The Department for Work and Pensions’ employers’ pension survey published today stretches across 92 pages but there is one clear message apparent to readers: little is going to change regarding the level of UK pension saving without action on automatic enrolment minimum contribution rates….Read more…
Seven tests for fairer pensions tax
The hitherto obscure subject of pensions tax relief is likely to be in the foreground when George Osborne reveals the content of his latest Budget later this month. On the table is a potential move to flat-rate tax relief, an approach favoured by the TUC. But, if given the nod, key decisions about…Read more…
Periods can be a real pain but menstrual leave policies aren’t the solution
This week a Bristol company hit the headlines for its plan to implement a “period policy”. Most commentators’ reactions to this news could be summarised roughly as “Brilliant. How can I get a job there?” It’s true that you’d be hard pressed to find a woman who hasn’t at some point…Read more…
Brexit won’t raise wages: why Sir Stuart Rose is wrong
We got an object lesson yesterday in why workers and their representatives need to play a more prominent role in the EU referendum campaign. Sir Stuart Rose – former boss at non-union Marks & Spencer, and now chair of Britain Stronger in Europe – appeared to suggest that leaving the…Read more…
EU trade deal with Canada amended: not good enough
On Monday, European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström trumpeted what she called a major step forward on trade – a revised version of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada. The main difference was that in place of the infamous Investor-State Dispute…Read more…
Our pensions are still leaving many behind
The respected Pensions Policy Institute is today publishing a report, sponsored by the TUC and others, looking at those groups who remain under-pensioned. It shows that despite the remarkable success of automatic enrolment in bringing around six million more people into workplace pensions, those…Read more…
How ISDS undermines the global march to democracy
I’m halfway through an event about the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) at Wilton Park, the FCO’s conference centre, and it’s the usual stimulating mix of stakeholders (a handful of business and union representatives), senior civil servants from various…Read more…
Unpaid overtime can’t be a blank cheque, says TUC
UK employees worked £35.1 billion worth of unpaid overtime last year, with 5.1 million employees putting in an extra 7.7 hours per week the TUC reports today. I can reveal that there was some slightly better news, since the percentage of employees working unpaid overtime has not kept pace with…Read more…
Petty vindictiveness: Conservative peers condemn #TUbill ban on payroll collection of union subs
Today saw the last day of the trade union bill’s committee debate in the Lords, and one of the main issues up for debate was the Government’s plans to end the check-off system of collecting union subscriptions directly from members’ salaries in the public sector Conservative peer…Read more…
The NHS runs on goodwill– but how long can that last?
The 2015 NHS Staff Survey results are out and it is welcome news that staff are mostly happy with the support they get from colleagues and line managers. But life is far from easy in the NHS and the responsibility for that falls squarely on the Government. A recent King’s Fund report showed that…Read more…
#EUreferendum: Brexit risks our employment rights
Whilst media attention focuses on the impact the EU referendum seems to be having on relations between members of the Conservative Party, there are more serious concerns about the impact the result could have on rights for working people. The reality i…Read more…
Regulator fears pension freedom mis-selling
There was always a remarkable haziness about what the pension freedom reforms announced in Budget 2014 were meant to achieve. While most government pension initiatives are designed at improving incomes in retirement or making savings more secure, George Osborne’s revolution offered freedom…Read more…
#TUBill will limit the amount of paid time off for public sector reps
A new report from the TUC on the benefits of paid time off for union reps provides evidence that the Government’s attack on facility time in the public sector is wrong-headed. The proposals in the. This is the culmination of a campaign waged by the political right against workplace representation…Read more…
Where does the Chancellor now stand, as calls for public spending and ending reliance on monetary policy grow ever louder?
Prompted in part by the OECD’s latest warnings, more and more commentators are now arguing for expansionary policies. They argue that with the monetary policy near exhausted, governments need to step up and spend. The OECD set matters in motion. In their latest economic report (here; chief…Read more…
One in three commuter trains delayed
According to a survey published by Which? today, one in three commuter trains are delayed, and 7% of the 7,000 respondents were delayed by 30 minutes or more. Arriva Trains Wales came out worst with 31% of passengers being delayed. This was despite receiving around £331m in net subsidies from the…Read more…
Now a lost eleven years on pay, never before known in history
Real earnings grew in 2015 by 2.5%, a positive figure for the first time since 2007. I.e. 2015 was the first year when pay growth outstripped inflation in 8 years.* But there is a long way to go: real earnings still stand 5¾% below the 2007 peak. Projecting forwards using the official forecasts for…Read more…
Public sector jobs cuts hit the hardest in areas that can at least afford it
The TUC has commented before on how London has disproportionately benefitted from employment growth; this post discusses how the position has been exacerbated by public sector job cuts. Public and private sector contributions to employment growth, 2010…Read more…
TUC Economic Quarterly 8
This quarterly TUC report provides an analysis of UK economic and labour market developments over recent months. The growth rate of the UK economy slowed in 2015, following a more rapid expansion in 2014. This slowdown was common to a number of countri…Read more…
The Government’s latest assault: Access to legal representation for injured people
The Government wants to increase the small claims limit in road traffic cases from £1,000 to £5,000. This will mean that someone injured in road traffic accident with a claim at less than £5,000 would not be able to recover the cost of having a solicitor advise them. Consumers injured through no…Read more…
Mandatory gender pay gap reporting – just two more years to wait!
Today the government has finally published draft regulations that will require large private sector employers to publish their gender pay gap. It is intending to commence these regulations from 1 October 2016 but companies will have until 30 April 2018…Read more…