United.Kingdom
Background information on industrial relations in United.Kingdom
- 18 Dec 2001
United Kingdom: Planned restructuring of DTI angers unions<#PDF_LINK>Under new proposals, unveiled on 22 November 2001, the UK's Labour government is to undertake a controversial restructuring of the Department of Trade and Industry. The overhaul promises to give business a bigger say in strategy development.
- 18 Dec 2001
United Kingdom: Strike by professional footballers averted<#PDF_LINK>English football faced major disruption in December 2001 as professional players threatened industrial action. The strike threat, called off after a last-minute deal, concerned the union's share of television revenues, which have soared in recent years.
- 06 Dec 2001
United Kingdom: CBI conference urges government to resist further employment regulation<#PDF_LINK>At the November 2001 annual conference of the main UK employers' organisation, the CBI, business leaders called on government ministers to demonstrate their pro-business credentials by resisting trade union demands for new employee rights.
- 06 Dec 2001
United Kingdom: Employment Bill published<#PDF_LINK>The Employment Bill, introduced in the UK parliament in early November 2001, includes provisions on extended parental leave rights and minimum standards for workplace dispute-resolution procedures. The Bill is expected to complete its passage through parliament in mid 2002.
- 06 Dec 2001
United Kingdom: Parents to have legal right to request flexible working<#PDF_LINK>In November 2001, the UK government announced legislative proposals to place a duty on employers to consider requests for flexible working arrangements from parents with young children.
- 20 Nov 2001
United Kingdom: Unions review links with 'new Labour'<#PDF_LINK>Since mid-2001, a number of UK trade unions affiliated to the Labour Party have begun to question their continued financial support for the party, particularly in the light of union opposition to the Labour government's plans for reforming public services.
- 20 Nov 2001
United Kingdom: Government, trade unions and the reform of public services<#PDF_LINK>Since the re-election of the UK's Labour government in June 2001, its plans for greater private sector involvement in the management and delivery of public services have been strongly criticised by trade unions. This feature reviews the arguments.
- 05 Nov 2001
United Kingdom: Shareholders to have right to vote on directors' pay<#PDF_LINK>In October 2001, the UK government announced that it would introduce new measures requiring quoted companies to hold annual shareholder votes on reports giving details of directors' remuneration arrangements.
- 05 Nov 2001
United Kingdom: UK reaction to European Parliament's vote to strengthen employee consultation Directive<#PDF_LINK>The decision by the October 2001 plenary session of the European Parliament to support amendments strengthening the requirements of the draft EU employee consultation Directive received a mixed reaction in the UK. Trade unions welcomed the move but employers and the UK government expressed concern at the implications of the proposed changes.
- 05 Nov 2001
United Kingdom: Job cuts hit aviation and aerospace industries<#PDF_LINK>The attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001 are already having a profound effect on the UK airline industry. This feature outlines the impact to date and discusses the broader implications for the UK aerospace industry.
- 05 Nov 2001
United Kingdom: CBI and TUC issue joint report on productivity<#PDF_LINK>In October 2001, the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress published a joint assessment of the reasons behind the 'productivity gap' between the UK and its major competitors. This work has led to a proposal for a permanent CBI-TUC Productivity Group, which the government will consult on policy development.
- 05 Nov 2001
United Kingdom: New taskforce to advise on employment tribunal reforms<#PDF_LINK>In October 2001, the UK government announced the establishment of a taskforce to advise on the implementation of reforms to the employment tribunal system. The taskforce is due to report in spring 2002.
- 30 Oct 2001
United Kingdom: Scottish plant closes as Motorola makes sweeping cuts<#PDF_LINK>The closure of Motorola's Scottish plant, announced in April 2001 and expected to be completed in November, is part of a wave of restructuring in US-based multinationals. This feature explores the background to the closure and the broader implications for European countries of cuts in US companies' international operations.
- 30 Oct 2001
United Kingdom: Unions and the internet: prospects for renewal?<#PDF_LINK>A report presented to the September 2001 conference of the UK Trades Union Congress recommends that unions should develop new internet services as a recruitment and organising tool. This feature looks at the debate regarding trade unions' use of new information and communication technologies, focusing on the potential benefits and the obstacles that will need to be overcome.
- 30 Oct 2001
United Kingdom: Strikes: scattered but not eliminated<#PDF_LINK>Official statistics published in June 2001 show that levels of strike activity in the UK continue to be historically low. This feature reviews current trends in industrial action.
