… in brief

This
week’s news in brief

Pay
deals reach 3.5%

Pay
settlements are expected to show an rise of half a per cent to 3.5 per cent in
January due to higher inflation in the final quarter of last year, says
independent pay analysts Industrial Relations Services’ settlement survey.  www.irseclipse.co.uk

Firm
takes flu action

A
health company has devised a flu crisis management programme to limit the
impact of the virus this winter. Alliance Health uses courses of medication to
ensure employees are immune to the virus or to limit symptoms if it has already
taken hold. Each year an estimated 150 million work days are lost due to
flu-related illnesses at a cost of £6.75bn.  www.fluprotect.com

Bass
recruits via web

Bass
Hotels and Resorts is exploiting the Internet in an international recruitment
drive. The company is currently recruiting for 25 hotels in Africa and the
Middle East. Phil Stephenson, area vice-president of human resources, claims
that the expanding hotel industry is making it difficult to recruit staff.  www.basshotels.com

Men
need to listen

Male
managers are undermining companies’ partnership initiatives in the UK because
they are not able to listen to their staff, Steve Cave, a senior adviser for
Acas, told delegates at the Anuman 2001 conference on Tuesday. He said men
needed training to improve their communication and listening skills. He said,
"Managers should test themselves on whether they know the names of all
their staff what they enjoy about their jobs."  www.acas.org.uk

P&O
staff balloted

P&O
Trans European’s tanker drivers are being balloted for strike action, which
could threaten fuel supplies. Drivers who deliver petrol for Shell will begin
voting today after they rejected a proposed two-year wage deal. The T&G
union claims the complicated pay deal would only be worth a rise of 2.5 per
cent on basic pay. www.tgwu.org.uk

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Bubbly
on its way

Personnel
manager at North Yorkshire County Council’s education and library services
Colin Parkin has won the Personnel Today prize draw of a case of champagne for
taking part in the magazine’s survey on employment tribunals. The results of
the survey were published in 9 January issue.