Changing Times News * Number 101 * 24 November 2008
CONTENTS
Union news: 'Work anytime' system riles meat inspectors * Childcare workers need a better deal * Concern as homeworking campaign closes * Public wants action on equal pay * Unions say women need a fair deal * NUJ campaigns to close growing pay gap * STUC has different day, same message
Other news: Gender pay gap 'still widening' * Pay inequality a 'growing injustice' * Pay audits needed to close 'dire' pay gap * UK slips down gender equality league * Better maternity pay benefits employers * MEPs vote to scrap work hours opt-out * Fair employment board starts work * News in brief
International news: Australia: Paid maternity leave 'not negotiable' * Europe: Work pressures hurt families * USA: School's $1m bill for pay equality blunder
UNION NEWS
'Work anytime' system riles meat inspectors
Meat hygiene inspectors across the UK have voted for strike action in a row over work patterns and overtime payments. UNISON, which represents about 1,000 inspectors, said members had given two-to-one backing for industrial action over proposed cuts to overtime payments as well as the introduction of new work patterns, dubbed a 'work anytime' system that could disrupt family life. Among the changes that have upset workers is a new 37-hour working week that includes overnight shifts often arranged at short notice. The planned 72-hour walkout by the government employees will 'seriously disrupt' the supply of meat in the run-up to Christmas, the union warned. 'This is a decisive vote for strike action and shows the strength of feeling of meat inspectors,' UNISON national officer Simon Watson said. 'Unless the employers abandon their plans and get back around the table to negotiate a settlement, the industry could lose millions of pounds in lost meat production in the run-up to Christmas.' The Meat Hygiene Service said it had hoped to reach a 'negotiated settlement which reflected both a fair deal for our staff' while modernising its work practices. The service is responsible for protecting public health and animal health and welfare in the UK by enforcing laws in fresh meat premises.
UNISON news release. BBC News Online. Telegraph. The Mirror. The Sun.
Childcare workers need a better deal
Childcare work is still blighted by poor pay and conditions, jeopardising efforts to improve staff qualification levels and quality of services, according to a new report from Daycare Trust and the TUC. 'Raising the bar: What next for the early childhood education and care workforce?' reveals that the government has made substantial progress in improving qualification levels of staff in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector and also in extending the range of routes to achieving qualifications. However, pay and conditions in the sector are still extremely poor with some workers being paid below the National Minimum Wage, it says. The report argues that working in the sector must be seen as a positive career choice for all people in order to recruit the most talented and committed staff. Daycare Trust joint chief executive Alison Garnham said: 'To ensure that children get the maximum benefit from early childhood education and care, staff must be offered training and qualifications and a fair and competitive rate of pay. Working with young children should be a choice not a chore.' TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'There is no justification for those working with younger children to endure such dramatically poorer pay and conditions than other professionals in the children's sector, and it is vital that early childhood education and care is seen as a universally attractive career option.' He added: 'As a first step, government should set up a high level social partnership group involving government, employers and trade unions to look at this issue and to come up with clear recommendations for improving working life for the early years workforce and their ability to deliver quality education and care for all children.' Christina McAnea, UNISON head of education, welcomed the report, adding: 'Tackling low pay in the childcare sector must be a key part of the children's workforce strategy report. To attract well qualified staff to the sector, and keep them working with children, we must have a sound career and training structure for all early years workers.'
Daycare Trust alert and publication, Raising the bar: What next for the early childhood education and care workforce? [pdf]. UNISON news release.
Concern as homeworking campaign closes
Oxfam and the TUC have warned that the closure of the National Group on Homeworking (NGH) will leave the UK's many thousands of homeworkers even more vulnerable to exploitation. Both organisations have called on the government to grant homeworkers full employment rights. Kate Wareing, Oxfam's director for UK poverty said the November closure of NGH came 'just as the economic downturn bites - meaning that more and more people are likely to turn to this type of work to earn a living.' She added: 'Half of all homeworkers receive less than the minimum wage, the majority get no holiday pay, and most work irregularly - no work when they need it, or too much work to manage. Homeworkers also lose out on unfair dismissal and rights to redundancy pay. The government must now respond to calls from NGH, Oxfam and other organisations to recognise that homeworkers are employees and should be entitled to the same rights as other workers. This includes maternity leave, holiday pay and sick pay.' Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, backed Oxfam's call and said: 'The TUC's Commission on Vulnerable Employment was shocked by the working conditions of Britain's lowest paid homeworkers. The TUC will continue to campaign to ensure all workers, including homeworkers, enjoy basic protections at work.'
