TUC news and archive

TUC calls on government to implement 15 pound minimum wage

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the UK government to increase the minimum wage to 15 pounds from 9.50 an hour, through a plan that aims to support pay growth and struggling employees. In an open letter, the organisation said that the UK needs to transition the economy to high-wage, high-skilled and secure jobs and shift its...

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Business

Retailers accused of undercutting wages by TUC

Workers union the TUC has accused bosses of undercutting wages by keeping people on agency contracts for extended periods of time, a tactic used across numerous industries including retail, distribution, banking, and manufacturing. According to new research, the TUC states that 6 in 10 (422,000) agency workers are being employed in the same role...

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Business

Zero hours contracts hit 1.8 million high

Businesses in the UK used 1.8 million zero hours contracts at the height of last summer, according to official figures from The Labour Force Survey, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The survey showed that 1.8 million contracts that do not guarantee work were being utilised by UK firms during August 2014, up from a 1.4...

Design

Edinburgh Woollen Mill signs Bangladesh Accord

Edinburgh Woollen Mill, owner of high street chains Peacocks and Jane Norman, has become the latest apparel retailer to sign up to the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Accord, following months of pressure from campaign groups. The move comes eight months from the Tazreen Fashions factory fire in Dhaka which killed more than a hundred workers...

Fashion

River Island signs Bangladesh safety accord

River Island has signed the Bangladesh factory safety Accord, a union-backed agreement designed to improve workplace safety in the country, following the Rana Plaza factory collapse which killed more than 1,000 textile workers five months ago. The fashion brand was one of eight UK retailers holding out against the Bangladesh fire and building...

Fashion

Average working week is 32.1 hours

A campaign against the 'long hours culture' launches on Friday - despite the fact that we enjoy a shorter working week. As the TUC gears up for 'work your proper hours day', official figures show that the average employee works nearly two fewer hours a week than in 1984. Then the average working week was 33.8 hours. The most recent figure, for...