This week’s news in brief
Stress levels
Lower managerial and professional staff suffer the most from work-related
illnesses, with men more likely to be affected than women. Health and Safety
Executive statistics show work-related health problems in 2001-2 cost 33
million work days. Â www.hse.gov.uk
Ethical jobseekers
Research shows that 43 per cent of jobseekers would not work for a firm that
lacked ethical and environmental policies – even if the employer offered
£10,000 more than a responsible firm. The poll of 5,000 jobseekers finds that
public sector staff are the most ethically conscious. Â www.totaljobs.com
TUC council role
The TUC General Council has elected Roger Lyons as its new president. He
takes over from Nigel de Gruchy and will hold the position for the next 12
months. Lyons is currently joint general secretary of public sector union
Amicus. Â www.tuc.org.uk
Job diversity
The panel in charge of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)
investigation into occupational segregation has met for the first time. The
team of experts will examine reasons for the concentration of women and men in
very different kinds of job. Â www.eoc.org.uk
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Productivity slump
UK productivity has slipped further behind its main competitors. The gap
between GDP per worker in the UK and US widened from 28.9 per cent to 30.9 per
cent, according to the latest government figures. Only Japan’s productivity is
lower than the UK. Â www.statistics.gov.uk