Public wants action on equal pay
The government has been warned not to 'backslide' on measures to close the gender pay gap after a new poll showed widespread public support for tackling the issue. Nine out of 10 of those questioned by the Fawcett Society equality campaign group and the trade union UNISON said the government should do more to tackle the pay gap. The Labour Party's traditional advantage on equal pay was starting to slip, according to the report, with its lead over the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats on this issue falling over the past year. Around two thirds said their voting choices at the next general election would be influenced by political action on equal pay. According to the survey, 85 per cent of men and 93 per cent of women said the government needed to do more to ensure women were paid the same as men for doing jobs that required the same or similar levels of skill. The Fawcett Society said the gender pay gap meant that women would in effect be working for free from 30 October for the remainder of the year, dubbing the day 'Women's No Pay Day'. Katherine Rake, the Fawcett Society's director, said: 'This poll sends a clear message to Peter Mandelson that any backtracking on equality commitments is going against popular thinking.' She added: 'With the equality bill, Lord Mandelson has an opportunity to support measures that make financial sense during this economic downturn.' UNISON's Bronwyn McKenna said equal pay laws were 'complex, weak and ineffective' and needed to be updated. Harriet Harman, the minister for women and equality, responded that the government was 'determined to do more' to narrow the gap through the equality bill. She said the government would make public authorities report on gender pay, adding: 'We will drive equality in the private sector through public procurement and we are working with business, unions and other to make the private sector more transparent on gender pay.'
Fawcett Society No Pay Day. The Guardian.
Unions say women need a fair deal
Union organisations have backed the Fawcett Society's 'No Pay Day' campaign for pay equality. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'With our economy under strain, creating an extra £23 billion by enabling women to reach their potential at work is more important than ever. But to close the pay gap once and for all, women must face a level playing field at work. The 17.2 per cent pay gap today proves that the touchy-feely approach with employers is not working.' Mr Barber added: 'Only through decisive action, such as making employers review their pay systems and opening up flexible working to everyone, can we hope to push 'No Pay Day' back to New Year's Eve.' Civil service union PCS, at a parliamentary drop in brief for MPs on No Pay Day, highlighted the pay inequality that exists between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the Department for Transport (DfT) and the other six predominately male staffed agencies, including the Highways Agency and Driving Standards Agency (DSA). PCS says DfT has refused to investigate the pay inequality and is urging the government to get its own house in order. PCS is currently seeking a judicial review against the DfT and lodging equal pay claims. Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, commented: 'It is scandalous that a government department can preside over such glaring pay inequality that leads to a predominantly female workforce losing out on two months pay.'
TUC news release. PCS news release.
NUJ campaigns to close growing pay gap
Ninety years after journalists on national newspapers in England secured one of the first equal pay agreements, the gap between men's and women's wages is growing, according to media union NUJ. New UK government statistics showed that men with full time jobs earn on average 17.1 per cent more than women while male part-time workers trouser 36.6 per cent more than their female counterparts. The NUJ's equality officer, Lena Calvert, said the union had 'stepped up our equal pay campaign to mark the 90th anniversary of that historic agreement. I'm sure the union pioneers who negotiated parity in October 1918 would be shocked that we still have to fight for fair pay for women.' She added: 'Men suffer too - because paying women less enables employers to keep down the overall market rate.' NUJ chapels are being urged to organise surveys of their own to compare wages and to pressurise managers to carry out equal pay audits.
NUJ news release and historical pay fight and equal pay webpages.