- 30 Oct 2001
United Kingdom: New Learning and Skills Council faces tough challenges<#PDF_LINK>In April 2001, the UK's Labour government established a new Learning and Skills Council responsible for the funding and planning of all post-16 education and training (except higher education). Its creation represents the latest chapter in a story of ongoing institutional reform and upheaval of the UK vocational education and training system. This feature examines some of the challenges the LSC is likely to face and its prospects for success
- 17 Oct 2001
United Kingdom: TUC conference curtailed following terrorist attacks in USA<#PDF_LINK>The annual conference of the UK Trades Union Congress was overshadowed by the terrorist attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001 and closed early as a mark of respect to the victims. We report on the debates that did take place.
- 17 Oct 2001
United Kingdom: Government announces changes to Working Time Regulations<#PDF_LINK>Amendments to the UK's Working Time Regulations 1998 came into effect in October 2001. The changes remove the qualifying period of employment previously required in the UK for entitlement to paid annual leave, ruled unlawful by the European Court of Justice.
- 17 Oct 2001
United Kingdom: Employers and unions argue over 'compensation culture'<#PDF_LINK>Over the summer and early autumn of 2001, the UK employers' organisation CBI has continued to press for reforms to reduce employment tribunal claims. However, the Trades Union Congress contends that employers' claims of a 'compensation culture' exaggerate the problem.
- 28 Sep 2001
United Kingdom: Determining unfair dismissal cases by arbitration<#PDF_LINK>In May 2001, a new arbitration procedure became operational in the UK, providing a voluntary, fast-track alternative to an employment tribunal hearing for resolving claims of unfair dismissal.
- 11 Sep 2001
United Kingdom: New EOC initiatives to combat sexual harassment<#PDF_LINK>In August 2001, the UK's Equal Opportunities Commission highlighted concerns about the experience of people complaining of sexual harassment at work and published new guidance for both employers and employees on dealing effectively with the issue.
- 06 Sep 2001
United Kingdom: Trade unions and equality in employment<#PDF_LINK>According to the Equal Opportunities Commission's Equal Pay Task Force, pay discrimination accounts for up to half of the gender pay gap in the UK. Its February 2001 report recommended joint working between trade unions and employers as one means of reducing pay discrimination. This feature discusses the implications of the report for trade unions and highlights recent research into the connection between unionisation and equal opportunities at the workplace.
- 30 Aug 2001
United Kingdom: Trade unions and equality in employment<#PDF_LINK>According to the Equal Opportunities Commission's Equal Pay Task Force, pay discrimination accounts for up to half of the gender pay gap in the UK. Its February 2001 report recommended joint working between trade unions and employers as one means of reducing pay discrimination. This feature discusses the implications of the report for trade unions and highlights recent research into the connection between unionisation and equal opportunities at the workplace.
- 28 Aug 2001
United Kingdom: UK implementation of fixed-term work Directive delayed<#PDF_LINK>Following consultation on government proposals, ministers have decided to delay UK measures to give effect to the EU fixed-term work Directive. Implementation of the Directive was due by 10 July 2001 but the government is relying on a provision in the Directive which allows Member States up to one year beyond this date to take account of "special difficulties".
- 28 Aug 2001
United Kingdom: Controversy over proposed employment tribunal charges<#PDF_LINK>Plans to charge workers for pursuing employment tribunal cases, included in UK government proposals for reforming dispute resolution procedures issued for consultation in July 2001, received an angry reaction from trade unions but were welcomed by employers' organisations.
- 28 Jul 2001
United Kingdom: Series of government initiatives follows election<#PDF_LINK>Following its re-election in June 2001, the UK's Labour government has announced a number of organisational and policy developments in the industrial relations area.
- 28 Jul 2001
United Kingdom: UK holiday rule unlawful says ECJ<#PDF_LINK>In June 2001, the European Court of Justice upheld a trade union's legal challenge against the holiday entitlement provisions of the UK's working time Regulations.
- 28 Jul 2001
United Kingdom: CBI survey highlights impact of regulation on employers<#PDF_LINK>The Confederation of British Industry's annual employment trends survey, published in June 2001, presents a picture of significant workplace change prompted by both regulation and competition.
- 28 Jul 2001
United Kingdom: Government supports steel workers hit by Corus restructuring<#PDF_LINK>In May 2001, the Anglo-Dutch steel-making company, Corus, confirmed to the UK government that it would proceed with the plant closures and 6,050 redundancies first announced in February. The same day, the government and Welsh Assembly announced an aid package for redundant workers. This feature examines the context and details of the government's offer, responses to the package, and some implications it raises for industrial relations.
