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Changing Times News * Number 102 * 15 December 2008

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: Forty-eight hour opt out must go * Care and support should be free for all * Term time contracts hurt women * Union ballot on imposed rosters * Rail unions to fight job cuts and zero hours * TUC secret Santa emails some seasonal cheer * TUC unions in the community survey

Other news: Go ahead for more equality and flexible working * Don't treat claimants like scroungers * Single parents need help not threats * Parents face 'time poverty' from benefits changes * Dads welcomes childcare workforce strategy * Decade of delay for women directors * News in brief

Resources: Working women worldwide * CLC pay equity resources * Redundancy advice from the TUC * UK politicians on childhood futures

International news: Australia: Women unite for paid parental leave * USA: Unions deliver massive benefits for women * Global round-up

UNION NEWS

Forty-eight hour opt out must go

Ending the UK's opt-out from Europe's 48 hour average working week would cause business little difficulty, the TUC has said. A TUC report published on 15 December, ahead of a vote at the European Parliament on the working hours rule, says the move would also improve the health and safety of long hours workers and reduce the risks of accidents caused by overtired and stressed workers. The report, Ending the opt-outs from the 48 hour week- Easy steps to decent working time,says that the UK is still the long hours capital of Europe, with one in eight workers (12.7 per cent) regularly working more than 48 hours a week. However, well over one in three workers (37.6 per cent) only work one or two hours more a week, says TUC, adding small adjustments to these jobs would easily allow a 48 hour limit to be introduced. Commenting ahead of the European Parliament vote this week on the working hours rule, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Our report shows that the impact on business of ending the opt-out is much exaggerated. Many workers only work a few hours over the limit and employers would get plenty of time to adjust.' He added: 'Long hours working makes people ill and it is no surprise that most long hours workers want to reduce their hours, relieving the pressure on their families. The government's own research shows that individuals are not given a real choice about opting out, and that the law is hardly enforced. What the government describes as an individual opt-out is in reality no choice at all for many long-hours workers.' STUC general secretary Grahame Smith said: 'If people are having to work for long hours to make ends meet - a problem that all trade unionists understand only too well - then the answer is to ensure they are being paid a living wage.'

TUC news release and report, Ending the opt-outs from the 48 hour week- Easy steps to decent working time [pdf]. PSI news release.

Care and support should be free for all

England's care and support system must be made fit for the future and should be free at the point of use and funded like the NHS from general taxation, the TUC has said. The call comes in a TUC response to a government national debate, which ran from May and has just closed, about the long-term future of social care and support in England. The TUC submission also looks at the government's 'personalisation' agenda in public services and concludes that this has the potential to promote choice and control, dignity and respect - provided that personalised provision is chosen freely by service users. The paper also insists that personalisation must not be confused with marketisation and should not be used as a way to save money. The TUC argues that any changes to the social care system should be considered with the workforce in mind - and not as afterthought. It says too many social care occupations are characterised by low skill levels, low pay and very high staff turnover. There is a need for an Agenda for Change system for the social care sector, emphasising skills development as the visible expression of a new commitment to valuing staff, it says.

TUC news release and full submission [pdf]. The case for change - why England needs a new care and support system, Department of Health webpage.

Term time contracts hurt women

A union is calling for action to redress term-time only contracts, which it says discriminate against low paid, often female, workers. In evidence on public sector pay to the Scottish parliament's finance committee, GMB Scotland told MSPs that over 27,000 local government workers in Scotland are paid less than £6.00 per hour. The union said many of these workers are women who work on term-time only contacts for 44 weeks per year. They receive on average only £5.06 per hour when their hourly pay of £5.98 is averaged out over 52 weeks rather than the weeks for which they are in receipt of pay. Alex McLuckie, GMB Scotland's senior organiser for public services, told the MSPs: 'GMB Scotland has been concerned for some time now that local authorities in Scotland have had a policy of delivering a low wage economy in local government. It is the men and women in the lowest grades, many working part-time and term time only, who are affected most by this deliberate strategy by the employers.' He added: 'GMB Scotland has concerns that suppressing the pay of the lowest paid workers comes at a time when reports show that the gap between the richest and poorest in Scotland is growing.'

GMB news release.