STUC has different day, same message
No Pay Day for women across Scotland was marked on 10 November. The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) marked the day with activities to highlight the fact that women in Scotland earn 85p per hour for every £1 a man earns. This means that women work the equivalent of the last eight weeks of the year for free. The union body distributed thousands of payslips to commuters in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness to draw attention to the pay inequality. Grahame Smith, STUC general secretary, said: 'Unequal pay is a direct cause of poverty for women and children and plagues women into retirement, with only a third of women qualifying for a full state pension. Women are also battling against the 'motherhood penalty' when they combine work with caring responsibilities.' Unite's Elaine Dougall, a member of STUC's women's committee, said the committee 'is dismayed that pay inequalities have not been tackled head-on. We are calling for mandatory pay audits, so employers cannot dodge the responsibility of making sure their pay systems are not discriminating against women. The reality is also that women end up doing the majority of unpaid caring, so employers need to offer more flexible working if women are to have the opportunities they and their families need.' The committee's chair, PCS's Cheryl Gedling, added it 'recognises that women still predominate in low-paid low-status jobs and that this occupational segregation is a significant cause of the gender pay gap. The work that women do needs to be properly valued if we are to win the equal pay we deserve.'
OTHER NEWS
Gender pay gap 'still widening'
The gap between men and women's pay in the UK has started to widen again, according to official government figures released on 14 November. On average, men earn £15.54 an hour, compared with £12.88 for women. The Office for National Statistics' Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) calculates the gender pay gap at 17.1 per cent, up from 17 per cent the year before. The gap is significantly higher in the private sector, the figures show. ONS said the increase in the gender pay gap can be explained by a significant number of women moving into full-time jobs with low rates of hourly pay. This has the impact of reducing the overall growth in earnings of full-time female employees. The figures showed that a typical man's gross weekly pay was £631, compared with £485 for a woman. Median weekly earnings of full-time women employees in 2008 was £412, 21 per cent less than those for men whose median earnings were £521, unchanged from 2007. Men also worked more overtime and earned higher commissions and bonuses. The number of jobs with pay less than the national minimum wage dropped by 8,000 over the year to 288,000, just over 1 per cent of the total number of jobs in the UK. The pay gap in the private sector is now 21.7 per cent, compared to 13.8 per cent in the public sector, a difference of 7.9 percentage points.
ONS news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Financial Times.
Pay inequality a 'growing injustice'
Unions have expressed dismay at new figures showing the full-time gender pay gap has increased to 17.1 per cent and the part-time gender pay gap to 36.6 per cent. Commenting on the new Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) breakdown, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the 'shock increase in the gender pay gap shows makes the case for decisive action more pressing than ever. This is an injustice for both women and men. As redundancies mount, more women may find themselves as the sole or main income earner. It's more important than ever that they are not underpaid for what they do.' Mr Barber added: 'The pay gap is even wider in the private sector at 21.7 per cent. And research shows that private sector companies are much less willing to check their pay systems to make sure they are paying women fairly. The link between fair pay and checking pay systems is clear. The case for mandatory pay audits is stronger than ever.' Bronwyn McKenna, UNISON's director of organising, said: 'The government must grab the initiative and include tough measures in the Equality Bill to close that gap once and for all.' Kamaljeet Jandu, GMB's inclusion and equality officer said: 'GMB has been promised that equal pay audits will be part of the government's procurement policy and it is essential that audits these come into effect as soon as possible.' He added: 'The government is looking to have greater transparency in employer salary structures and pay scales so women can have the evidence to identify any pay differentials. The government is also looking to use its £180 billion spending as way of promoting equality. Women's contributions, skills and experience are equal to men's and must be rewarded accordingly.'
TUC news release. Fawcett Society/UNISON news release. GMB news release. CIPD news release. The Times.
Pay audits needed to close 'dire' pay gap
Equality groups have expressed alarm at the 'dire news' the gender pay gap has grown, and have called for urgent measures to reverse the trend. Katherine Rake, director of the Fawcett Society, said: 'In a time of economic difficulty, women have today received particularly dire news. After years of painfully slow progress in closing the pay gap, we have now actually gone into reverse gear with the pay gap widening over 2008 for women working full and part time. This sadly demonstrates that the government has failed to take serious action to combat discrimination still facing women in the labour market.' She said only 17 per cent of UK companies had voluntarily completed pay audits. Calling for amendments to the Equality Bill, she said: 'The voluntary approach is clearly not working - the time has come to require by law that organisations review their pay structures and address any discrimination.' Nicola Brewer, chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), said: 'Employers who actively seek to identify gaps not only put themselves in a far better position to take effective action, they win over the confidence and loyalty of staff who can be confident they are being treated fairly. Pay reviews of this type can also be a protection against subsequent discrimination cases.' She said 'smarter' working was part of the solution. 'Unless we embrace modern ways of working, what the business group Opportunity Now smartly called agile working, employers will continue to miss out on the considerable talents of an increasingly well-educated generation of women, who now make up almost half the workforce, as well as many others - carers, disabled people - who may not fit into this rigid model.'
