Worries about excessive bank lending to households are (understandably) never far from the headlines, but there is too little concern about the very low levels of lending to firms. The point of departure is a speech by Alex Brazier of the Bank of Engla…Read more…
Poorest pensioners hit by rise in state pension age
Raising the state pension age for women is hitting the poorest hardest – and is having an impact on some men too. Two pieces of research published this week show the dangers of restricting access to the state pension to attempt to force people to work longer. The first was from the Institute for…Read more…
What would it take for trade deals to protect workers’ rights?
Protecting workers’ rights in trade deals is essential to ensure trade is fair. If trade deals don’t contain effective protections for workers’ rights, they just make it easier for companies to locate themselves in countries where wages are lower and workers are less able to resist…Read more…
Demand needs to rise before rates do
With the economy showing increased signs of weakness, it is welcome that that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted today to keep interest rates on hold. More surprising perhaps has been the recent positioning of MPC members that has fostered specu…Read more…
Labour enforcement agencies – six potential developments
The Immigration Act 2016 brought about significant changes to the remit and powers of the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority. It also created the position of director of labour market enforcement. Sir David Metcalf has been appointed to this post. It is the director who is responsible for…Read more…
After another lost decade, it’s time to fix the UK’s broken skills system
Workers have suffered from a lost decade of wage growth. While the jobs recovery has been strong, the wage recovery has been agonisingly slow. Wages in 2016 were still 4% lower in real terms than they were a decade before, and they are falling again. Britain’s dreadful performance on…Read more…
Immigration – confusion and inaction from government
The Home Secretary’s announcement yesterday on post-Brexit immigration plans was barely out the door before the government’s all-encompassing confusion over Brexit enveloped it. Amber Rudd’s junior minister, Brandon Lewis, contradicted her spin if not her substance, almost…Read more…
We need a voice at work – but was the Taylor Review listening?
In our evidence to the Taylor Review, the TUC and trade unions argued that strengthening workers’ rights to voice in the workplace is key to addressing insecurity and exploitation at work. So was the Taylor Review listening? “The Review believes that for work to be fair and decent, workers must…Read more…
Massive win for working people as Supreme Court rejects employment tribunal fees
The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the government’s sky-high tribunal fees are unlawful, accepting UNISON’s argument that the fees are restricting working people’s access to justice. What’s more, the government will have to refund any fees paid since 2013 — at a…Read more…
Employment Tribunal Fees found to be unlawful
Following UNISON’s legal challenge, the Supreme Court has, today, ruled that employment tribunal fees are unlawful because they price workers out of accessing justice and discriminate against women. This means that from today, employment tribunal fees will no longer apply and that all previous fees…Read more…
A right to request fixed hours is no right at all
The Taylor Review wants those on zero hours contracts to have a legal right to request a contract that guarantees hours that better reflect the actual hours they work. A right to request fixed hours, however, is no right at all. It’s more of a vague hope. To see why, we just need to…Read more…
Why don’t companies recognise that unions are essential in the fight against modern slavery?
Everyone, it seems, is now committed to ending forced labour and child labour. Governments, international institutions, NGOs and businesses have come under enormous pressure to do something — and to be seen to be doing something. A good example of this is a resolution on forced labour passed…Read more…
Britain needs EU midwives – the government must make them feel welcome
England’s maternity services are desperately short of midwives. In October 2015, health secretary Jeremy Hunt told the House of Commons that ‘we need more midwives’. But since then, the number has increased by less than 0.7%. Across England, we have a shortage of around 3,500. Of the…Read more…
Why multipliers matter
“Nothing in economics is more potent than a simple idea whose time has come”, Gavyn Davies, October 21st 2012 The week before last, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published a new assessment of ‘fiscal risks’ to the UK. Reporting on threats to the public finances, they warned against new…Read more…
Our enforcement system isn’t working. What’s the Taylor Review going to do about it?
The Taylor Review includes a section on “fairer enforcement”, which concludes with the statement: “The two-tier enforcement framework in the UK works”. No it doesn’t. Two things immediately spring to mind that show this statement isn’t true: Employment tribunal fees price people out of justice….Read more…
The BBC can afford millions for the talent, but other staff are denied a fair wage
Over the last two days, we’ve seen wall-to-wall coverage of what the BBC’s leading lights get paid. That’s not surprising. Few stories offer such a perfect mix of celebrity gossip, financial drama and political intrigue. Of course journalists are going to jump on this one. But…Read more…
Is there really a public sector pay premium?
Over the weekend Chancellor Philip Hammond was reported as saying that public sector workers are overpaid. On the Andrew Marr show on Sunday he was given multiple opportunities to deny the accusation. But while he did not repeat the tone-deaf claim, ne…Read more…
5 reasons why a “dependent contractor” test is a bad idea
One of the more curious suggestions to emerge from the Taylor Review is the proposal to replace the concept of “worker” in employment law with that of “dependent contractor”. This proposal might sound interesting, but here’s 5 reasons why it may not be such a good idea. All working people…Read more…
Follow the money: How do the tax and social security proposals in the Taylor Review measure up?
The rise of insecure work has had real consequences for both personal budgets and the national exchequer. The lower earnings and lower tax paid by the self-employed and those on zero hours contracts means the rise in insecure work has come with a £5bn price tag for the exchequer. But the cost of…Read more…
The Taylor Review – should the Low Pay Commission be given more to do?
The Taylor review of modern working practices contains some important recommendations on low pay, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the Low Pay Commission (LPC). Taylor’s broad aim of empowering the LPC to do more to promote decent work is the right one, so the short answer to the question in the…Read more…