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Changing Times News * Number 71 * 31 March 2006

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

Union news : Bosses denying dads flexible working hours * Unions welcome landmark holidays ruling * Modern unions tackle work-life balance * Stop the red tape whinge, TUC tells employers

Other news : New strategy to protect vulnerable workers * Campaigners welcome childcare measures * Bosses put back-to-work mums at bottom of list * Young women apprenticed in low pay * News in brief

Action : Slivers of time

International news: Canada: A woman's work may never be done * Europe: Returning to work after childbirth * Ireland: Unions call for legal right to flexible hours * Sweden: Working time after parental leave * Global round-up

UNION NEWS

Bosses denying dads flexible working hours

Growing numbers of men are rejecting the culture of working long hours in favour of spending more time at home, according to a TUC study. It reveals a social revolution is taking place as fathers become increasingly involved in bringing up their children. Men are a substantial and fast-rising proportion of those seeking their employer's permission to work flexi-time, with shorter hours or fewer days. But they face more obstacles to securing a better work-life balance than women, the research found. In the last two years 1.2 million men, around 10 per cent of the male workforce, have asked their employer if they can work flexibly. That is far less than the 2.3 million women (19 per cent) who have sought the same change in their hours, but a big increase on previous years. The figures are from 'Out of time: why Britain needs a new approach to working-time flexibility', an examination of Britain's changing work habits produced for the TUC. It concludes the UK has much to learn from elsewhere in Europe where flexible working is more heartily embraced by employers, and is something for which all employees, and not just those with small children, can consider applying. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Many UK bosses are too short-sighted to grasp the fact that a flexible approach to work is not something to fear as expensive and irritating, but a change which makes sound business sense, both in terms of company profits, and staff recruitment and retention. The UK's long hours culture will never be challenged if it's only parents and carers who can ask to change their hours, and if it remains all too easy for inflexible employers to say no.' He added: 'By accepting flexible work requests from their female employees but not from their male staff, employers are helping reinforce the gender pay gap, when instead they could be enabling young dads to play a more active role in the raising of their children.' Jo Morris, the TUC's work-life balance policy officer, said: 'More men are seeking the right to switch to working flexi-time, a nine-day fortnight or four-day week so they can be around to help their children and partners. And even more would do so if the rules on flexible working were changed so that all workers, not just parents, could do that.'

TUC news release. The Observer. Personnel Today.

Unions welcome landmark holidays ruling

The union GMB has won a European Court of Justice ruling that rolled-up holiday pay is unlawful. Rolled-up holiday pay is when holiday money is paid as part of the normal weekly wage, a situation which currently affects large numbers of construction industry workers, casual workers, people doing shiftwork or those engaged on short term contracts, meaning that they receive no pay when they take holiday leave. However, in a case taken by GMB, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that this breaches the Working Time Directive which entitles all workers to a minimum of four weeks' paid holiday. Graham Coxon, the GMB Lancashire region organiser who lodged the case, said it had been a seven year struggle to get the ruling and 'shows that GMB is unstoppable when it comes to fighting for the rights of working people.' He added: 'This ruling means that holiday pay and ordinary weekly wages for a working week have to be kept separate. In future all workers will be entitled to paid holiday in addition to their ordinary wages at an agreed accrued rate.' Commenting on the ruling, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'In the past it has been all too easy for employers to say they are paying staff for their holidays without in reality ever coughing up an extra penny. Thanks to union campaigning, up to a million construction workers and agency temps should now start to get the proper holiday entitlement and pay to which they are entitled.' UCATT general secretary Alan Ritchie said: 'The government must now properly enact Article 7 of the Working time Directive into UK law. That can only mean that rolled-up holiday pay is illegal.'

GMB news release. ECJ news release [pdf]. J C Caulfield -v- Hanson Clay Products, formerly Marshall Clay Products Ltd. ECJ Judgment. TUC news release. UCATT news webpage. Press and Journal.