- 28 Jun 2001
United Kingdom: Government to go ahead with equal pay reforms<#PDF_LINK>In May 2001, the UK government confirmed that it would be proceeding with plans to simplify existing legislation in a bid to speed up equal pay employment tribunal cases. The move is one of a number of steps intended to remedy the gender "pay gap".
- 28 Jun 2001
United Kingdom: London protest at M&S redundancies highlights consultation issues<#PDF_LINK>An international trade union demonstration was held in London in May 2001 to protest against Marks & Spencer's controversial closure plans for its continental European stores. Union leaders called for the early adoption of the draft EU Directive on employee information and consultation, but the Confederation of British Industry rejected claims that the measure would improve consultation over redundancies.
- 28 Jun 2001
United Kingdom: Developing high-quality work-based training for young people<#PDF_LINK>Despite continuing problems with the quality of much government-sponsored youth training in the UK, even within the "flagship" Modern Apprenticeship programme, policymakers are currently planning a significant expansion of the work-based route. This feature looks at the difficulties such policy ambitions, aired in consultation documents in 2000 and 2001, are likely to run up against, and asks what alternative options are available for building a high-quality apprenticeship system.
- 28 May 2001
United Kingdom: Unions hail government climb-down on parental leave<#PDF_LINK>In April 2001, the UK government announced that it would be dropping the restriction of statutory parental leave to parents of children born after the entitlement was first introduced in December 1999. All working parents with children under five will be shortly be entitled to parental leave. The Trades Union Congress, which had mounted a legal challenge against the restricted coverage of statutory parental leave rights, welcomed the government's move.
- 28 May 2001
United Kingdom: More public holidays in prospect?<#PDF_LINK>In April 2001, the publication by the Labour-affiliated Fabian Society of a paper calling for more public holidays in the UK sparked press speculation that a re-elected Labour government would introduce at least one extra "bank holiday" during the next parliament.
- 28 May 2001
United Kingdom: Teaching unions adopt united stance on 35-hour week<#PDF_LINK>At their Easter 2001 conferences, the UK's three main teaching trade unions each voted in favour of the same resolution calling for a 35-hour working week. The unions are threatening to take industrial action in the autumn if the government refuses to meet their demands.
- 28 May 2001
United Kingdom: Parties' industrial relations policies outlined<#PDF_LINK>Elections to the UK parliament will take place on 7 June 2001. We highlight the main political parties' manifesto commitments in the area of industrial relations.
- 28 May 2001
United Kingdom: Research highlights limited impact of Working Time Regulations<#PDF_LINK>Research published in April 2001 suggests that the Working Time Regulations 1998 have had a limited effect, if any, on most UK organisations. Long hours continue to be worked consistently by a significant minority of employees, facilitated by voluntary exemptions from the legislation. The Regulations are seemingly a matter of little concern for most employers and their workers. However, there is also evidence of some employers flouting the law and exploiting ignorance about the Regulations to deprive vulnerable workers of their rights.
- 28 Apr 2001
United Kingdom: Merger forms new super-union<#PDF_LINK>At the beginning of April 2001, the AEEU engineering trade union and the MSF technical union announced that the proposed merger between the two organisations had been approved in membership ballots. With over 1 million members, the new "super-union" will be the second largest in the UK.
- 28 Apr 2001
United Kingdom: Government agrees to significant increase in national minimum wage<#PDF_LINK>In March 2001, the UK government announced an 11% increase in the main adult rate of the national minimum wage, to GBP 4.10 per hour. The new rate will take effect from October.
- 28 Apr 2001
United Kingdom: Employers and unions respond to parental leave green paper<#PDF_LINK>In March 2001, the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress published their responses to the UK government's green paper on parental leave. The issue on which there is the sharpest disagreement between the two organisations is the proposed right for new parents to opt to work part time.
- 28 Apr 2001
United Kingdom: EOC urges new action on equal pay<#PDF_LINK>In February 2001, the Equal Opportunities Commission's Equal Pay Task Force published its report into UK performance on equal pay. The gap between men and women's earnings has narrowed from 31% to 18% since the passage of the Equal Pay Act 1970. The Task Force put forward a broad package of recommendations to close the remaining gap, including that employers should carry out gender pay reviews, but its proposals have received a mixed reception from the government, employers and trade unions.
- 28 Apr 2001
United Kingdom: UK to extend rights and labour market support for disabled people<#PDF_LINK>Legislative protection and labour market support are to be extended for people with disabilities in the UK. Regulations to come into force from 2004 will increase the coverage of current anti-discrimination law, it was announced in March 2001. Furthermore, following a successful pilot programme since 1998, the New Deal for Disabled People is to be extended nationally.
