Changing Times News * Number 88 * 7 September 2007
Changing Times News is the TUC's fortnightly online bulletin on work-life balance issues. Visit the website at http://www.tuc.org.uk/changingtimes
Edited by Rory O'Neill of Hazards magazine. Comments to Jo Morris. To unsubscribe or subscribe to this bulletin, click here. Past issues are available
CONTENTS
Action : How's the quality of your working life?
Union news : Facing up to the age of Facebook * Call for 'Community Day' off * TUC wants a crackdown on rogue agencies * Study reveals exploitation of migrant workers * Talks start on lean working
Other news : New Year shopping ban study dropped * UK workers 'get least paid leave' * Tory plan for red tape 'tax cut' * Work is 'the biggest sleep robber' * News in brief
Events : Unions and the new CEHR conference, 9 October, Cardiff * Equalities and diversity conference, 17 October, London
Resources : MomsRising means action * Working time flexibility in Europe
International news : Finland: More time off preferred to little more pay * New Zealand: Call for 13 months parent leave * Sweden: More fathers should feel the benefit * USA: Best firms still bad on parental leave * Global round-up
ACTION
How's the quality of your working life?
The TUC is linking up with the University of Portsmouth to assess how workers gauge their quality of working life. It wants Changing Times News readers to take part in the university's national online survey on issues including working hours, flexibility and the pace of work. The quick survey will help the TUC to hone its campaigning and recruitment strategies. Previous research has suggested that trade union members are more likely to perceive injustices at work, so tend to rate their quality of working life rather pessimistically. The national launch of the survey is scheduled for the autumn, but Changing Times Newsletter readers are invited to take part in a preview. The survey only takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete. We will then be able to let you know whether CTN readers' views on working life are typical or, as we expect, leading the debate.
Fill out the online survey now - it is quick and easy. Individual responses are completely confidential. If you've questions about the survey, contact Dr Julian Edwards, Applied Psychology Unit, University of Portsmouth.
UNION NEWS
Facing up to the age of Facebook
The UK's Facebook users are 3.5 million accidents waiting to happen, warns the TUC in new advice for both employers and their staff. In guidance available on workSMART, its working life website, the TUC advises employers that they should have in place policies covering the use of email and the web, including social networking sites, at work. The TUC advice says whilst employers are completely within their rights to forbid staff from using sites such as Facebook, MySpace or Bebo in work time, a total ban may be an over-reaction. Instead the TUC suggests that sensible employers, realising that their staff spend much of their waking hours in work and lead busy lives, should be trusted to spend a few minutes of their lunch break 'poking' their friends or making plans for outside work. The guidance accepts that employees are paid to do a job, and it is clearly not acceptable for someone to spend hours a day on social networking sites when they should be getting on with their work. However, policies drawn up with the involvement of staff can set out will be and what will not be allowed. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Simply cracking down on use of new web tools like Facebook is not a sensible solution to a problem, which is only going to get bigger. It's unreasonable for employers to try to stop their staff from having a life outside work, just because they can't get their heads around the technology. Better to invest a little time in working out sensible conduct guidelines, so that there don't need to be any nasty surprises for staff or employers.' The TUC also warns that employers who take equal opportunities in recruitment seriously should not be tempted to check out the profiles of job applicants on Facebook.
TUC news release and briefing for employers [pdf]. TUC advice for employees.
Call for 'Community Day' off
The TUC and voluntary sector organisations have stepped up their campaign for a new Community Day holiday in October to celebrate the contribution community and voluntary groups make to the fabric of Britain. TUC, together with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Volunteering England, Community Service Volunteers and the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action say that among other aims, the new bank holiday should be used to: Encourage people to volunteer and get involved with community groups and activities - not just on the day, but on a continuing basis; provide an opportunity for community and voluntary groups to publicise their work and develop new activities to engage their communities; and give an opportunity for voluntary groups to have days of action and local communities to hold gala days and other activities aimed at increasing and celebrating community spirit. TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'A new Community Day would plug the long gap between bank holidays, give parents a day off at half term but most importantly provide a real celebration of what's best about Britain - the strength and cohesion provided by people getting involved in communities and voluntary groups, including unions.' Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), said: 'We badly need a national day on which we can celebrate the inspirational work that voluntary and community organisations do throughout the year. By demonstrating the impact and scope of the sector, it would also encourage more and more people to engage in community activity to build their skills and most importantly help transform other people's lives. I hope Gordon Brown will make this a priority.'