Fawcett Society/UNISON news release. EHRC news release.
UK slips down gender equality league
The UK has fallen down the world rankings on gender equality for the third year running, and is now placed 13th out of 130 countries in terms of women's pay and work opportunities, political power, health and education. Last year Britain came 11th in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index, while in 2006 it held 9th place. The biggest decline in performance was in the ranking for equal pay, where Britain dropped 20 places to number 81. Report co-author Saadia Zahidi, head of the gender parity programme at WEF, said this translated into thousands of women being significantly worse off. 'There was a 4 per cent drop in wage equality in the UK in the last year, but this equates to a drop of 20 places on the rankings from 61st place to 81st,' she said. In terms of overall economic participation, which covers wages, earnings and the proportion of senior managers and professionals, Britain fell 10 places from its 2007/08 score, to number 42. Zahidi said Britain had worsening rankings due to its own declining performance and improvements made by other countries such as the Netherlands and Latvia. Overall, Britain scored 73.3 out of 100 in terms of gender equality in 2008 - a small decline on the previous year, when it achieved 74.4 per cent. WEF ranked Norway as the country with the greatest equality between the sexes, followed by Finland and Sweden. Yemen was bottom of the list, with Chad and Saudi Arabia the second and third worst performers. Earlier studies have also found Norway has the highest productivity per hour worked.
WEF news release. The Guardian and related audio clip. BBC News Online. The Scotsman.
The global gender gap report, WEF, November 2008 [pdf]. Country highlights and profiles.
Better maternity pay benefits employers
Only one in a hundred firms think statutory maternity pay is too low, with the majority already paying above the legal minimum, according to new research. Threequarters (74 per cent) of companies provide more than the statutory maternity pay requirement, a survey by Incomes Data Services (IDS) found. About half (52 per cent) of respondents think that the current statutory minimum maternity pay for women is too low, and only 1 per cent think it is too high, the survey results, published in November, showed. IDS surveyed 115 organisations, employing a total of 470,415 people. Since April 2007, all pregnant employees are entitled to 52 weeks' maternity leave regardless of the length of service with their company. Statutory paid maternity leave is 39 weeks, with only the first six weeks paid at 90 per cent of the employee's average weekly earnings, and the remaining 33 weeks at a 'prescribed rate' of £117.18 per week. There are concerns the government may delay the extension of the maternity pay period from 39 to 52 weeks. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented: 'The government should not use the recession as a reason to delay planned improvements to maternity pay and family-friendly working. Increasing maternity pay would not be a huge extra cost to business and would help companies recruit and retain highly skilled female employees.' Commenting on the IDS survey, he said: 'This shows that many companies see the benefits of paying their female staff a decent level of maternity pay. But many women whose employers only pay the statutory minimum find they cannot afford to stay off work for long and are forced to return soon after the birth of their children.'
TUC news release. Personnel Today.
MEPs vote to scrap work hours opt-out
The TUC has welcomed a decision by the employment and social affairs committee of the European Parliament to scrap the Working Time Directive opt-out within three years. Commenting after MEPs on the committee voted on 5 November by 35 votes to 13 to end the option for workers to sign away their right to a 48 hour ceiling on the working week, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Workers across the UK will be heartened by the committee's vote to end the opt-out from the 48 hour week.' Mr Barber added: 'The vast majority of long hours workers want to move to a better work-life balance and are hungry for change. Today's vote is a welcome step towards ending the opt-out and the pressure will now be on the European Parliament to ratify the decision next month.' GMB general secretary Paul Kenny commented: 'This is a very significant day for UK workers. Labour MEPs should be congratulated for standing up and ensuring that UK workers get the same rights as the rest of their fellow workers across Europe. Dignity and decency has won over ignorance and greed. There are a number of steps to go yet until the opt-out is ended and GMB will be lobbying to ensure the vote in the European Parliament in December goes the same way.' The amendments proposed by the committee will be considered at a plenary session at the European Parliament's December meeting, and will need an absolute major vote to be adopted.