- 28 Mar 2001
United Kingdom: Round-up of industrial relations developments<#PDF_LINK>February 2001 saw new moves concerning a number of key issues in UK industrial relations, including trade union recognition, workforce consultation requirements, age discrimination and parental leave rights.
- 28 Mar 2001
United Kingdom: Advocate-General finds against UK in ECJ working time case<#PDF_LINK>A trade union's legal challenge to the UK's working time Regulations, currently before the European Court of Justice, was supported by the opinion on the case delivered by the Advocate-General in February 2001.
- 28 Mar 2001
United Kingdom: Unions help launch government stakeholder pensions<#PDF_LINK>In January 2001, the UK government launched a campaign to promote "stakeholder pensions", which come into force in April 2001. The Trades Union Congress, in endorsing the scheme, has entered the pensions market in a bid to improve pension provision for its members. While doubts still remain about the take-up of stakeholder pensions, this marks a new departure in union membership services.
- 28 Mar 2001
United Kingdom: Review body recommendations accepted in full as staff shortages jeopardise public sector modernisation<#PDF_LINK>In 2001, for the third year running, the UK government accepted in full the pay awards recommended by the independent pay review bodies for more than 1 million public sector workers. The government hopes that the pay increases, which take effect from April 2001, will help with severe recruitment and retention problems, but this is challenged by the public sector trade unions.
- 28 Mar 2001
United Kingdom: Unions debate priorities for a second term of Labour government<#PDF_LINK>With a general election looming and the possibility of the Labour government achieving a second term in office, UK trade unions are in a positive mood and seeking to influence the political debate. In March 2001, participants at a conference organised by the Unions 21 network debated the employment and labour market issues that unions and government need to address.
- 28 Feb 2001
United Kingdom: TUC submits evidence on national minimum wage<#PDF_LINK>In January 2001, the Trades Union Congress presented evidence to the Low Pay Commission, which is currently considering whether to recommend an increase in the UK's national minimum wage.
- 28 Feb 2001
United Kingdom: Corus announces large-scale redundancies<#PDF_LINK>At the beginning of February 2000, the Anglo-Dutch steelmaking company Corus announced plans to make 6,000 of its UK employees redundant. This feature examines the context of the restructuring and the implications it raises.
- 28 Feb 2001
United Kingdom: Government calls for better work-life balance<#PDF_LINK>Research published in November 2000 under the UK government's "work-life balance" initiative finds that long and inflexible working hours contribute to poor health, family life and productivity. Ministers have made renewed appeals to employers to consider more "family-friendly" working, on business as well as social grounds. Trade unions, however, are sceptical, arguing that "sensible regulation" is needed to help workers deal with the pressures of the modern workplace.
- 28 Feb 2001
United Kingdom: Teleworking in action at Unity Trust Bank<#PDF_LINK>Teleworking was introduced at the trade union-affiliated Unity Trust Bank in 1998, based on one of the few teleworking agreements signed between UK employers and unions. This feature, based on research carried out in 2000, examines the development of teleworking at the bank over the past three years.
- 28 Jan 2001
United Kingdom: Green paper on parental leave receives mixed reception<#PDF_LINK>In December 2000, the UK government published consultative proposals for the reform of parental leave arrangements. Employers' groups expressed concern at the prospect of further legislative intervention while trade unions and other campaign groups gave the proposals a generally positive reception.
- 28 Jan 2001
United Kingdom: Government plans to speed up equal pay cases<#PDF_LINK>In December 2000, the UK government issued proposals intended to streamline employment tribunal procedures for dealing with claims relating to equal pay for women and men.
- 28 Jan 2001
United Kingdom: Government and employers submit evidence on national minimum wage<#PDF_LINK>During November and December 2000, the UK government and two leading employers' organisations presented evidence to the Low Pay Commission, which is currently considering whether to recommend an increase in the national minimum wage.
- 28 Jan 2001
United Kingdom: Government launches review of redundancy consultation laws<#PDF_LINK>In January 2001, the government announced its intention to review the UK's workforce consultation requirements concerning collective redundancies.
- 28 Jan 2001
United Kingdom: Cross-border comparison leads to shorter working week at UK Peugeot plant<#PDF_LINK>In September 2000, after protracted negotiations and strike action by the workforce, management and unions at Peugeot's major UK plant agreed a reduction in the working week. The move followed the introduction of the 35-hour week at the parent group's plants in France and is an indication of the way in which reference points in collective bargaining are developing a cross-border dimension.