TUC wants a crackdown on rogue agencies
Rogue employment agencies are ignoring employment laws without much fear of getting caught, the TUC has warned. It is calling on the government to look at new ways of finally bringing irresponsible employment agencies to task. Commenting as TUC made its submission in August to a Department for Business (BERR) consultation, TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'Government needs to come down far harder on unscrupulous employers who are consistently flouting the law and underpaying their workers.' In its submission, TUC says it welcomes government proposals to strengthen the enforcement regime for Employment Agency Standards (EAS) inspectors. Measures put forward by the government include increasing the EAS powers of access and inspection to enable them to do their jobs more effectively and allowing for offences to be tried in the Crown Court rather than the Magistrates Courts. TUC said these measures are 'long overdue following a proliferation of rogue employment agencies in recent years.' It said exploitative practices the TUC has discovered include denying workers statutory annual leave and holiday pay, insisting that workers put in illegally long hours, ignoring health and safety law, arranging accommodation for migrant workers that is overcrowded or unfit for human habitation, making illegal deductions from pay, failing to ensure that employees' income tax and national insurance contributions are paid and charging migrant workers fees or bonds for their placements. The TUC response to the consultation says the problem is now so acute that employment agencies need to be licensed, the Employment Agencies Standards Inspectorate needs better resources and agency workers need better rights as well as better enforcement of existing rights. A TUC survey conducted in May 2007 found that few agency workers are aware of the EAS inspectorate's existence.
TUC news release. Wales TUC news release. BERR employment agency standards webpages. TUC Commission on Vulnerable Employment (CoVE).
EAS Enquiry Line: 0845 955 5105 (Monday to Friday 9.30am-4.30pm).
Study reveals exploitation of migrant workers
Thousands of Polish and Lithuanian workers are being exploited at work in the UK, a September report commissioned by the TUC has revealed. Since 2004 when 10 new states joined the EU, more than 475,000 Polish and Lithuanian workers have come to work in the UK. This study by Compas, a research unit based at Oxford University, shows that most found insecure and poorly paid employment, with more than half of those surveyed encountering problems at work. A quarter of the workers in the study reported having no written contract, a figure that rose to nearly a third amongst agency workers. The study also found migration has re-introduced the 'tied cottage' - where employers provide accommodation at a cost and use it to increase their control over migrant workers. Nearly a third of the workers in the report were living in accommodation provided by their employer, and as a result endured excessive hours - due to their employment being linked to where they lived - and poor living conditions. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'This study reveals systematic abuse of migrant workers which is tantamount to modern day slavery. Too many unscrupulous bosses are getting rich by exploiting migrant workers and the full force of the law should be used against those profiting from such appalling ill treatment.' A new TUC guide, 'Living and working in the UK: Your rights', written with the Citizens Advice service, gives advice for new arrivals on living in the UK and on possible problems at work. The guide summarises key employment rights.
TUC news release. BBC News Online.
Living and working in the UK: Your rights [pdf]. EU members? Migrant workers' challenges and opportunities to trade unions: A Polish and Lithuanian case study [pdf]. TUC Commission on Vulnerable Employment.
Talks start on lean working
Long-running industrial action by civil service union PCS over the deskilling of work in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been suspended following the department's agreement to hold what the union termed 'meaningful talks.' PCS says industrial action being taken by members in processing offices in the dispute over new 'Lean' working systems will be suspended up to 19 September. The dispute, which has been running for over a year, was prompted by staff concerns that the lean management systems had led to a culture of corporate bullying and deskilling. The union said the approach was turning staff into 'robots'. A PCS statement on the latest developments notes: 'No agreement is going to mean the end of Lean, but a sufficiently robust agreement will allow us to tame it and ensure that PCS members currently in dispute are no longer disadvantaged.' It adds: 'Solid support for action from members and branches over the last 12 months has been instrumental in allowing us to return with confidence to the negotiating table. If it is necessary to recommence action, we will do so with renewed resolve and determination, significantly stepping up activities and publicity, and seeking to raise again the key issues with ministers and decision makers.' PCS concerns include individual monitoring, restrictions on flexible working and annual leave, and problems obtaining regular display screen equipment breaks. The union wants an independent evaluation of lean working.
