The Swedish derogation
It may sound like a chapter from a dry history book but the “Swedish” derogation caused some interest at Congress today. Reference was made to it in an Emergency Motion from Unite, who are concerned...
View ArticleMinimum wage increase certainly worth a cheer or two
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates will increase again on Saturday 1 October. We have strong arguments for a more generous increase, especially in these time of relatively high inflation, but we...
View ArticleEmployment rights reforms could put mandatory retirement back onto agenda
The papers today are full of reports that the government is going to back some of Adrian Beecroft’s proposals to curb workers’ rights. The Independent reports that Vince Cable is unveiling a number of...
View ArticleCreating an effective employer-led sector approach to skills: The role for...
The recent announcement by the government of a pilot project to “give employers power over skills training” raises new challenges for the union movement. In a presentation I will be giving at the TUC...
View ArticleWhat to do about employers’ tax relief on training?
In the current environment of fiscal austerity, most areas of government spending – including financial support from the government for work-related training – are under unprecented scrutiny. The...
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Industry doesn’t need to get worried about the Working Time Directive
Before it all ended so badly, the Prime Minister used to boast that part of the price he would demand for agreeing to a revision of the Lisbon Treaty was a relaxation of the Working Time Directive....
View ArticleSeven weeks to pay day: Unpaid overtime at 2 billion hours
Depressed about your return to work? I don’t want to make things worse but there’s a one in five chance you’ll effectively be working for free until the 24th of February. Every year the TUC number...
View ArticleEverybody’s happy nowadays – not!
On a lighter note, a study of working practices in offices commissioned by the Mars company is reported in the Daily Mail. The tone of the piece is that we are all working longer but that we are...
View ArticleNew evidence that excessive working time damages your health
A new study published today reaffirmed the link between long working hours and depression. As the evidence of serious health risks continues to pile up, why on earth do the Government and the CBI...
View ArticleLeap year – time for a working time resolution
Today is 29 February – which of course only usually comes around every 4 years. If you have a 40-year career then you are likely to work on 29 February 7 times in all (the other 3 will fall at...
View ArticleAnywhere Working Week
The TUC is a supporter of the Anywhere Working campaign, which brings together organisations like Business in the Community, WWF-UK and Mumsnet with big companies like Microsoft, Regus and Vodafone to...
View ArticleDomestic Workers at Risk
If you drew up a list of which were the most vulnerable workers in our society, then domestic workers would come at or near the top for most of us. Within the category of domestic workers you might...
View ArticleGlobal gender pay gap has stopped shrinking
On International Women’s Day 2012, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has published a fascinating study (really, a series of studies) into developments in the gender pay gap – the...
View ArticleMinimum Wage frozen for young people
The Government has today announced its response to the Low Pay Commision’s (LPC) recommendations for the National Minimum Wage rates to apply from October 2012 onwards*. There will be an increase of 11...
View ArticleDo you know where your food comes from? The shocking reality of #forcedlabour...
We rightly ask more questions these days about where our food comes from, what it contains and how it has been farmed. But new research suggests we should be as concerned about people employed to pick,...
View ArticleThe Continuing Tale of Migrant Exploitation
Yesterday’s guest post from Louise Woodruff of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) made for harrowing but unfortunately all too familiar reading. Louise provided a resume on the new JRF report...
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National Work from Home Day
Today is National Work from Home Day, where staff and employers are encouraged to try working from home to experience the positive impact upon staff wellbeing, efficiency and productivity, together...
View ArticleEngland match sparks sensible employer response in Staffordshire
News just in from Staffordshire shows employers letting staff change their working hours to watch the England game. Others have brought in TV screens so that employees can watch the match. This is...
View ArticleDoing right by kinship carers
Now here’s a funny thing. I recently came back to work from maternity leave. I had 9 months’ paid leave, time to bond with my baby, and to manage and adapt to the changes in our lives that a new baby...
View ArticleManagers working too many hours means we all suffer
Bad work cultures are weakening British firms and adding to economic decline say bosses in new survey by the Chartered Management Institute. In particular, the amount of unpaid overtime has increased...
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