Industrial Relations

Employers are increasingly turning to eye, palm and fingerprint scans as the future of workplace security, but managers need to recognise such technology brings with it huge data protection issues.

Workplace disputes in the UK are starting to be a little less costly to the British taxpayer, thanks in part to ACAS, which is the publicly-funded arbitration and conciliation service.

While the Germans aren't as well known as their French neighbors for their ability to put on a good strike, they certainly know how to organize a good walk-out when they want to.

I've always maintained that organized protests and strikes were considered bad by most Americans. As it turns out, perhaps I need to have a little more faith in my countrymen!

The resolution of the GM labor dispute was a success in that both parties walked away feeling that they won something - and that's the way it should be.

Thinking about striking in New Zealand? If so, you may be comforted to know that if your employer tries to lock you out, the law is on your side.

As England's new ban on smoking in enclosed public places takes effect, lawyers claim that employers are planning to use the new ban to crack down on staff taking cigarette breaks.

Summer in the United States is synonymous with several things: baseball, beer, barbecues, and now, the national contract talks between American autoworkers unions and Detroit's big three car makers.

Are you working for DaimlerChrysler AG in the United States? If so, you may want to get your resume out and polish it up nicely.

The British government's attempts to formalise dispute resolution in the workplace have only succeeded in making managing conflict more complex and adversarial, a critical new report has claimed.

Employees not working. Employees being disruptive. Employees stealing. Have you ever have to fire someone? Make no mistake, terminating an employee is one of the most difficult tasks required of any manager.

The modern British workplace is one where there are fewer grievances between workers and managers, better relations with unions and - according to managers at least - a much better working climate.

British university lecturers may have just settled their long-running dispute over pay, but employers are predicting a possible union backlash over the coming year over growing levels of wage restraint and business restructuring.

New European laws are changing the way employers are communicating with their workers, and creating a culture of greater openness and information a new study has concluded.

Fancy a job where you work six months a year and can retire at 50? That was the extraordinary state of affairs that workers at the state-owned Corsican ferry company, SNCM, had come to enjoy thanks to years of ownership by the French government.

Britain's employers are losing confidence in the employment tribunal system and demanding that the system be simplified to reduce the number of spurious claims made against them.

Bowing to union pressure and creating ever more new employment rights would be disastrous for the British economy, the Confederation of British Industry has said.

A quarter of firms in Britain have complained that family-friendly employment laws are having a negative effect on their business as managers spend a growing amount of time dealing with requests for flexible working.

The fallout from the dispute involving British Airway's catering supplier, Gate Gourmet, is a salutary reminder of the damage that be inflicted on a company by the actions of its suppliers.

The chaos that has engulfed British Airways as a result of a dispute involving its catering supplier, Gate Gourmet, can be traced all the way back to the airline's efficiency drive which has seen 13,000 jobs cut and £700m shaved from its costs, according to Michael Harrison in the Independent.

The number of grievance cases taken to Britain's employment tribunals fell by a quarter last year, according to official figures. But questions about the effectiveness of the system remain.

The past seven years has seen major changes in working patterns in Britain, with a dramatic increase in flexible and part-time working heralding a transformation in the way that employees balance work and family responsibilities.

One employer in four has faced an employment tribunal claim in the past two years after disciplining an employee, with one in five facing a claim after an employee grievance, latest research has suggested.

The number of days lost to industrial action in Britain almost doubled between 2003 and 2004, although the number of strikes were the lowest on record.

Employers are fuelling Britain's compensation culture by settling employment tribunals claims before they reach court, fearing massive legal costs and threats to their reputation.

Can't find a plumber or electrician when you need one? Now we know why, as new figures reveal that Britain now has more senior managers than it does skilled tradespeople.

Optimistic predictions that the workers laid off at Longbridge will be snapped up by other industries in short order may be wide of the mark, a study has suggested.

Failing to document poor performance, forgetting to produce standard operating procedures or not creating clear job expectations is just plain bad management practice in today's litigious climate.

Three-quarters of employees are not aware that April 6 will bring them new rights to be consulted on major employment issues in the workplace.