OTHER NEWS
New Year shopping ban study dropped
Planned research into the possible impact of a ban on big shops in Scotland trading on New Year's Day is to be scrapped, it has been announced. Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, said a ban would hit tourism and burden businesses with red tape. MSPs voted in March in favour of legislation which will see big stores banned from opening on Christmas Day, but which left open the question of New Year's Day trading. Mr MacAskill said the £110,000 needed for this research would not be spent, and depicted this as a business-friendly move. But his decision was attacked by Labour MSP Karen Whitefield, who said shopworkers would feel betrayed. Urging him to reconsider, Ms Whitefield, who has championed the union-backed holiday move and who launched the original legislation, said: 'It seems that the SNP in power are quite a different party to the one before the election.' Mr MacAskill said the Executive had a 'strong commitment' to Scottish business. He added: 'Such a ban on trading at New Year would have a major impact on efforts to market and promote Scotland as a tourism destination at New Year and could harm Scotland's international competitiveness, adding yet more regulations to our businesses.' Unions condemned the move. John Hannett, general secretary of the retail union Usdaw, said: 'The business community say it would have a negative impact on the Scottish economy and the tourist trade, but Usdaw says it can find no evidence that this would be the case and over 90 per cent of our members told us opening stores would have a negative impact on their Hogmanay.' He added: 'The SNP have badly let down thousands of retail workers and their families who will now be writing once again to their MSPs to call on the SNP to overturn this short-sighted decision. Usdaw is convinced that the study would have found in favour of members which we can only assume is why it's being scrapped with no consultation.' STUC general secretary Grahame Smith said: 'The purpose of the Christmas Day and New Year's Day Trading Bill, introduced by Karen Whitefield MSP and supported by Usdaw, was to ensure that the creeping commercialisation of an important Scottish holiday could not take place and that vital family time for hard working and often low paid Scots was protected.'
Usdaw news release. STUC news release. The Scotsman.
UK workers 'get least paid leave'
The UK is set to stay at the bottom of the league for holiday entitlement in the European Union even after a rise to 28 days in April 2009, according to latest figures. Incomes Data Services says the UK will still lag entitlement elsewhere, which ranges from 28-29 days in the Netherlands to 39.5 days in Denmark. The UK entitlement will be raised in two stages, initially going up to 24 days from October 2007. 'The new regulations are clearly aimed at preventing the practice of including the current eight bank holidays in the minimum entitlement - whereby some employees effectively got just 12 days' annual leave,' said Ken Mulkearn, editor of IDS Pay Report. However, even though they will get more paid holiday, UK full-time workers will still not have any legal right to avoid working on a public holiday if their employer wants them to. The EU's Working Time Directive gives workers in all member states a minimum of 20 days paid leave - but public holidays should be on top of this. Despite being bottom of the EU holiday league, the UK is still well ahead of many other developed nations. In Canada and Japan, workers are guaranteed only 10 days of paid leave per year while the USA does not have any legal minimum for paid leave.
IDS Pay Report 983, August 2007. BBC News Online. The Independent.
Tory plan for red tape 'tax cut'
Tory leader David Cameron is looking at plans to cut £14bn in red tape and regulation for UK businesses - and women workers could be some of the biggest losers. The plans were put forward in August by John Redwood - one of the most senior figures on the Tory right and chair of the party's Economic Competitiveness Policy Group - who called them 'a tax cut by any other name.' The Working Time Regulations are among measures on Redwood's 'red tape' target list, with the report saying they should be repealed. The proposals have been criticised by trade unions and some business groups. TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'Mr Redwood's proposals add up to a pretty extreme package of proposals that will hit people at work - particularly working women. Opting out of the Social Chapter would end the right for working parents to take emergency unpaid leave when a child is ill. Repealing the Working Time Regulations would end the right to take four weeks paid holiday - a measure that has mainly helped low paid working women.' She added: 'You cannot support these measures and also claim to back better work-life balance. Neither of these could happen without the agreement of the EU. As it impossible to see every other EU government agreeing to these special exemptions for the UK, they could only be implemented if we left the EU. Nor should we believe the claimed savings. This would depend on mainstream employers who do not need these regulations to provide reasonable conditions for their staff cutting back to the level of the bad.' Grahame Smith, STUC general secretary, said: 'Any mature analysis of the UK's competitive position would recognise that 'red-tape' is a complete red-herring. The UK is not over-regulated as is clearly demonstrated by every international survey on the matter. The UK is currently sixth out of 175 countries in the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' rankings and tops the OECD list of lightly regulated nations.' David Yeandle, deputy director of employment policy at manufacturers' body EEF, said that no-one had asked businesses' opinions, adding there 'is no great demand to get rid of existing employment legislation'. He told Personnel Today: 'I would have hoped that they would have consulted with us on this,' adding: 'I am sceptical on whether it will work - and I have not heard many people saying they want these laws scrapped.'