European Parliament news release. TUC news release. ETUC news release. GMB news release. The Guardian. Trade Union News from Finland.
Fair employment board starts work
Business groups, unions and the government joined forces on 5 November for the first meeting of the Fair Employment Enforcement Board. Ministers say the board will lead the fight to protect vulnerable workers from the minority of unscrupulous employers who exploit their staff and undercut their competitors. Among its key functions is coordinating the work of the existing enforcement bodies covering low pay, safety and gangmasters. New measures include allowing these enforcement agencies to share data. Employment relations minister Pat McFadden said: 'We must safeguard workers' rights and ensure unscrupulous employers cannot prey on those who are desperate to earn a living in difficult times. Denying workers basic rights on wages, leave and conditions is not only illegal, but cheats the majority of honest businesses. These practices must be stamped out.' TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'We welcome these moves to improve enforcement of existing rights and make sure that workers and their bosses know their rights and obligations. A single contact point and closer joint working were calls made by the TUC Commission and we are pleased to see the government respond.' Katja Hall, CBI's director of employment policy, said: 'The UK has a strong and extensive framework of employment law and there should be no hiding place for rogue employers who block their staff from benefiting from it.'
BERR news release. TUC Commission on Vulnerable Employment.
Agency workers: You're your rights. BERR information booklet [pdf].
NEWS IN BRIEF
Rail problems: Rail unions RMT and TSSA have urged nearly 100 Eurostar train managers to vote for industrial action after the company imposed new rosters, breaching an agreement which requires new shift patterns to be negotiated and approved by reps. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: 'Our members are angry that the company is attempting to undermine their ability to balance their working and home lives, and it is time for Eurostar to step back and talk.' TSSA news release.
Flexible doubts: The government is dithering on the issue of new flexible working laws, an article in Personnel Today suggests. The consultation on the government's response to the review of flexible working by Sainsbury's HR director Imelda Walsh closed on 17 November - Walsh recommended extending the right to request to parents of children of up to the age of 16 - but officials questioned by the magazine were unable to confirm whether a decision would be made this side of Christmas. Personnel Today.
Wales action: Men in Wales earn on average £13.38 an hour, compared to £11.68 for women. Katy Chamberlain, the chief executive of Chwarae Teg, the agency for the economic development of women in Wales, said its Agile Nation protect 'will work to address some of the issues underlying the gender pay gap, such as inequality, gender stereotyping, flexible working and quality part-time jobs.' Chwarae Teg news release.
Wales women: New figures reveal a drop in the number of Welsh women running new businesses, but an equality body says the case for women dropping out of the rat race and becoming their own boss has never been stronger. Bev Pold of women's economic development agency Chwarae Teg said: 'Where there are limited employment opportunities, self-employment allows you to take control and gives you independence and flexibility,' adding: 'You can also work from home and juggle your time around your caring responsibilities.' Chwarae Teg news release.
Business survival: Flexible working is a vital tool for business survival, according to a briefing from work-life balance charity Working Families. Chief executiveSarah Jackson said: 'Flexible working is one of the most effective tools which a business can use to retain staff; to avoid the costs, complexity and risk of redundancies; and to focus on maintaining motivation, commitment and performance.' Flexible working in a recession, Working Families, November 2008 [pdf].
Equality pays: A North East Equality Standard is to be launched at a conference at the Centre for Life in Newcastle upon Tyne on 5 December 2008. Equality North East says the standard will help small and medium-sized firms in the region improve their equality and diversity competence when seeking to contract for work with the public sector. TUC briefing. Conference details.
Poverty warning: Ministers should rethink or delay plans to force lone parents, disabled people and the long-term jobless to seek work, a senior government adviser has said. Sir Richard Tilt, head of the social security advisory committee, said reforms in Wales, England and Scotland could 'push people into poverty' as unemployment rises. BBC News Online.
