Update: Health unions plan first ever NHS-wide strike
Health service unions are planning to launch a series of targeted, rolling strikes this autumn rather than a mass walkout if pension negotiations with the coalition government fail as expected. The news came to light after Unison, which represents 460,000 NHS workers, hosted a meeting with other unions in London on Wednesday, in order to […]
Bonuses and allowances compensate council bosses for pay cuts
Local authority bosses were compensated for promised pay cuts last year by having their bonuses and allowances boosted instead. The move came despite calls by Eric Pickles, the Communities and Local Government Secretary, for town hall chiefs to take a 10% wage reduction. An analysis of accounts published by 128 of the largest council’s […]
Too many rules are bad for employee relations
I saw an ad the other day stating that failure to have comprehensive written policies can leave employers vulnerable to claims at employment tribunals, which have powers to levy fines of up to £5,000 plus compensation. The advert listed some 21 different documents that should be in place. I am not a specialist in employment […]
Union ballots Fujitsu’s ICT staff for strike action over pay
The Public and Commercial Services union is balloting 750 ICT staff working on contracts for five major government Departments and agencies for strike action over pay. According to our sister site www.publictechnology.net, the conflict centres on supplier Fujitsu and its outsourcing work for HMRC, Home Office, Ministry of Defence, the Office of National Statistics and […]
Blog: What to do about bullies in the workplace
Recognise This! – Fire bullies. That is the only reasonable course of action. News about bullies in the workplace seems to come up fairly regularly. In his “Business Performance” blog, Leslie Allen recently reported on a CareerBuilder.com survey on bullies: “The survey carried out by CareerBuilder.com between February and March of 2011, which involved […]
Falling employer confidence leads to sharp hiring slowdown
The employment recovery is set to slow sharply over the year ahead as fears over the global economic outlook lead to falling confidence among private sector employers, particularly in manufacturing. Such a situation is likely to be of concern to the coalition government, which has the stated aim of trying to rebalance the economy towards […]
The secret to staff satisfaction
The current climate is not only affecting business profitability but also staff morale, with employee satisfaction rates at their lowest since 2009, according to a recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Further research carried out by mental health charity, Mind, revealed that 41% of people are stressed by their jobs, with […]
Civil service union takes legal advice after losing redundancy pay battle
A civil service union is taking legal advice after losing a High Court challenge against coalition government moves to reduce workers’ redundancy and early retirement pay-outs. The Public and Commercial Services Union, which has 270,000 members, and the Prison Officers’ Association, which has 35,000, had called for a judicial review of a decision that was […]
HR to play vital role in managing public service change
Public sector employers must ensure that they have the right HR capabilities in place to ensure staff engagement and manage industrial relations during a period of unprecedented change, an Acas report has warned. A discussion paper commissioned by the conciliation service entitled ‘A new era of public service employment relations? The challenges ahead’ pointed out […]
Ask the expert: Redundancy and re-employment
The question: Redundancy and re-employment "Is there a minimum time after a redundancy that employers can re-advertise for the same post, I’ve seen a lot of conflicting advice some companies wait three months, others six. I’d appreciate any advice please." Legal advice: Esther Smith, partner, Thomas Eggar "Well, the answer generally depends […]
Graduates focus on money, not idealism
Contrary to conventional wisdom, salary and other financial considerations are now top of the list for graduates when making their career choice, with idealism apparently having gone out of the window with the recession. According to a study undertaken by talent management consultancy Hay Group, a huge 93% of university leavers now see base pay […]
Top of Acas list of things to do: deal with unfair dismissal
While pay remains the single biggest cause of large-scale industrial disputes, unfair dismissal is the most common reason for individuals to use its conciliation services, says arbitration service Acas. Although the number of large, collective disputes rose by 15% last year to 1,054, a huge 91% were either resolved or saw both parties move […]
Rail union considering legal action over lost contract
A leading rail union is considering whether to take legal action over the decision not to award Bombardier the Thameslink contract in a bid to save 1,400 jobs at the train manufacturer. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said it was taking legal advice over a potential challenge on the grounds that the tendering process […]
AA accused of ‘corporate bullying’
The Automobile Association is indulging in “corporate bullying” by attempting to ‘performance manage’ 450 staff out of their jobs in a bid to replace them with cheaper, lower skilled workers, the GMB union has claimed. Patrollers across the country have allegedly been called into meetings and given a “take it or leave it” offer of […]
Two councils to sack entire payroll in order to meet cuts
Two local councils plan to sack their entire workforces in drastic moves they say are the only way to meet cuts targets. Shropshire County Council has already P45-ed its entire workforce to try and force through a salary cut of 5.4% and reductions in sick pay, while Southampton City Council says it will do the […]
Employees have too much holiday, say 25% of SMEs
Around a quarter of small-to-medium employers believe that workers get too much holiday and would like to prune their entitlement by about four days in a bid to cut costs. According to a survey among 403 SMEs undertaken by BDRC Continental Research on behalf of insurance company MetLife, some 27% believe they are too generous […]
Redundancy payments top £13 billion since recession
Employers have shelled out a huge £13.4 billion in redundancy payments over the last three years following job losses as a result of the recession and subsequent sluggish economic growth. According to a report by Wedlake Bell, a City law firm that obtained the figures via a Freedom of Information request to Her Majesty’s Revenue […]
Lloyds to cut back office function to save money
Lloyds Banking Group is to axe a further 15,000 jobs in a bid to make annual savings of £1.5 billion by 2014, with most of the cuts likely to come from middle management and back office functions. The organisation has already announced 27,500 job losses since its merger with HBOS in 2009, but said […]
‘Don’t strike’ Cameron plea to public sector
David Cameron will make a last ditch appeal to public sector workers today not to go on strike on Thursday after talks between the coalition government and the unions broke down last night. The Prime Minister is to address the Local Government Association’s annual conference two days before a walkout of an expected 750,000 teachers, […]
Ask the expert: Am I really redundant?
This week the experts, Adam Partington and Esther Smith advise on whether this HR practitioner is being made redundant fairly. The question: Am I really redundant? I have worked for my current employer for 19 years as their HR/Payroll & Benefits Manager. Four weeks ago I was called into a meeting with the […]