TUC news release. STUC news release. BBC News Online. UNITE news release. Personnel Today.
Conservative Party Freeing Britain to compete webpages and Economic Competitive Policy Group full report [pdf].
Work is 'the biggest sleep robber'
Time spent at work is the single most important lifestyle factor that impacts on sleep, a new study has reported. US researchers found the more hours you work the less sleep you get. Those who got less than four-and-a-half hours sleep a night worked an average of 93 minutes longer on weekdays and 118 minutes more on the weekend. Commuting time ranked second, above socialising and leisure time, for eating into sleep time. The study in the September issue of the journal Sleep included nearly 48,000 US participants. They were surveyed on three different occasions - in 2003, 2004 and 2005 - and asked how they spent their time between 4am the previous day and 4am that day. Those who slept 11-and-a-half hours or more worked an average of 143 minutes less on weekdays and 71 minutes less on weekends than the average sleeper. The age group that slept the least and worked the most was 45- to 54-year-olds, Dr Mathias Basner, of the University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues found. Dr Basner said more work was now needed to measure what impact long working hours encroaching on sleep might be having on health. Jessica Alexander from The Sleep Council commented: 'Survey after survey confirms that people are burning the candle at both ends more and more, with no let-up on increasingly global working environments that demand long working hours and 24/7 leisure opportunities.' She added: 'Eventually business, government and the medical profession will have to give sleep as much priority in their healthy living messages as diet and exercise - if not more.'
American Academy of Sleep Medicine news release. Mathias Basner and others. American Time Use Survey: Sleep time and its relationship to waking activities, Sleep, volume 30, issue 9, pages 1,085-1,095, 2007 [abstract]. Washington Post. Time. BBC News Online.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Congress news : If you want to know the work-life policy ideas buzzing around TUC's Congress, to be held from 10-13 September in Brighton, check out the dedicated Congress 2007 webpages. You can also find out what TUC has been up to over the last year in the TUC General Council report, which includes this: ' Best practice and new resources on work life balance are circulated amongst af?liates and the wider media community through the TUC regular e-news on work life balance Changing Times News, which continued to increase its circulation numbers and is the second most used TUC e-news resource.' TUC Congress 2007 webpage. More on the TUC Congress - see the final agenda [pdf]. General Council Report.
Uncivil working : Research for the union PCS found 45.8 per cent of workers surveyed put in between 40 and 48 hours, with more than half of those surveyed experiencing difficulties balancing work and their family and private life. Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: 'It smacks of double standards, with the government promoting work-life balance policies, when over half those surveyed experienced difficulty in balancing their work and family/private life.' PCS news release.
Time for reps : Better trained, more effective union reps are good for workplaces, the TUC has said, as the government prepares to give its response to a consultation on facilities time for workplace reps. Sarah Veale, head of equality and employment rights at the TUC, said reps needed time for training on complex workplace issues such as flexible working, adding: 'Where union reps work well, they will keep disputes out of tribunals - good employers recognise this.' Personnel Today. Workplace representatives consultation.
Tribunals up : The number of cases brought to employment tribunals in Great Britain in 2006/07 rose by 15 per cent, from 115,039 in 2005/06 to 132,577. Of the claims accepted, 44,013 were equal pay claims and 21,127 related to breaches of the Working Time Regulations. Tribunals Service news release.
Caring response : Prime minister Gordon Brown has announced a new Standing Commission on Carers. The move was welcomed by Imelda Redmond, chief executive of Carers UK, however she added: 'We need a radical overhaul of the benefits system and the ways in which we support carers to remain in work.' DH news release. Transcript and recording of the prime minister's speech. Carers UK news release and extract from the prime minister's speech.