Modern unions tackle work-life balance

Innovative projects to help trade unions adapt to the challenges of the modern workplace have received backing from the government. The initiatives that have won £3m funding from the government's Union Modernisation Fund include several work-life balance and equality initiatives. The Wales TUC plans to promote awareness of equality issues in partnership with other advocacy groups. It says research will be carried out on the needs of disadvantaged workers, an awareness drive will promote the new discrimination legislation in 2,500 workplaces, union equality reps and equality officers will receive diversity training and a network for equality bodies and union officers to share best practice will be established. The union TGWU has received support for a project to develop guidance and support for workplace union equality reps, to be piloted in partnership with employers in workplaces across a range of sectors. And a pilot project to be run by journalists' union NUJ will establish, organise and train a network of equality reps and will raise awareness of equality issues throughout the union. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'This welcome support will help unions provide a quality service in the modern world of work to the benefit of their members, employers and the wider economy. This fund demonstrates the wide recognition of the importance of unions in the modern workplace. British business gets direct public spending support every year.'

DTI news release. Union Modernisation Fund.

Stop the red tape whinge, TUC tells employers

The TUC has hit out at employers' groups that complain about the burden of 'red tape' but exaggerate its cost and fail to state which regulations they would like to see abolished. It says that the deregulation campaign is based on 'spin, smoke and mirrors' and a refusal to say which employment, consumer and environmental protection measures they want to axe. 'Slaying the red tape myths' shows that employer lobbyists deliberately confuse the administrative costs of regulations, that might legitimately be called red tape, with the costs of implementation. It adds that the red tape rhetoric does not accurately reflect the views of businesses - a detailed DTI survey of a representative sample of small business showed that twice as many backed new employment rights as found them a burden. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the employer lobbyists lose support the moment they start saying that essential protection for people at work is no more than red tape. 'Nor do they have any evidence to suggest that the UK economy has been held back by regulation or that British business is affected more than in other countries,' he said. 'The red tape campaign is spin, smoke and mirrors. It's time employer lobbyists put up or shut up. They should tell us they want to abolish the minimum wage, paid holiday rights and cleaner vehicle emission standards or stop calling them red tape.' The report tackles the myth that 'regulation has hit jobs' - it says the truth is that employment has increased across the UK economy including in low paid sectors where employment regulation has more effect.

TUC news release. The Guardian.

OTHER NEWS

New strategy to protect vulnerable workers

A government strategy aims to protect the most vulnerable workers from rogue employers. The new approach, which sets out to ensure all workers benefit from extended employment rights introduced by the government, is spelled out in a DTI strategy paper, 'Success at work - protecting vulnerable workers'. Trade and industry secretary Alan Johnson said: 'The new rights we have introduced are taking root - from the National Minimum Wage to the right to four weeks annual leave. This means we can now concentrate our enforcement on the minority of bad businesses who take advantage of the most vulnerable workers, further protecting such workers and benefiting legitimate companies.' He said the government would fulfil its commitment to make time equivalent to bank holidays additional to annual holiday entitlement. The strategy acknowledges that many of the most vulnerable people currently have no choice but to eat into their existing four weeks entitlement if they wish to take a day's leave on a bank holiday. New measures would be introduced to identify rogue employers and to improve telephone and online advice to workers. Commenting on the new strategy, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'We welcome these firm pledges to press ahead with Labour manifesto commitments such as ending the loophole that allows UK employers to include bank holidays as part of Europe's minimum paid holiday entitlement.' He added: 'Flowing through this document is a recognition by government that a significant minority of the UK workforce faces real exploitation at work. We look forward to working with government to end abuse, and, no doubt, resisting employer attempts to pull its teeth.'

DTI news release. TUC news release. Success at work.

