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Welcome
Welcome to In ToUCh e-bulletin from the TUC, the bite-size round up of our news and views.
This issue features the TUC's next major campaign event, a Future for Families, together with all the latest news on the economy, jobs and union campaigning.
Let us know what you think about the issues reported here by emailing editor@tuc.org.uk.
Copies of In ToUCh are archived at www.tuc.org.uk/intouch
TUC News
A Future for Families
The next major campaign event in the TUC's Future That Works series will take place on 13 March at the Emmanuel Centre in Marsham Street, Westminster.
The rally will be called A future for families, a future that works and it will both highlight our alternative to cuts and form our contribution to the European TUC's Day of Action against austerity.
The TUC will also be represented at a Europe-wide rally in Brussels on 14 March - the eve of the European Spring Summit. The purpose of this event is to bring all the national events and initiatives together.
Information and online registration @
www.tuc.org.uk/afutureforfamilies
Tory Euro threat to rights
Workplace rights are the real target of the Tories' new strategy on Europe, the TUC warned as the initial hype over David Cameron's promise of an 'in-out' EU referendum by the end of 2017 started to fade.
Speaking at the European TUC's 40th anniversary conference in Madrid, TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said that rights such as paid holidays, health and safety, protection when a business is sold off, and equal treatment for part-time workers and women are at risk as Britain sought to renegotiate its relationship with the EU.
More on this story @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-21871-f0.cfm
Working time warning
Ahead of the Prime Minister's speech on Europe, the TUC said the government should abandon its obsession with the Working Time Directive, which guarantees millions of people a paid holiday and stops dangerous work being done by exhausted people.
'Forcing people to work longer hours is not the answer', said Frances O'Grady. 'Instead of tilting at the windmill of the Working Time Directive, the Prime Minister should be taking steps to raise UK productivity through more investment in training, jobs, infrastructure and a better work-life balance.'
Further information @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-21828-f0.cfm
Proper hours' day
If staff who regularly work unpaid overtime did all their extra hours from the start of the year they would not get paid until 1 March, the day the TUC has named as Work Your Proper Hours Day.
Now in its ninth year, Work Your Proper Hours Day is a light-hearted campaign that celebrates the unsung - and unrewarded - hours that staff put in to help their employer and boost the UK economy.
Further information @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial/tuc-21876-f0.cfm
No time for lunch
A BBC poll showing that more than half of employees regularly work through their lunch breaks underlined the extent of Britain's long hours culture, the TUC has said in response. Far too many employees were failing to take their break because they had too much work to do.
Details @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-21901-f0.cfm
Green light for Robin Hood
The TUC has welcomed the decision of European Union finance ministers to authorise a group of 11 countries to proceed with the introduction of a Financial Transactions Tax - also known as the Robin Hood Tax - and has urged the British government to abandon its isolation on the issue.
Find out more @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21842-f0.cfm
Home truths on tax avoidance
The announcement by the Prime Minister last month that he intends to use the UK Presidency of the G8 to tackle global tax evasion and avoidance needed to be accompanied by real action both in the UK and globally, the TUC said in response.
The TUC warned that getting to grips with tax avoidance at a global level would not work unless the government took tougher action closer to home. The UK remains a global leader for tax secrecy, both through the City and its crown dependencies around the world.
Full TUC reaction @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21855-f0.cfm
Austerity still not working
GDP figures published on 25 January showing that the UK economy contracted by 0.3 per cent in the last quarter of 2012 were evidence that austerity has failed completely, the TUC said.
'The Chancellor's austerity plan has pushed the UK economy to the brink of an unprecedented triple-dip recession', said Frances O'Grady. 'We are now mid-way through the coalition's term of office and its economic strategy has been a complete disaster.'
Read the TUC response @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21864-f0.cfm
Even IMF doubts the cuts
Earlier in January, comments by IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard on the need to ease austerity measures were cited by the TUC as further evidence that government strategy was failing.
The Chancellor's self-defeating austerity programme was causing so much damage that even his favourite economic institution was now telling him to think again, the TUC said.
More on this @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21852-f0.cfm
IFS warning
The Green Budget published earlier this month by the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed that more than a million jobs could be lost in the public sector, with vital services also being undermined by the government's savage cuts.
Instead of austerity, the Chancellor needed to set out a budget for families, growth and jobs, the TUC said.
Further reaction @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21890-f0.cfm
Cheap labour, low productivity trap
The recent fall in productivity could become a permanent feature of the UK economy unless we see a significant boost to demand and a return to growth, the TUC has warned in its latest economic report.
According to the study, weak demand as a result of stagnant wages is preventing higher productivity firms from hiring, and limiting employment growth to lower productivity sectors.
Summary details @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21892-f0.cfm
Download report @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/522/EconomicReport5.pdf
Banks: transform as well as reform
The TUC responded to the Chancellor's speech on banking reform by welcoming changes that unions have long called for, but also by warning that more needed to be done.