Diverse opinions : The proposed Single Equality Bill fails to go far enough to achieve either the simplification or consistency necessary to achieve real progress, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD) has warned in its response to the government's consultation. CIPD diversity adviser Dianah Worman said CIPD research 'shows legislation is one of the main drivers of diversity, so getting this Bill right is essential if it is to support the progress of diversity.' CIPD news release.
Women's rule : Women are expected to be the household's breadwinner in a quarter of homes by 2030. A report from National Savings and Investment (NS&I) found that women are increasingly contributing towards the household income and taking control of financial decisions, a dramatic shift from the 1950s. Century of Saving Report 2007. Personnel Today.
Flip flop flap : Conservative leader David Cameron has distanced himself from a Tory policy group that recommended paid leave for all parents and an extra three bank holidays a year. The radical proposals were drawn up by the 'general wellbeing policy group' appointed by Mr Cameron to come up with ideas on how to improve quality of life in Britain, but within hours of the document being leaked in August, the Tory leadership insisted none of the ideas would become official policy. Daily Mail.
Sabbatical fanatical : A report from Norwich Union says 25 per cent of workers are planning a sabbatical in the next year and the rest believe they're entitled to one. It found 72 per cent believe employers will have to offer sabbaticals in order to attract and retain staff. The Guardian.
Lunch folly : One in five workers does not take any lunch break, according to research by pollster YouGov. The survey, conducted for business services firm Croner, questioned 1,234 people and found that 19 per cent of respondents do not take any time off in the middle of the day. Personnel Today.
Tea trolley : A survey of 1,000 office staff for recruitment agency Office Angels showed a break to buy tea and cakes from a trolley - a regular feature of offices in the past - would help motivate them. Other traditions that workers want revived include a subsidised canteen, an annual works outing, and, above all, having a full hour's break for lunch. BBC News Online.
Relieve me : Bus drivers are relieved authorities have agreed to speed-up the introduction of toilets along London's bus routes. Members of bus drivers' union Unite said Transport for London (TfL) and bus operators needed to provide more toilet facilities for drivers on routes and in the workplace - and won the concessions as a result of a 23 August protest day. This is local London. TUC/Hazards toilet breaks campaign. Unite news release. BBC News Online.
Secret moonlighters : A survey of more than 1,400 people by personal finance specialist The Motley Fool has found that 7 per cent of respondents have two jobs as well as their regular day job, with seven in 10 saying their main employer is unaware of their other jobs. Personnel Today. The Guardian.
Emails overload : More than a third of workers say they feel 'stressed out' by the number of emails they receive in the office and the pressure to respond promptly. Researchers in Scotland found some workers are viewing their inbox up to 40 times each hour, leaving them tired and frustrated - as well as unproductive. Glasgow University news release. The Observer. BBC News Online. The Times. The Telegraph.
Screen breaks : More frequent breaks from screen-based work reduce fatigue and increase productivity, US government researchers have found. They reported: 'Data-entry speed was significantly faster with supplementary breaks so that work output was maintained, despite replacing 20 min of work time with break time.' Traci Galinsky and others. Supplementary breaks and stretching exercises for data entry operators: A follow-up field study, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, volume 50, issue 7, pages 519-527, 2007 [abstract].
Rogue agencies : A firm that failed to pay migrant agricultural workers for 35 days and had its licence revoked by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), demonstrates the positive enforcement role that should be extended to rogue agencies in other sectors. TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady said 'the only long term solution is for the government to close this loophole and get tough with rogue agencies in whatever sector they work, and give agency workers new rights against the exploitation that is all too common in the sector.' GLA news release [pdf]. Unite news release. TUC news release. The Guardian. BBC News Online.
Proud kids : Nearly three times as many children (46 per cent) said that they actually liked their mum or dad going to work, compared to those who didn't (16 per cent), according to research for Jobcentre Plus. Denise Nixon, a specialist lone parent adviser at Jobcentre Plus, said: 'Our specialist advisers can advise lone parents on anything from flexible working to childcare, so get in touch with Jobcentre Plus to get the full picture.' DWP news release.
National day : The Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) has called for a British national day as an extra bank holiday on the Monday after Remembrance Sunday each November. Kate Stanley, ippr director of research, said: 'We need a day when people 'give something back' to their communities and celebrate the diversity and pluralism of modern Britain'. IPPR news release.
