government to scrap the controversial Union Modernisation Fund. Prime minister Gordon Brown handed out a further £2.8m to unions at the TUC Congress earlier this week. The £10m fund was set up tw  More...
14 September 2007 14:51

Dave Prentis, general secretary of public services union Unison has been elected as the next TUC president. Prentis was elected at a meeting of the TUC's governing body - the General Council - and takes over from Alison Shepherd. Prentis was wa  More...
14 September 2007 13:08

Construction unions have finally signed an industrial relations deal for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Negotiations between the three main unions - Unite, GMB and Ucatt - and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have dragged on for months over unio  More...
12 September 2007 08:06

The government has awarded grants worth £2.8m from the Union Modernisation Fund to 28 projects. The fund was set up two years ago to help trade unions adapt to a changing labour market and modern workplaces, and to provide examples of best pra  More...
11 September 2007 15:26

CBI director-general Richard Lambert today told delegates at the TUC Congress that it was time for employer groups and unions to discuss the way forward for the UK economy. Lambert said that globalisation was dramatically increasing both   More...
11 September 2007 12:35

Gordon Brown will inject a further £3m into the Union Learning Fund , which aims to help unions open up a wide range of learning opportunities for their members. The prime minister announced the plans to increase the funding to £15.5m at this we  More...
11 September 2007 09:55

A union head has warned Gordon Brown that he could pay a 'political price' at the next general election unless the government improves public sector pay. Speaking ahead of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Congress in Brighton on Sunday, Brenda  More...
07 September 2007 11:51

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has agreed to extend talks with Royal Mail for a further five days to resolve a pay dispute with workers. Talks were due to conclude yesterday (4 September ), but have now been extended until 9 September.   More...
05 September 2007 12:03

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers' Union (RMT) has called a halt to a three-day strike on the London Underground rail network, following marathon peace talks last night. The industrial action involving 2,300 RMT workers was suspended after   More...
05 September 2007 09:53

Heathrow airport's terminal five (T5 ) could be hit by strike action following a breakdown in talks over a new national pay deal for site electricians. The move would be part of selective national strike action by electricians, which has come a s  More...
31 August 2007 14:43

The industrial relations agreement covering the 2012 Olympic Games construction project has been dismissed as a "load of waffle" by industry experts. The deal was concluded after a nine-month dispute between union leaders and the Olympic Delivery A  More...
30 August 2007 14:05

Truck driver loses unfair dismissal claim A truck driver based in Stafford has lost out on a claim for unfair dismissal, after he refused to make an extra delivery for fear of exceeding his driving quota of 15 hours. Roger Morris accused his former emp  More...
30 August 2007 08:00

A police petition to stop the Home Office "interfering" in the negotiation of police pay has more than 11,000 signatories to date. The Police Federation of England and Wales set up the online petition to stop the Home Office from "undermining"  More...
28 August 2007 15:22

A date for joint public service strikes is unlikely to be set in time for the original target of the Labour Party conference , unions have admitted. The National Union of Teachers has been in talks with fellow public sector unions Unison and the  More...
27 August 2007 10:06

CBI director-general Richard Lambert is "easier to deal with" than predecessor Digby Jones , according to arch-rival the TUC. Sarah Veale , head of equality and employment rights at the TUC, told Personnel Today that Lambert had a bette  More...
27 August 2007 08:30

Tube maintenance staff will go on two three-day strikes this September, after unwelcome proposals for redundancies and outsourcing look set to steam ahead. Members of the Unite union working for failed privateer Metronet will go on strike from 6pm o  More...
24 August 2007 14:58

HR news on temporary workers, NHS redundancy payouts and Belfast City Airport workers' threat to go on hunger strike, presented by Mike Berry, Gareth Vorster and Greg Pitcher. Sarah Veale tells Greg Pitcher about how the main topic for discussion a  More...
24 August 2007 14:33

The number of unions protesting and threatening action against business decisions is on the increase, according to employment lawyers. News that super-union Unite is urging Sainsbury's shareholders to vote against the £10.6bn takeover by private equ  More...
20 August 2007 11:00

Manufacturer Burton’s Foods has denied making plans to close a Wirral factory three months before it announced a review of the site’s future. Trade union Unite claims to have seen a secret document showing that the company had deci  More...
14 August 2007 08:30

The threat of local government strikes across England, Northern Ireland and Wales has moved closer after workers voted overwhelmingly to reject a below-inflation pay offer of 2%. In a consultation with members, public sector union Unison said 81% vot  More...
09 August 2007 15:30

A deal on employment conditions for the London 2012 Olympic Games project has been ratified by construction unions, according to reports. Negotiations between the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and unions over the issue of direct employment have b  More...
09 August 2007 11:08

Employers that ignore their obligations under the Information and Consultation Regulations are risking substantial fines as trade unions ramp up the pressure, according to an employee consultation expert. The warning comes after publishing gia  More...
06 August 2007 11:22

Domino's Pizza has denied claims that its central HR team has lost control of its franchisees after eight migrant staff were sacked last week amid claims of abuse. Trade union Unite claimed that Domino's fired the Hungarians for speaking out against   More...
06 August 2007 10:57