Campaigners welcome childcare measures

New measures in the Chancellor's budget to improve childcare have been welcomed by advocacy groups. Initiatives announced on 22 March include: an increase in the value of the tax and national insurance exemption on employer-supported childcare such as childcare vouchers from £50 to £55; £8 million of new capital grants across two years to help small and medium sized businesses establish workplace nurseries, which are tax exempt for employees; an increase in the proportion of costs covered in the childcare element of the Working Tax Credit from 70 per cent to 80 per cent; and additional funding to enhance lifelong learning opportunities for women in training and employment. Commenting on the childcare aspects of the budget, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'The continuing focus on childcare and childcare support is particularly welcome. From this April the childcare element of the Working Tax Credit will be increased to cover up to 80 per cent of childcare costs (up to a maximum of £240 per week) which will be of particular benefit to low to middle income families. Furthermore, the Chancellor has recognised that employers have a role to play in supporting the childcare needs of their workforce and the TUC welcomes the introduction of capital grants for SMEs to provide workplace nurseries. The recent focus on childcare vouchers has seen some workplaces shut their on-site childcare support and replace them with vouchers. This initiative may help to reverse that trend.' Jenny Watson, chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said: 'The Chancellor's announcements on childcare, and on better training for low-skilled women, are a welcome step in the right direction, but we need more investment in better careers information and advice when young people make job choices. Government itself needs to encourage better access to flexible and part-time working at senior levels.' She added: 'Our polling proves that support for parents and carers is an important political battleground amongst voters. It's the key to the kingdom for whichever party gets it right.'

HM Treasury news release. Full Budget speech, HM Treasury. Daycare Trust news release. EOC news release. BBC News Online, quick guide to the budget and full budget webpages.

Bosses put back-to-work mums at bottom of list

Mothers face more discrimination in finding a job than any other group, according to an interim report from the government-commissioned Equalities Review. Women returning to work after starting a family experience the highest 'personal employment penalty' of any group in society, according to an analysis of labour market trends by Professor Richard Berthoud, a research fellow at the Institute for Economic and Social Research at Essex University. The research found they are about 40 per cent less likely than the average white, able-bodied man to be offered a post. Pakistani and Bangladeshi women face 'a penalty' of 29 per cent; for the disabled the figure is 16 per cent. Women with children under 11 and a partner are 37 per cent more likely to be unemployed, while the figure for lone mothers in the same situation is 41 per cent. The research was prepared for the Equalities Review, commissioned last year by Tony Blair and led by Commission for Racial Equality chair Trevor Phillips. It is probing why serious inequality and poverty persist, despite decades of anti-discrimination policy and law. Trevor Phillips said: 'We are moving in the right direction, but inequality still persists. For example, women with children are by far the least able to get a job when compared to men with children or to single men and women. This Review shows where we need to focus our efforts to ensure that all of those who are disadvantaged in some way are given the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute to a vibrant and successful UK economy.' He added: 'We would welcome any comments which could contribute to our final report and recommendations later this year.' A final report will be published in the autumn of 2006 which will make public policy recommendations to deal with the causes and effects of inequality.

The Equalities Review news release. The Equalities Review website. ISER news release. Personnel Today.

Persistent employment disadvantage 1974-2003, Richard Berthoud and Morten Blekesaune, ISER Working Paper 2006-9 [pdf].

Young women apprenticed in low pay

Many young women are starting their careers with an inbuilt pay disadvantage thanks to an apprenticeship pay gap. The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) says its pay survey shows female apprentices aged 16 to 25 earn 26 per cent less than their male equivalents. The equality watchdog is asking the government to report on the action it is taking to tackle gender stereotyping in careers advice and training, action which the Women and Work Commission flagged as crucial if the pay gap is to be closed. EOC says the pay gap is primarily due to the types of training young men and women do. In the best paid sectors, electro-technology and engineering, nearly 100 per cent of trainees are male. The worst paid sectors, early years care and education and hairdressing, are almost entirely female. Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC said: 'Young women taking on Modern Apprenticeships are getting good training for the pay gap in later life; they face a shocking 26 per cent pay gap and alarming discrepancies in payment for overtime working. Apprenticeships should be a great route into work. But financially they are not working for women. Almost half of young women working in the early years field fall below government's target pay rate of £80 per week.' She added that 'we also need to ask why pay rates in the fields of early years and health and social care, where women predominate, are so low. We cannot continue to undervalue these fields, traditionally seen as 'women's work', if we want to ensure we have a skilled workforce for the future.'