EVENTS
Unions and the new CEHR conference, 9 October, Cardiff
On 1 October the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) will start work, replacing the existing equality commissions. Wales TUC says this change is important for union officers, reps and members. It says unions will want to ensure the CEHR's strategy and work programme has the interests of people at work at its heart. 'We will also want to make sure the CEHR continues to support union reps in the workplace with advice and information,' it adds. Wales TUC has organising a 9 October one-day conference to look at how the new equality body can work with unions. The conference will also debate planned changes to discrimination law. Significant time will be dedicated to workshops on different equality subjects. Speakers will include Neil Wooding, CEHR commissioner for Wales, TUC assistant general secretary Kay Carberry and Chris Myant, director of the Wales Commission for Racial Equality.
Unions and the new CEHR, 9.30am-4.00pm, 9 October, All Nations Centre, Cardiff. The conference is free and lunch is provided. Note: Anyone who registers but does not attend without giving notice will be charged £10 to cover administration costs. If you would like to attend, email Val Kuck for an application form.
Equalities and diversity conference, 17 October, London
A 17 October conference organised by work-life balance organisation Working Families will examine how equalities and employment legislation will support business enterprise. The programme for the 'Great Expectations: the future for equalities and diversity policy and practice' event includes debates on gender and equalities, views from the legal and employer perspectives and case studies from the public and private sector. Keynote speakers include Frances O'Grady, deputy general secretary of the TUC and Surinder Sharma, national director for equality and human rights at the Department of Health. Working Families chief executive Sarah Jackson said 'we have a new government and the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights, both signalling new approaches to diversity and equality. It has never been more timely to consider the future for diversity and equalities policies and practice. This conference will underline the compelling business evidence on the importance of diversity in building a successful organisation, and will ask whether the UK workplace is really ready to deliver'.
Great Expectations: the future for equalities and diversity policy and practice, Canary Wharf, London, 17 October 2007. Working Families events page. Conference fee: £300 plus VAT for Working Families members and £375 plus VAT for non members. To book, email Rebecca Christie or telephone 020 7017 0066.
RESOURCES
MomsRising means action
US campaign group MomsRising says it is working toward cultural and political change to build a more family-friendly America. It says its grassroots, online effort is mobilising mothers, and all who have mothers, across America as a cohesive force for change. Started in May 2006, MomsRising already has over 120,000 citizen members - a number is says is growing by thousands each month. MomsRising 'aligned organisations' include women's organisations, family advocacy groups, mother's organisations, child advocacy groups, unions, health care organisations, parenting groups, the faith community, and many other organisations which share its aim to build a family-friendly America. The group has an impressive website, crammed with useful ideas and resources and details of how to get involved in campaigns.
MomsRising webpage, further details and work webpage.
Working time flexibility in Europe
A new report from the Dublin-based European thinktank Eurofound examines working time flexibility. It says working time arrangements can have a significant bearing on the efficiency and productivity of companies as well as the health, wellbeing and motivation of their employees. This report provides an insight into the working time flexibility arrangements currently in place in companies across Europe. It is based on analysing the findings of a large-scale, representative survey carried out in establishments with 10 or more employees in 21 European countries in 2004/05. The report looks at how countries differ in their application of flexible working time systems. It analyses the perceived impact of such arrangements on company performance in terms of economic success and employment stability or growth.
Working time flexibility in European companies, Eurofound publication notice, including link for the full report.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Finland: More time off preferred to little more pay
Finnish workers would rather have five more days off annually than receive a two per cent pay rise. This is the result of a survey commissioned by the Union of Salaried Employees. A clear majority of respondents in all age groups preferred the 'five more days off annually' option. The large support for extending leisure periods did not come as a surprise to union president Antti Rinne - the same trend had been identified in recent surveys carried out among rank and file members. However, the findings reveal a shift in values from those that prevailed some time ago, Rinne said. He interprets this as being due to the ever-increasing demands being made on labour, in particular the frenetic pace of work. In the present bargaining round the union is aiming to secure proper pay rises and a 40 hour cut in annual working hours. The union is currently bargaining for new collective agreements in 40 industries, in sectors including technology, building, forestry and chemicals and communications.
Trade Union News from Finland.
