…in brief

This week's news in brief

WTD consultation

The DTI has taken the first steps to extend the Working Time Directive to more than 770,000 employees in previously excluded sectors. A public consultation on the draft provisions will run for 12 weeks, with responses required by the end of January.  www.dti.gov.uk

Pay offer accepted

Police support staff have won an increased pay offer after intervention by the Transport and General Workers Union. The Police Authorities and the Association of Chief Police Officers have increased a pay offer to 3.4 per cent - up from 3 per cent. The offer, which will now be subject to consultation with the thousands of support staff across the country, is to be supplemented by a joint working party which will examine a range of HR issues.  www.tgwu.org.uk

CSR campaign

The TUC has launched a campaign to make global firms more accountable for work-related deaths. The union claims that around the world, the number of people killed at work outnumbers those killed in wars or by AIDS, and wants to make firms more responsible.  www.tuc.org.uk

Tesco buys T&S chain

Supermarket giant Tesco has further cemented its dominance of the sector by buying a leading independent retail chain. Tesco has bought T&S Stores, the UK's second-largest independent chain, for about £377m. The deal covers 850 convenience stores, but Tesco said more than half will be converted to its Express format.  www.tesco.co.uk

Investment returns

UK graduates get the best return on their investment in a university education, according to a new report. The study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found UK students have an annual return of 17 per cent com-pared to 7 per cent in Italy and Japan.  www.oecd.org

GMB head to retire

The head of the GMB union is to stand down a year early. John Edmonds, 58, was to retire in 2004, but will now stand down as general secretary in the new year. A successor for the 700,000-strong GMB will be found in March, the union said.  www.gmb.org.uk