EOC news release. Women and Work Commission.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Work Wise Week : Organisations and employees across the UK are being invited to take part in Work Wise Week from 3 to 9 May 2006 to help create a 'smarter' working Britain. The TUC-backed initiative is asking them to spend the week trying out smarter working practices, such as flexible working, mobile working, remote working and working from home, so they can see for themselves the benefits and practicalities of this modern day approach to working. Work Wise Week, 3-9 May 2006, news release and website.

European caught : A UK civil servant has taken her landmark equal pay case before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg. Prospect member Bernadette Cadman is taking her employer, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), to the ECJ after she discovered she was paid less than the average salary of male colleagues on the same grade; a judgment is expected late this year. Prospect news release. Personnel Today.

Sticky floors : Women's pay is still lagging behind that of men - by between 12 per cent and 23 per cent across the countries of Western Europe - according to new ISER research. But the study also reveals that the average figures typically hide 'glass ceilings' and 'sticky floors': there are larger differences at both the top and bottom of the pay scale, so that both high-and low-paid women are doing even worse compared with their male counterparts than is suggested by the average gap. ISER news release.

Women working : Women's employment in the UK has increased from a rate of 56 per cent in 1971 to 70 per cent in 2005 according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. This equates to 4 million more women in work over the last 35 or so years, with some of this increase driven by the rise in working mothers. National Statistics news release. Labour Market Review 2006.

Union women : Women workers in the UK are now more likely to belong to a trade union than men, according to government figures. The DTI statistics show 29.9 per cent of women workers were union members in 2005, with the proportion of men in unions at 28.2 per cent. DTI news release. TUC news release. BBC News Online.

Engineering equality : Only 1 in 4 apprentices qualifying last year was female, reports the union GMB. The union's national secretary for engineering Keith Hazlewood said employers' habit of overlooking women in the sector was contributing to skills shortages, adding: 'Experience has shown that where women are recruited to traditional craft jobs... conditions have improved for the whole workforce.' GMB news release.

Asda price : GMB members are calling on Asda Wal-Mart boss Sally Hopson to practice what she preaches as a member of the Women and Work Commission. A 1 April protest plan in support of members employed in Thornaby Asda was prompted by the introduction of new rotas which require staff to work three Saturdays out of four per month; many staff are women who took the job because it was advertised as weekday working and their family responsibilities mean that they are not able to work weekends. GMB news release.

Divorce time : A husband's long hours have become the fastest growing reason for women to seek a divorce, even if they do not suspect infidelity, new research shows. The Dutch research into changing reasons for divorce shows that while violence and adultery broke up post-war couples, modern women judge a marriage by the amount of quality time they spend together, with the percentage blaming overwork for their divorce more than trebling. Personnel Today.

Fat chance : Juggling a partner, children, relatives, friends and a boss may mean some mothers have no time for exercise, warns physios' union CSP. It is urging working women to stop putting exercise on the backburner and incorporate time spent with children with physical activities to help boost energy levels and keep in overall good shape. CSP news release.

Calling dads : Fathers Direct is offering free telephone advice of up to 15 minutes per call 'to workers and managers trying to engage with fathers, or attempting to make their organisation or and service father-inclusive.' The telephone support is provided by Fathers Direct trainers. Fathers Direct report. Advice available by email or phone 0845 634 1328.

Family guy? An Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) poll has shown David Cameron's Conservative Party has the greatest credibility gap with voters on issues that affect the modern family. When asked which party was the most or least credible on balancing work and family life and on support for parents and carers, almost 40 per cent of respondents rated them as 'least credible' in both cases, far more than for Labour. EOC news release.

Hours cut : A report claiming Britain's long working hours lead to an unhealthy, unproductive workforce has been launched by Green MEP for London Jean Lambert. Mrs Lambert, vice-chair of the Green Party in the European Parliament and co-ordinator of the committee on employment and social affairs, called on the UK government to end the UK opt-out option from the working time directive's 48 hour working week ceiling. Jean Lambert MEP news release. I must work harder? Britain and the working time directive [pdf].