'The government is still failing to address the far bigger issue of banking reform - forcing banks to support businesses in the real economy', said Frances O'Grady.
Further details @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21882-f0.cfm
Cap too high
The announcement earlier this month on elderly care, which will see social care bills capped at £75,000, received a mixed response from the TUC.
Describing the review of social care as 'long overdue', the TUC said it was pleased that the government was beginning to implement some of Andrew Dilnot's proposals. But the TUC added that the proposed cap of £75,000 was too high and would be unaffordable for many families.
Full TUC response @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21918-f0.cfm
Avoiding another Mid Staffs
The TUC welcomed the independent review into the scandal at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and said there must never be a repeat of the neglect that took place.
The tragedy was made worse by management failure, inadequate regulation and a culture of bullying, the TUC said, adding that spending cuts and the massive NHS reorganisation risked recreating the conditions that led to the scandal.
Full TUC reaction @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial/tuc-21893-f0.cfm
Headline figures mask jobs crisis
Labour market figures published last month showed another fall in unemployment, but also raised some awkward questions.
'These figures make welcome reading, but with the economy still flat-lining it is hard to see how these trends can continue', said Frances O'Grady. The figures also revealed the continuing problem of underemployment, and that too many of the new jobs created over the past year were low-paid and insecure.
Full TUC response @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21844-f0.cfm
Self employment surge
Ahead of the release of the latest jobs figures, the TUC published research showing that the rising number of people in work since the recession had been driven by a surge in self-employment.
The analysis showed that since the start of the recession in 2008 the small rise in employment levels had been driven by a nine per cent rise in the number of self-employed workers (up 330,000).
Further details @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21841-f0.cfm
Workers squeezed
Inflation figures published last month by the Office for National Statistics - which show that CPI inflation remained at 2.7 per cent, while RPI inflation increased to 3.1 per cent - once again underlined how price rises were continuing to outstrip increases in wages.
More information @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21820-f0.cfm
The £6,000 pay penalty
Ahead of the publication of the latest inflation data, new TUC analysis showed that the average worker will lose around £6,000 by 2014 as a result of wages failing to keep pace with rising prices.
The TUC has calculated that a worker on a median salary of around £25,000 has already lost nearly £4,000 since December 2009, when earnings first fell behind prices.
More on the research @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21819-f0.cfm
No hiding from recession
The latest Workplace Employment Relations Study, published last month, highlights how workplaces have suffered during the recession.
The report shows that unlike in previous downturns, this recession has hit almost every employer across the private and public sectors. But there has been no decline in the number of workplaces where there is an employee representative such as a union rep.
TUC reaction @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21843-f0.cfm
Safety manifesto
Regular safety inspections, a maximum temperature in the workplace and far more stringent control of carcinogens are just some of the improvements called for by the TUC in a new 10-point health and safety manifesto.
Summary info @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-21906-f0.cfm
Download manifesto @
https://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/531/TUC_Health_and_Safety_Manifesto_Time_for_Change.pdf
Living wage: the benefits
A report published in January by the IPPR and Resolution Foundation, calling on the government to persuade more private sector companies to pay the living wage, was welcomed by the TUC.
'As well as boosting employee productivity, research shows that for every £1 spent by the private sector on the living wage, 50 pence is returned to the Treasury in increased tax revenue and tax credit savings,' said Frances O'Grady.
More on this story @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21833-f0.cfm
Strong unions and global pay gap
A report last month by the charity Oxfam shows that extreme wealth is just as much a global problem as extreme poverty, the TUC said. Oxfam also highlighted the need for stronger unions to provide an effective voice for ordinary people.
Further information @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21830-f0.cfm
Cuts and privatisation harm education
Education is under threat from increasing privatisation and continuing austerity, Frances O'Grady told a gathering of education unions from around the world at the end of January.
Speaking at a joint conference of Education International and the OECD held at Congress House, she said: 'Education is under real pressure. Spiralling inequality, the economic crisis and savage spending cuts are all taking their toll.'
More on the speech @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial/tuc-21876-f0.cfm
The cost of childcare
Government plans to reform childcare provision have received a withering response from the TUC.
Deregulating childcare is not the solution, would not reduce costs and risked reducing the quality of care, the TUC argued. Instead we needed significant investment in childcare and wide reaching reform.
TUC reaction in full @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/equality/tuc-21874-f0.cfm
HS2 must speed jobs and growth
Plans to extend the new high-speed rail route to Leeds and Manchester are welcome but the benefits won't be realised unless the government takes an active role in creating jobs, unions have warned.
'HS2 has the potential to be a game-changer for the UK economy if delivered properly', said Frances O'Grady. 'The new high-speed links can create thousands of new jobs and boost regional growth, as well as providing a much needed boost for our construction and manufacturing industries.'