Downturn bullies: The TUC has warned the economic downturn could lead to more bullying at work. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'We urge employers to look at their working culture and policies to ensure that whenever bullying rears its head at work, it is stamped out straight away.' TUC news release and TUC safety reps survey 2008. CWU news release. Ban Bullying at Work Day. Andrea Adams Trust. BBC News Online.
Hard shirkers: Employers should sort out unhealthy jobs before they start lecturing workers about their lifestyles, according to a new report in the trade union journal Hazards. The report says that 'workplace wellbeing' approaches, instead of addressing job insecurity, long hours, monotony, staffing shortages, sedentary work and excessive workload, increasingly look exclusively at modifying workers own personal habits, adding: 'Strapping on a pedometer or signing up for a lunch-time diet programme will be of limited use if the worker is still spending 10 hours a day working frantically in front of a computer or a production line.' You big fat liars, Hazards magazine, number 104, 2008.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Australia: Paid maternity leave 'not negotiable'
Australian union federation ACTU has outlined the immediate economic and social need to include an 18 week paid maternity leave scheme in the 2009 Federal Budget, in its latest submission to a Productivity Commission Inquiry into Paid Parental Leave. 'At a time of global financial uncertainty, it is more important than ever to invest in the future strength of the Australian labour market,' said ACTU president Sharan Burrow. 'Paid maternity leave is an important and overdue reform. It will provide a solid foundation for economic growth by ensuring women have a secure connection to the workforce while being able to take sufficient time out when they have a baby. It will also provide immediate relief to families, 60 per cent of which rely on two incomes to pay bills, mortgages or rent.' She added: 'Paid maternity leave means women can be with their babies without financial stress or worrying about losing their job. It also means they can return to work in good physical and mental health.' Currently, Australia and the United States are the only OECD countries without a national system for paid maternity leave.
ACTU news release and full submission [pdf]. ABC News. The Australian.
Unions NSW is asking people to send their own video messages to Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, showing their support for the paid parental leave campaign. Video campaign details.
Europe: Work pressures hurt families
Almost half of workers in Europe are too tired as a result of their jobs to do household tasks and many can't meet their family responsibilities. Dublin-based EU agency Eurofound's second European Quality of Life Survey (2EQLS) found 48 per cent of citizens in paid employment in the EU27 say that at least several times a month they are too tired as a result of their work to do household jobs, while nearly one in four (22 per cent) say they are too tired several times a week. A significant minority of workers say they have difficulties in fulfilling their family responsibilities because of the amount of time they spend in work: almost one in three (29 per cent) indicate that this happens at least several times a month, and for over one in 10 (11 per cent) this is the case several times a week. The survey found women are more likely to report involvement in caring activities on a daily basis, also spending much more time on domestic duties. In the EU27, women report spending 33 hours per week, and men over 18 hours, in caring for and educating children, while women spend 18 hours per week cooking and doing housework, compared to 10 hours per week for men. Eurofound's survey of quality of life in Europe is based on more than 35,000 face-to-face interviews with people aged 18 years or older.
Eurofound news release and resumé of the 2nd European Quality of Life Survey.
USA: School's $1m bill for pay equality blunder
A US school is facing a compensation bill of almost $1m after victimising a worker who raised concerns about unequal pay. A Cleveland jury returned a unanimous verdict against Lake Ridge Academy, finding that the employee was unlawfully fired in retaliation. The verdict in the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit came after testimony proved that James Whiteman was fired in retaliation for opposing sex-based wage discrimination. The jury awarded back pay of $50,000, front pay of $50,000, and compensatory damages of $500,000. While the jury was deliberating the matter of punitive damages, the parties agreed to settle the case for a total of $950,000. Whiteman had been employed at the preparatory school as chair of an accreditation study and was fired after requesting information from Lake Ridge's head of schools and the chief financial officer regarding possible pay inequity. He had noted that males were being paid more than females with a similar education and work history. EEOC regional attorney Jacqueline McNair said: 'The jury's verdict in this case should make it clear to employers that retaliation has no place in the work environment.'
Newsletter (5,400 words) issued 24 Nov 2008