When employers dictate what their employees can or cannot do in their own time, they have crossed the line. Big time.

Monday may be Valentine’s Day, but getting all gooey and romantic in the office is increasingly being frowned upon in British workplaces.

British trade unions face a painful journey to extinction if they fail to evolve, according to a provocative analysis from a leading business academic.

Trade union members across the UK are planning a nationwide day of campaigning in February to protest against changes the government is planning to make to the pensions of public sector workers.

The International Transport Workers' Federation has set up a website - www.ryan-be-fair.org - to offer the staff of the strongly anti-union airline Ryanair "the freedom to discuss their work, conditions and any problems they have".

Can Europe hold out as the last bastion of unionisation in the rich world?

UK workers are unhappy with the hours they work, and want their employers to do more to help them work more flexibly, according to a report from the Work Foundation.

UK employees did unpaid overtime worth £23 billion last year, according to an analysis of latest figures by the TUC.

A former executive of Merrill Lynch yesterday lost her sex discrimination case against the US bank.

With much of Britain poised to shut down for the next two weeks, spare a thought for the tens of thousands of vulnerable workers who will lose out this Christmas, the charity Citizens Advice has warned.

Crossing your fingers and hoping for the best is no longer enough when it comes to navigating a safe path through the employment tribunal minefield, an HR consultancy has warned.

More than half of workers in London suspect their bosses of being either untrustworthy or dishonest, a poll from management firm KPMG has suggested.

Two out of three cleaners are over-looked when it comes to being invited to the office Christmas party, a survey has suggested.

The TUC has launched a campaign to find Britain’s meanest, most Scrooge-like boss this Christmas.

Thousands of station staff on the London Underground system have forced their bosses to agree to a deal that gives them 52 days paid holiday a year – that's 10 weeks.

Communication, communication, communication is the best way to keep staff happy, loyal and engaged, a study has concluded.

According to the Evening Standard, WH Smith chief executive Kate Swann has faced a deluge of complaints after she decided to halve staff discounts from 25 per cent to 12.5 per cent to reduce costs.

Managing conflicts at work costs the average employer in Britain nearly 450 days of management time every year – equivalent to the time of full-time two managers, a new report claims.

Awareness of complex new Dispute Resolution regulations that come into force this week is worryingly low amongst employers, Britain’s biggest business organisation has claimed.

Bus drivers in Reading have threatened to go on strike in protest at having to drive over more than 1,000 speed humps every day.

Sacking employees is set to become an even bigger minefield for Britain's employers thanks to yet another set of new regulation coming into force in October.

CBI director-general Digby Jones has described Britain's trade unions as "increasingly irrelevant" and "stuck in the mindset of yesterday’s ideology".

New legislation on dispute resolution in Britain's workplace's comes into force in October. But employers are ignorant of its implications and view it as yet more unnecessary red tape.

A deal between the Labour party and Britain’s trade unions will see the next Labour government extend workplace rights in return for the unions bankrolling Labour's general election campaign

The number of employment disputes ending up at employment tribunals has risen by 17 per cent over the past year, according to figures from the Employment Tribunals Service.

It was a simple choice for the 820 workers at Bosch's Vénissieux components plant near Lyon in France. Work longer than the statutory 35 hours a week, or see your jobs go to the Czech Republic.

Anger over the offshoring of financial services jobs looks set to explode after members of the giant Amicus union voted at its annual conference to adopt an "any means necessary strategy" to raise its concerns over executive pay, pensions and job losses.

Random testing for drugs has no impact on safety, productivity or performance, according to the long-awaited report from the Independent Inquiry into Drug Testing at Work, and is 'in conflict with liberal-democratic values'.

Next Tuesday’s rail strike in the UK has been called off after employers made a dramatic 11th hour climb down over the closure of its final salary pension scheme.

Companies should treat the prospect of England continuing to do well at Euro 2004 as an opportunity to try out flexible and remote working rather than viewing it as a potential business banana skin.

The first national rail strike in the UK for more than a decade is set to cause chaos next week as 15,000 workers at Network Rail and London Underground walk out in a 24-hour strike timed to cause maximum disruption.