Search

Attention: industrial, political, business correspondents, planning desks

Wanted - an agenda for the workplace

In his 2004 New Year message TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber challenges Britain’s politicians to produce an agenda for the workplace and recognise the positive role that unions play in promoting social justice and securing economic advance.

'Work is central to most citizen’s lives. The workplace is where we spend much of our time. Our job is an important part of our identity. For some it is a place where we are properly rewarded for fulfilling work that uses our full potential. For others it is where we are exploited for poverty pay. And for the vast majority it is somewhere on the spectrum in between these two extremes.

'Labour’s Big Conversation offers unions a chance to set out an agenda for the workplace as we influence government. The other parties will also be thinking about their policy platform as elections approach. Unions should challenge them to say what they will do to improve the quality of working life. This is not just important because it matters to everyone at work, but because the quality of relationships at work contributes to the wealth creation that sustains all our economic activity and public services.

'So what would a new agenda for the workplace look like?

'Most of all I would urge a new way of thinking that really recognises the purpose and potential of modern unions, especially the role we have to play in creating a fair, efficient and prosperous society.

'We next need to ask how to go beyond full employment. While we do not have full employment in every region and in every community, in large parts of the country we do. This is one of this Government’s great achievements, but it should not be the end of the story. Too many jobs in the UK are badly paid, do not really use the full potential of staff, and are insecure and casual. We need to hear what more can be done to attack poverty, and ensure work is better rewarded and more fulfilling.

'One way is to give a big boost to child-care. This will give parents much more choice about their working patterns. It will help tackle child poverty if parents get the chance to earn more. And quality child-care will benefit children, and in turn that produces wider benefits for society both today and tomorrow as a new generation gets a better start in life.

'People want more of a voice at work, and this helps boost productivity and efficiency. Investors in People report that while 74% of bosses think they involve staff in their business, only 44% of employees agree.

'Thanks to Europe, Information and Consultation rights will come on stream from 2005. We need to hear whether politicians will really make the most of these as a tool to modernise the workplace. Do they want to use them to their full potential to make both private and public organisations both more efficient and a better place to work?

'This needs to be part of a wider effort to improve productivity so that we can provide high skill, high reward jobs. We lag behind many of our competitors, and there is no single cause, but improving relationships at work, organising work better, and smarter managers are all part of the solution.

'Equality is not a reality at work, despite real strides. Women with part time jobs earn just 60 pence for every pound earned by a full time male worker. Do politicians want to close that pay gap? Do they want to reduce the overt and indirect racism, and provide jobs for people with disabilities that want to work?

'Do politicians understand that too many people at work complain of stress and long hours? How will they respond to the TUC’s ‘It’s about time’ campaign, featured elsewhere. In particular will they start to enforce working time rights, stop public holidays counting against Europe’s minimum four weeks of paid holiday and will they end the opt-out that allows UK employers to pressure staff to sign away working time rights?

'The low level of skills is a key ingredient in our economic weakness. Is there room for a really imaginative initiative here that gets many, many more people developing new skills? We know what went wrong with Individual Learning Accounts, but there is no doubt they worked as a tool to attract many more people into learning.

'The pensions crisis has not gone away. The challenge is to ensure decent pensions provision for all when people reach the end of their working lives. This is a huge issue - and it requires a bold and determined response, with every employer playing a part, as well as every worker, and the government too.

'This adds up to a huge agenda for government, unions and employers, ideally to tackle together. Real progress has been made in recent years - although there have also been real disappointments - but it is now time to develop a new broad agenda for the workplace.'

Notes to Editors:

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Register for the TUC's press extranet: a service exclusive to journalists wanting to access

pre-embargo releases and reports from the TUC. Visit www.tuc.org.uk/pressextranet

- A series of TUC rights leaflets are available on our website and from the know your rights line 0870 600 4 882. Lines are open every day from 9am-9pm. Calls are charged at the national rate.

Contacts: Duty press officer at embargo will be Nigel Stanley (pager 07699 755102)

Over the Christmas and New Year break the duty press officers are Nigel Stanley (up to and including 29 December) who can be paged on 07699 755102 and Liz Chinchen (30 December - 5 January) who can be paged on 07699 744115.

Press release (1,000 words) issued 30 Dec 2003