New Zealand: Call for 13 months parent leave
A New Zealand government-convened commission has called for the official parental leave policy to be extended so that more people are eligible for more support. Rajen Prasad, chief commissioner of the Families Commission, said: 'The current provisions are moving in the right direction. However we recommend that by 2015 parents are provided with a total of 13 months paid leave, including a month's paid leave for fathers. Parental leave would continue to be fully funded by the government.' The commission's new report draws on national and international research and experiences to make a series of recommendations. These include widening the eligibility criteria, introducing longer periods of paid leave and increasing the amount that can be paid. Dr Prasad said: 'Further extending the support given to parents through parental leave is an investment in the economy and in families.' He added: 'Financial pressure is the main reason why many mothers do not take up their full year of job-protection leave. Our recommendations will help make this transition easier.' The recommendations have been welcomed by unions. Carol Beaumont, secretary of national union federation CTU, said economic, social and demographic changes 'mean that we need to maintain high workforce participation of all groups, including parents. In the context of an ageing population, maintaining productivity and labour force participation requires greater effort to accommodate those with family responsibilities. Extending parental leave is an important part of the changes we need to make.' She added: 'As well as supporting an increase in the length of paid parental leave the CTU also advocates for an increase in the level of payment as the vast majority of workers face a drop in income when they go on parental leave, and broadened eligibility for women in precarious work such as seasonal and casual work.'
Families Commission news release, report summary [pdf] and full report [pdf]. NZCTU news release. Finsec news report.
Sweden: More fathers should feel the benefit
An increase in parental leave benefits in Sweden has had only a modest impact on take up by fathers of parental leave days, official figures suggest. In 2006, parental leave benefit increased from SEK 24,800 (£1,790) to SEK 33,000 (£2,384) a month. The intention was to motivate more fathers to use extra days for parental leave. The study by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency shows that fathers are generally improving their use of parental benefits, but so far the increased benefit rates has had only a modest impact. Women still take on more childcare responsibility and the gender gap remains at the same level. National union confederation LO Sweden has welcomed the benefit reforms, but has identified two obstacles to achieving greater equality in the labour market. Firstly, employers tend to offer lower wages to women than to men, since they assume that women may take longer parental leave than men do. Secondly, this wage difference also impacts negatively on equality within a family as it further strengthens the uneven division between unpaid and paid work when women and men become parents.
USA: Best firms still bad on parental leave
Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of the best employers for working mothers in the US provide four or fewer weeks of paid maternity leave, and half (52 per cent) provide six weeks or less. A new factsheet from the Washington DC-based Institute for Women's Policy Research says nearly half of the best companies fail to provide any paid leave for paternity or adoption. IWPR's analysis is based on data provided by Working Mother Media, publisher of Working Mother, regarding the 2006 list of Working Mother 100 Best Companies. Dr Heidi Hartmann, president of IWPR, commented: 'Most workplaces are falling short on a basic work/life benefit: paid parental leave.' And Dr Martha Burk, director of the Corporate Accountability Project of the National Council of Women's Organizations, said: 'It is very disappointing that the majority of companies, even those lauded as exemplary, are offering such paltry maternity benefits. Since many working women depend on ratings of the best companies, I would support Working Mother setting a higher bar. Companies should make 'family friendly' mean something more than a public relations slogan.' Dr Barbara Gault, director of research at IWPR, said there was pressure for change. 'Policy makers and activists at the local, state, and national levels are working to improve benefits for working parents,' she said. 'California already has up to six weeks of partially paid family care leave for all workers, Washington State will have a programme on-line by 2009, and many other states and localities are looking at new legislation.'
IWPR news release [pdf]. IWPR parental leave factsheet [pdf].
GLOBAL ROUND-UP
Reaching agreement : An Australian study has found equal employment opportunity (EEO) programmes and industrial agreements create, respectively, minimum conditions for gender equity and work-family balance, but this is no substitute for further laws to enshrine work-life balance rights. The researchers concluded that 'having an organisational EEO programme and workplace agreement is no guarantee that work and family measures will be introduced at the workplace.' Aequus Partners newsletter. Burgess, J and others. Work and family balance through equal employment opportunity programmes and agreement making in Australia. Employee Relations, volume 29(4), pages 415-430, 2007 [abstract].
