This week’s news in brief
US full employment
The US could be looking at ‘full employment’ again within a year if its
economy rebounds with even half the momentum of previous recoveries, according
to analysis by employment consultant Watson Wyatt. To reach full employment the
US would need to see a pick-up in employment of just 1.2 per cent. www.watsonwyatt.com
CWU options open
The Communication Workers Union is due to decide this week on what action to
take in response to Consignia’s plans to cut 30,000 jobs over the next three
years. The two sides hope to reach an agreement that will ensure the 30,000
redundancies are voluntary. The move is expected to cost Consignia £400m. www.cwu.org
Porters in walkout
Porters and cleaners at Glasgow Royal Infirmary have staged a wildcat strike
over job cuts they claim could endanger patients’ lives, despite the GMB union
warning against the move.
About 100 workers walked out after 10 porters on temporary contracts with
Sodexho, the domestic services company at the hospital, lost their jobs. www.gmb.org.uk
RMT rejects pay offer
Leaders at the Rail Maritime and Transport union have rejected a pay offer
for thousands of London Underground workers, and warn that industrial action
will be taken unless an improved offer is made within the next two weeks. The
pay offers – a one-year deal worth 2 per cent or a three-year deal worth 2.5
per cent now and at least 2 per cent in each of the following years – were
described as an ‘insult’. www.rmt.org.uk
Race bias for women
Women in the UK believe that racial origin limits their choice of jobs and
affects progression up the career ladder, according to a poll of 1,100 women by
the Commission for Racial Equality. Two-thirds of white and three-quarters of
non-white women think race limits career choice. Only half the respondents
questioned think the UK is a society based on equal opportunities. www.cre.gov.uk
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