Union ballot on imposed rosters

Members of rail union RMT working in the control room of Docklands Light Railway are being balloted for industrial action over the imposition of new rosters. The RMT ballot, which closes on 22 December, follows Serco Docklands' unilateral decision to replace 12-hour weekend shifts with eight-hour duties, which the union says will deprive around 30 staff of 24 rest days a year. 'This is a straightforward and unacceptable attack on our DLR members' working conditions which will have a massive impact on their ability to balance their working and family lives,' RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. 'Serco Docklands can hardly be surprised at our members' anger when it intends to impose the disputed rosters without agreement on January 5. We have urged our members to vote for industrial action, and if Serco Docklands wants to avoid industrial action it should withdraw the new patterns.'

RMT news release.

Rail unions to fight job cuts and zero hours

Rail unions have pledged to cut jobs and introduce zero hours contracts at the Deutschebahn-owned railfreight company EWS. Condemning its plan to sack 530 workers, RMT challenged EWS to confirm that there will be no compulsory job losses and that the firm will end the 'disgraceful' practice of employing people on zero-hours contracts. 'We have made it quite clear to EWS that we intend to fight these job losses and defend an industry that is vital to the future health of the environment and the economy,' RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. 'EWS is even trying to use a legal loophole to sidestep its obligation to undertake a 90-day consultation, so we can only assume that it wants to avoid constructive dialogue on how to avoid these cuts and weather the worst of the recession.' Mr Crow said the union has asked transport secretary Geoff Hoon to intervene, adding: 'We have told EWS that these cuts are unacceptable to our members and their families and we will fight to stop them.' Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA rail union, said it was seeking urgent talks with the transport secretary to 'make sure our rail freight industry survives this deepening recession'.

RMT news release. TSSA news release. Lloyd's List. Road Transport.

TUC secret Santa emails some seasonal cheer

With many employers cutting back on workplace festivities this Christmas, the TUC has developed a recession-busting online secret Santa to help ensure the spirit of Christmas is not entirely lost from the UK's factories and offices. Becoming a secret Santa and buying anonymous gifts for colleagues has become commonplace in many workplaces. The TUC online tool allows individuals to register their workmates to be Santa, and it will then pair individuals with colleagues, so no-one knows who is buying for the next person. All you have to do is visit workSMART - the TUC's working life website - input the team's email addresses and the TUC secret Santa will then contact them all, indicating who they need to buy a present for and the spending limit for each present. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'This Christmas many people will be worrying about their jobs and about how far their family budget is going to stretch. The online secret Santa can be a fun, inexpensive way of keeping the Christmas spirit alive in workplaces that haven't had much to smile about recently.'

TUC secret Santa.

TUC unions in the community survey

The TUC is asking trade union reps to complete a quick and easy online survey. It says this is part of its 'Active Unions, Active Communities' project. It is hoping to find out what sorts of community and campaigning activity union reps undertake outside the workplace. TUC says the results of the survey will be used to help develop support for reps. Findings will be published at the end of January. So if you are a member of a parents and toddlers group, or community campaign or get up to anything else useful in your spare time, it would be good to know. The survey is completely anonymous and all responses will be treated confidentially. To take the survey - and be entered into a prize draw - you'll need to be a registered member of the unionreps website.

TUC survey briefing. Registered unionreps members. Sign up to union reps.

OTHER NEWS

Go ahead for more equality and flexible working

The TUC has welcomed the government's commitment to proceed with a new equality law and flexible working rights. Commenting on the announcement in the Queen's Speech on 3 December, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'With the gender pay gap moving in the wrong direction, the Equality Bill is much needed. The decision to press ahead with extending the right to request flexible working means that ministers have come to the obvious conclusion that a mere right to request does not threaten a single job.' He added, however, 'we are disappointed that the Bill will not require employers to do equal pay audits. Pay in the private sector is often secretive. Nobody knows why some members of staff are paid more than others, or who is eligible for performance bonuses. Until employers are made to show why they pay different workers at different rates, and justify any discrepancies based on gender, the pay gap will never close.' Mr Barber said the new law is 'an opportunity to provide a clearer and more accessible legal framework to protect workers from discrimination.' Extra funding for equality reps was a welcome move, TUC said, warned these reps need more rights to have a real impact. 'Equality reps need the same rights as other workplace reps to paid time off and training if they are to be fully effective,' the TUC leader said. Minister for women and equality Harriet Harman said: 'Equality is vital for a modern economy, so that nobody is excluded and it can draw on the widest possible pool of talent, with everybody contributing. That's why we will bring forward our tough new Equality Bill to make Britain fairer.' The government said there would be £90,000 funding to support the development of trade union equality representatives, 'who work with both employees and employers to help create a fairer and so more committed workplace, such as by helping to negotiate new flexible working patterns.'