Retail response : Retail staff and their union Usdaw are celebrating after a parliamentary Early Day Motion opposing any extension of Sunday trading hours topped 200 signatures. 'This massive vote of confidence highlights that there is serious opposition in parliament to extending Sunday trading hours,' said Usdaw general secretary John Hannett. Usdaw news release. Sunday opening EDM 1085.

Scottish santas : Retail union Usdaw's elite Santa hit squad were joined by their trusty reindeer Rudolph to launch a new parliamentary bill that aims to stop big stores in Scotland opening on Xmas Day and New Year's day. Rudolph and the Usdaw Santas helped Airdrie and Shotts MSP Karen Whitefield formally introduce the bill into Holyrood that will ban big stores opening on two of Scotland's most important festive holidays. Usdaw news release.

ACTION

Slivers of time

A new government-backed programme will enable individuals to 'sell spare hours to local employers'. The 'Slivers-of-Time' service is designed for individuals who can only be available for work around other commitments in their life, for example childcare, job-seeking, incapacity, studying, freelance work or caring for a dependant adult. It is open to any employer and any individual. Just launched in east London, the service will roll out across the UK throughout 2006. A dedicated website says: 'Slivers-of-Time is a new way of working. You list the hours you would like to work and local employers buy them.' It adds: 'The Slivers-of-Time programme is funded jointly by the UK government and private companies. It's low profile at the moment but working with far sighted government agencies, employers and recruitment agencies to launch a new way of working for the UK.' Programme organisers are keen to talk to union officers with a particular interest in the impact of technology based services on working hours.

Slivers of time website. Contact Slivers-of-Time, Newham Town Hall Extension, 3 Nelson Street, London E6 6EQ. Tel: 020 8548 8379.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Canada: A woman's work may never be done

Broad social changes are forcing Canadians to rethink their traditional ideas about retirement, according to an official report. 'New frontiers of research on retirement,' published by Statistics Canada, says the post-war baby boom generation - the vanguard of whom turns 60 this year - has caused fundamental changes in every social institution it has touched, with retirement no exception. The study found boomer couples are increasingly unlikely to retire at the same time. Women have a much larger role in family financial health than their mothers did, and so many are unwilling to retire alongside their husbands if this means taking a cut in how much pension income they will receive. According to studies cited in the Statscan report, women tend to look at retirement as a time to pursue avenues such as volunteer work and care giving, rather than just collect a pension. As such, they tend to complete the transition from work to retirement much quicker than men. Leroy Stone, the Statscan report's lead author, said it's hard to think of anything that'll have a greater impact on social and corporate policy in the next five to 10 years than the coming wave of boomer retirees. The changes that need to be implemented to prepare for this shift - everything from more flexible retirement plans to different marketing strategies - aren't the kind that can be implemented overnight.

New frontiers of research on retirement, Statistics Canada, report summary. Globe and Mail.

Europe: Returning to work after childbirth

Across Western Europe, just 25 per cent of mothers return to work before their child is a year old. But as the child gets older, things are dramatically different across countries. In the UK, 50 per cent of mothers are already working by the time the child is 2 years old; but in Ireland this does not happen until the child is 3 and in Italy not until the child is 4. These are among the findings of new ISER research by Chiara Pronzato, which looked at women's employment after childbirth. The study uses the European Community Household Panel survey, which has followed samples of households in different European Union countries over eight years. Focusing on women who had a child during the survey and following them over time, Pronzato found that the time mothers take before returning to work depends, to different degrees, on their qualifications and skills and on their rights to parental leave. Mothers in countries with long parental leave - three years in Austria, Finland, France, Germany and Spain - tend to delay their return. But in some of these countries, there are strong incentives for women not to give up their careers, like job protection, maternity benefits and preservation of pension and seniority rights. Women in Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK tend to choose part-time work so as to balance work and family life while their counterparts in southern countries tend to work in small family enterprises or without a permanent contract. The report concludes that flexible employment arrangements can help women participate in the labour market - but they could lower the rewards from working and have a negative impact on women's future careers.

ISER news release. Employment decisions of European women after childbirth, summarised in Taking the Long View, the 2005/6 Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) Report [pdf].