Laws needed : 'Legislation is needed to send a clear message to workers that it's okay to put your hand up and request flexible working hours, and that your employer will need to consider that request seriously,' according to Carol Beaumont, secretary of New Zealand's Council of Trade Unions (CTU). She said it tended to be senior staff that benefited at the moment and added: 'Research has shown that fear, real or perceived, is a major difficulty workers face when asking for flexible work, making it hard for them to approach their manager or organisation.' NZCTU news release.
Proactively diverse : New Zealand's trade union movement 'sees better recognition of the need for work-life balance as part of the changes necessary to create a sustainable economy providing high-skill, highly productive and high-waged work, and to meet the changing needs of the workforce and workplaces,' according to Carol Beaumont, secretary of national union federation CTU. 'There is an essential role for unions in achieving work-life balance, through bargaining for improvements in collective employment agreements that support work-life balance, seeking changes in the legal minimum code and through workplace partnerships,' she said. NZCTU news release.
Building unions : International building unions' federation BWI has adopted a global programme that addresses the needs and priorities of women workers and has also committed itself to continuing support of women and young people. A plan for 'gender mainstreaming' requires the reorganisation, improvement, development and evaluation of decision making processes in all policy fields and areas of work of BWI. BWI news report.
Productive analysis : A new International Labour Office (ILO) report indicates that the US still led the world in labour productivity per person employed in 2006. However, it says Americans work more hours per year than workers in most other developed economies which is why, measured as value added per hour worked, the relatively under-worked Norwegians have the highest labour productivity level (US$37.99), followed by the United States (US$35.63) and France (US$35.08). ILO news release. Key Indicators of the Labour Market, Fifth Edition. Video - Interview with Lawrence J Johnson on KILM. Video - East Asia, Productivity Growth Story of the Decade.
US workers : Latest US Census Bureau figures show only 76 per cent of workers receive paid holidays and just 15 per cent have access to employer assistance for childcare. There were 82.1 million men and 70.7 million women in the US labour force in May 2007. US Census Bureau news release.
French hours : France's president Nicolas Sarkozy has told the employers' organisation Medef he wants to go 'much further in loosening up the 35-hour' working week. Mr Sarkozy was elected in June on a platform of economic reform and has been working at a furious pace to push through new legislation since then. BBC News Online.
Burnout blownout : New official guidelines aimed at reducing sick leave in Sweden have come under heavy criticism from a top government psychiatrist. Jörgen Herlofson, who devised the criteria by which job burnout is defined by Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare, condemned new recommendations, due to come into effect in October, which mean people with burnout or mild depression will not be given sick leave at all. TT/The Local on the sick leave changes and the related criticism.
Enslaving migrants : Conditions in remote Australian workplaces, where foreign workers are given jobs while their families stay in their home country, are so harsh that a leading immigration expert has condemned them as 'akin to slavery.' Professor Bob Birrell from Monash University added: 'That derives from the fact that these people are cowed into believing that if they move away from their contract they will have to go home.' The Age news item and in-depth report. Sydney Morning Herald news report and 'Dead men working' special video report. ABC Online.
European gender : The European Women's Lobby has welcomed a European Commission commitment to tackle the gender pay gap. One of the measures proposed in the EC communication is for member states to 'set objectives and national deadlines for reducing the pay gap between women and men'. European Women's Lobby newsletter.
Fear factor : Low paid women are too afraid to speak up about illegal or unfair work conditions or request changes to their hours in case they get sacked under Australia's WorkChoices laws, which greatly reduced employment protection. An academic report, 'Women and WorkChoices: Impacts on the low pay sector', concludes: 'Women describe being more fearful, less able to speak up and with a weaker capacity to contest illegal or unfair conditions.' Women and WorkChoices: Impacts on the low pay sector, Jude Elton and others, Centre for Work and Life, HRISS, 2007. See Centre for Work and Life publications page for summary and full report. The Age.
Flexible working : A study of flexible working approaches at the Insurance Australia Group (IAG) has found 'positive outcomes for both individuals and the organisation through the use of flexible work options.' IAG commented: 'Flexibility means creating a balance between the needs of our business, our customers, our employees and the teams they work in,' adding 'this means flexibility in relation to: when work is done (eg. varying start and finish times and part-time work), where work is done (eg. working from home) and how work is done (eg. sharing jobs and restructuring jobs to meet different timing needs), providing different career paths and opportunities for development, as well as flexibility in thinking and decision-making.' Aequus Partners newsletter.
Newsletter (7,300 words) issued 7 Sep 2007