An improved pay package worth £52m has been offered to the NHS trade unions in an attempt to avert a strike. The revised offer is the result of weeks of discussion between NHS Employers, which represents trusts on workforce issues, the NHS trade unio  More...
03 August 2007 00:00

Workers at English Welsh and Scottish (EWS) railway depot at Margam in south Wales have voted for a 24-hour strike in a dispute about redundancies. Eighteen ground staff at the rail freight operator, members of the RMT union, voted 10 to four in fav  More...
02 August 2007 14:35

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has overturned a decision that would have forced the GMB union to pay out £1m in a sex discrimination claim. More than 100 female council workers had won complaints of sex discrimination against the union,  More...
01 August 2007 10:55

Joint strikes over public sector pay will be voted on by members of all registered trade unions at the end of the summer. The programme for the annual Trades Union Congress in September includes two motions calling for co-ordinated industrial actio  More...
31 July 2007 09:00

A report by a committee of MPs has piled on the pressure to the embattled private equity industry, according to the TUC. MPs on the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee published an interim report which stressed the need for greater transpa  More...
30 July 2007 00:00

Unions representing workers at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have expressed "major concerns" over plans to relocate about 300 jobs to Merseyside. The decision to relocate policy and administrative roles is part of a wider government dr  More...
25 July 2007 16:00

Jonathan Baume talks about the challenges of his third term as general secretary of senior civil servants' union the FDA.Continuing our series of interviews with influential figures from business and industry.   More...
24 July 2007 00:00

Union demands for direct employment on the Olympic Games building project could send the £3bn wage bill rocketing by as much as 20%, construction experts have claimed. The warning follows claims that the unions involved in talks   More...
23 July 2007 15:00

A union for communications professionals has been granted formal recognition by mobile telecoms giant Vodafone  for the first time. A decision from the Central Arbitration Committee means that Vodafone will be forced to consult with   More...
23 July 2007 11:21

Training for police officers in how to speak in keywords over the radio will not be taken seriously, the Police Federation has warned. The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has come up with more than 30 keywords an  More...
23 July 2007 00:00

Union demands for direct employment on the Olympic Games building project could send the £3bn wage bill rocketing by as much as 20%, construction experts have claimed. The warning follows claims that the unions involved in talks  More...
20 July 2007 13:29

More than 150 Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) train operators and station staff working on London Underground ’s Bakerloo line take 24-hour strike action this evening, following a dispute about their safety. A decision by Tube bosses to  More...
19 July 2007 15:53

The Communication  Workers’ Union (CWU) has announced an escalation of strike action as part of dispute with Royal Mail over pay and modernisation. Postal workers will individually take two more days of strike action in the next two weeks, b  More...
19 July 2007 13:48

Workers at global business information publisher Lexis Nexis have voted to strike in a bid to force the company to improve an “unacceptable” pay offer. The company has offered 3% or £1,100, whichever is greater, which union reps describe as   More...
19 July 2007 11:04

TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, has welcomed the findings of the Walker Review of Disclosure and Transparency in Private Equity , but said it would do little to reassure the staff of private equity takeover targets and it would   More...
18 July 2007 09:51

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has demanded “urgent confirmation” that thousands of Metronet workers’ jobs would be secure, following reports that the company was close to administration. Metronet,   More...
17 July 2007 16:49

The trade union movement could be irrevocably damaged by the battle with prime minister Gordon Brown over public sector pay, a senior unionist has admitted. Jonathan Baume, general secretary of the First Division Association (FDA), whi  More...
17 July 2007 00:00

A dispute over pay will see 350 members of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) at Silverlink take three days of strike action. Guards and retail and revenue staff voted by more than seven to one to take action after rejecting a 3.6% pay o  More...
13 July 2007 16:08

HR news including: Government skills campaign receives a frosty reception, and the union chief who disagrees with proposed public sector strikes. Mike Berry, Louisa Peacock and Greg Pitcher review the latest news in the human resources sector. Clic  More...
13 July 2007 12:54

Representatives of trade unions and the private equity industry came face-to-face yesterday (Tuesday) in the first of a series of planned meetings. At the invitation of TUC general secretary Brendan Barber , union reps and the British Pr  More...
11 July 2007 11:50

The head of the AA's main union has welcomed management assurances on job security following the motoring services group's £6.2bn merger  with Saga . Alistair MacLean, national secretary of the AA Democratic Union (AADU),  sa  More...
04 July 2007 08:45

Public sector trade union the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has demanded the reinstatement of 30 civil servants faced with compulsory redundancy, and warned of further job cuts. The union insists that the 30 workers served redundan  More...
03 July 2007 13:05

Trade unions have pledged to do “whatever we need to do” to ensure employment law in Jersey, Channel Isles, is rewritten in the wake of a legal statement. The  International Labour Organization (ILO) last month wrote to the Jersey government expre  More...
29 June 2007 08:29

Remploy's  HR director has hit back at union jibes that she should resign over the way her team handled the announcement of factory closures . Last week the GMB union , which represents the majority of workers at Remploy, accused  More...