Ireland: Unions call for legal right to flexible hours

Ireland's unions have slammed intransigent employers after new figures showed that 80 per cent of the Irish workforce is denied flexible working arrangements. National union federation ICTU said the situation left working mothers facing 'impossible choices'. ICTU assistant general secretary Sally Anne Kinahan said: 'Employer intransigence is leading to a high female 'dropout rate' as many working mothers face impossible choices in trying to reconcile work and family life.' She added: 'Despite repeated promises on the introduction of greater flexibility, this has not happened. It appears the only effective way to ensure it does is to make flexible working a statutory right - which Congress will be demanding in the current round of social partnership talks.' Official statistics show some 80 per cent of the Irish workforce has no discretion over start and finish times to the working day. According to Ms Kinahan, these latest figures refute repeated employer claims that the majority of Irish workers benefit from flexible working arrangements. She added: 'As a result skilled and trained women are forced to prioritise family over work. The long-term impact is to deepen gender inequality as they either leave employment, or choose lower-paid part-time options. Enlightened self-interest alone should inform employers that driving skilled workers from the workforce, at a time of labour shortages, is not exactly a bright idea.'

ICTU news release. Daily Ireland.

Sweden: Working time after parental leave

Significant differences exist in the proportion of Swedish women working full-time before and after taking parental leave for their first child, trade union research has found. Swedish Trade Union Confederation LO examined the working time of men and women, both manual and professional workers, before and after taking parental leave for their first-born child. It found more female manual or non-professional workers work part-time than all other groups, both before and after parental leave; female professional workers account for the largest decrease in working time after taking parental leave; and there is no significant decrease in working time for men after parental leave, either for professional or for manual workers. According to the report, in 2004 mothers took 81 per cent of the total parental leave, while fathers took only 19 per cent. This is equivalent to 14.3 months for mothers and 1.7 months for fathers. For fathers, this figure represents an increase of 7 per cent since 1994. However, about 20 per cent of fathers did not take any parental leave, the union analysis of official statistics found.

European Foundation news release.

GLOBAL ROUND-UP

Changing patterns : A new study has found that 9-to-5 working is an increasingly foreign concept to Canadian workers. The Statistics Canada survey looked at the working hours of 25- to 54-year-olds between 1997 and 2001 and found only about one in three workers, or 32 per cent, worked a 'standard' full-year, full-time work year in every year between 1997 and 2001, while only 20 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women worked the exact same hours in each year. Toronto Star.

Temporary situation : Temporary work agencies in the former EU15 countries employ the full-time equivalent of 1.3 per cent of total employment, according to new research from the European Foundation. It found temporary work levels range from 0.3 per cent in Denmark to 2.6 per cent in the United Kingdom, with high levels also in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. European Foundation news release and full report.

Financial gains : Two of the largest Spanish banks, BBVA and Banco Popular, are the first companies in Spain's financial services sector to introduce plans aimed at a better work­life balance. The wide-ranging plans have been negotiated with the unions CC.OO and UGT. European Foundation news release.

Older Europeans : A new International Labour Office study on working conditions and terms of employment for older workers in Europe examines issues including working time and the hidden realities behind the link between work and family life. Using the 1980 ILO older workers recommendation as a framework, the paper explores these conditions of work and employment issues in greater depth.

ILO publication notice. Conditions of work and employment for older workers in industrialized countries: Understanding the issues, Conditions of Work and Employment Series No.15, 2006 [pdf].

Italian jobs : Parental leave and sick leave arrangements in Italy are taken up by about 40 per cent of eligible women and 5 per cent of eligible men. The report by the Italian national statistics office reveals that while the proportion of women working in paid employment is growing, women still carry out almost 75 per cent of household work and finds that a substantial number of applications for parental leave from male workers have been turned down by the employer. European Foundation news release.

Keep trucking? The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) has joined with other US advocacy groups in a legal bid to block an extension to truckers' working hours. The official rule, issued last August, increases the number of hours truckers can drive to 11 each day from 10 and allows truckers to drive up to 60 hours in a seven-day period or 70 hours in an eight-day period. ITF news release.

Newsletter (5,400 words) issued 31 Mar 2006