More on this @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21872-f0.cfm
Rail review off track
Richard Brown's Review into rail franchising has missed the opportunity to improve the UK's rail system, the TUC said last month.
The Brown report concludes that rail franchising is 'not broken', but the TUC has expressed disappointment that he appears to have joined the government in turning a blind eye to the problems of rail privatisation.
Details @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21815-f0.cfm
Sacking victims hit again
Limiting the amount of compensation employees can receive for unfair dismissal and reducing the protection for public sector workers transferred to the private sector will punish the victims of ill-treatment at work and let bad employers off the hook, unions have warned.
More on this story @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21826-f0.cfm
One in three live on the edge
Figures released in January by the Office for National Statistics showed that more than one in three people had no savings to cope with unexpected emergencies.
The TUC said the large rise in the number of people unable to afford unexpected emergencies like a faulty boiler or a leaky washing machine highlighted the day-to-day challenges many hard-pressed families are facing.
Details @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21823-f0.cfm
International Women's Day
The struggle for Arab women's rights will be the focus of this year's TUC International Women's Day event, which is to be held at Congress House on Thursday 7 March. Guest speakers will include Jalila al-Salman, who is vice president of the Bahranini Teachers' Association and who was recently freed from jail after a global union campaign.
More on IWD @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/events/detail.cfm?event=3567
Pride cometh after conference
This year's TUC LGBT conference will be held at Congress House on 27-28 June. The date has once again been fixed for the two days before the popular Pride march through London, thus enabling delegates from out of London to stay on for festival.
More on London Pride @
http://www.pridelondon.org/
Hard working pensions' pound
The TUC has welcomed the consultation on setting standards for defined contribution pensions, published in January by the Pensions Regulator.
'With millions of workers due to start saving in pensions for the first time, as auto-enrolment works its way through the workforce, this consultation is very timely', said Frances O'Grady.
Further TUC reaction @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21806-f0.cfm
Building better NEST
In other pensions news last month, a coalition of consumer groups, employer organisations and the TUC has written to the pensions minister calling on the government to lift the current legal restrictions on NEST, which impose a maximum annual contribution and forbids transfers in and out of the pension scheme.
Further details @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21865-f0.cfm
Work and Pensions Committee report on NEST @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21913-f0.cfm
Holocaust remembered
The TUC was among the many groups worldwide that marked Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January.
Held on the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, Holocaust Memorial Day aims to remind people of the crimes against humanity that took place during World War II. It also remembers more recent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur.
Additional information @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-21869-f0.cfm
Inez McCormack
Inez McCormack, the former President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and UNISON regional secretary for Northern Ireland, died on January 21 at the age of 66. She will be best remembered as an outstanding and principled campaigner for human rights, and was named by Newsweek magazine in 2011 as one of '150 women who shake the world'.
Read obituary @
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2013/feb/01/inez-mccormack
Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy, who died on 30 January at the age of 66, was UCATT executive member for London and the South East. He was his union's convenor at Islington Council direct works department - and later with Kier after the department was outsourced - and was a strong campaigner on issues such as blacklisting and direct employment.
Norrie Slater
Norrie Slater, the USDAW divisional officer for the South East, died on 3 February. He was a strong advocate of workplace learning, and was chair of the steering committee for the Community and Trade Union Learning Centre which operated on the edge of the Olympic Park in Stratford during the build up to last summer's Games.
Events
1 March Work your proper hours day
6 March TUC/IDS pay bargaining forum
7 March International Women's Day event
13 March Future for Families rally
13-15 March TUC women's conference
23-24 March TUC young members' conference
12-14 April TUC black workers' conference
15 May TUC pensions governance seminar
22-23 May TUC Disabled workers' conference
27-28 June TUC LGBT conference
More info on TUC events @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/events/index.cfm
New this month
Labour market report no.33 - briefing on employment trends - from Economic and Social Affairs dept or @ http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-21883-f0.cfm
2013 TUC Directory - annual yearbook with key listings for the TUC and unions - from Publications, price £12 or £9 for unions, with reductions for bulk orders. A free interactive pdf of the directory can be accessed @ www.tuc.org.uk/tuc_directory_2013
Hazards at Work - new edition of the TUC's bestselling guide to health and safety - from Publications, bulk discounts available for unions.
Details of TUC publications @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/publications/index.cfm
Links
Find out about union history @
http://www.unionhistory.info
http://www.unionhistory.info/workerswar/
http://www.unionhistory.info/equalpay/
http://www.unionhistory.info/britainatwork/
Check out union history on Facebook @
http://www.facebook.com/tuclibrary
Visit website of the Working Class Movement Library @
www.wcml.org.uk
Blog of anti-cuts campaign in Manchester @
http://lipsticksocialist.wordpress.com
Please email editor@tuc.org.uk if you wish to suggest a new link for the TUC website.
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