GEO news release. Equal Pay and Flexible Working Bill. Hansard 8 December 2008. TUC news release. CMI news release. Personnel Today.

Don't treat claimants like scroungers

TUC has said the government should provide support for workers losing their jobs instead of treating all claimants like would-be scroungers. Responding to the government's welfare reform white paper, published on 10 December, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'At a time of rapidly rising unemployment the government needs to stop talking as if every benefit claimant is a potential scrounger. People losing their jobs need practical help as quickly as possible. That should be the focus of the employment benefit services.' He said the TUC welcomed a recognition by the government that people with illnesses or disabilities should not be forced to be available for work and to accept job offers. 'While they may benefit from more personalised support, they should not be penalised because employers are unwilling to take them on,' said Mr Barber. He was critical of the government's workfare work-for-benefits drive which 'will unfairly stigmatise unemployed people without having any impact on their chances of finding jobs. Everyone in work should be paid a fair rate for the job and, as the government's own review admitted, requiring people to work for their benefits for prolonged periods of time has little impact on their chances of finding paid employment.' Announcing the new welfare rules, work and pensions secretary James Purnell said: 'I believe that for the majority, work is part of the path to that better life which is why our reforms put the individual, and their needs, at the heart of the welfare system.' He added: 'We will give people the support they need and in return we will have higher expectations on people to take up that support. We must have a system where the rules are fair for everyone, and everyone knows what the rules are. I believe it is wrong to have a welfare system which doesn't encourage people to prepare for or get back to work. In future virtually everyone will be expected to do something in return for their benefits.'

TUC news release. DWP news release.

Single parents need help not threats

A single parents' advocacy group has said lone parents need a partnership approach, not government threats of sanctions. Commenting on the government's White Paper on welfare reform, released on 10 December, One Parent Families|Gingerbread chief executive Fiona Weir said: 'More than half of single parents already work and the proportion increases as children get older but the difficulty for single parents is balancing their work ambitions with being there for their children. Meeting young childrens' needs while fulfilling workplace responsibilities can be particularly difficult.' She added: 'By all means encourage single parents to start thinking about preparing for returning to work when they can juggle a job with bringing up children single-handedly but benefit cuts and extra Jobcentre hurdles will not equip them with the skills and confidence to go forward. We want to see an approach which collaborates with single parents and builds on their own aspirations to achieve their best as parents and as would-be employees. Giving further sanctioning powers to jobcentre officials will not create the partnership approach that single parents need from advisers.'

One Parent Families|Gingerbread news release. DWP news release.

Parents face 'time poverty' from benefits changes

Government strategies to tackle child poverty could leave parents unable to spend enough time with their children, a report has warned. Researchers from the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at LSE concluded the government should develop a 'time poverty' target for parents alongside the existing child poverty target if it is to secure the best outcomes for children. 'The government's strategy to tackle child poverty is based on getting more parents into paid work but this does not recognise that children need time as well as money', said Dr Tania Burchardt , in a study for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. She said a change to the rules for lone parents claiming benefits that came in to force 24 November, requiring them to look for work when their youngest child reaches the age of 12, 'is a clear example of government policy which may tackle income poverty but ignores the possible negative impact on time poverty.' Dr Burchardt, a senior research fellow at CASE, found that resources such as time, money and support, and responsibilities including childcare and personal care, determine how someone can allocate time between personal care, paid work and unpaid work - free time is what is leftover. 'No person should be forced to choose between one kind of poverty and another, yet over half of all single parents cannot be free of both time and income poverty no matter how long or hard they work,' she said.

LSE news release and Time poverty and income poverty, full report [pdf].. Joseph Rowntree Foundation findings. DWP news release. CASE website.

Dads welcomes childcare workforce strategy

The Fatherhood Institute has welcomed new moves by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) it says will help ensure that staff who work with children and young people have the skills and knowledge 'to equip them to engage with fathers and support father-child relationships.' In its new 2020 Children and Young People's Workforce Strategy, the DCSF pledged to review the 'Common Core of Skills and Knowledge' so 'people in the workforce... have the skills and capacity to work in partnership with children, young people and their parents, fathers, mothers or carers in ways that will help to secure better outcomes'. David Bartlett, the Fatherhood Institute's national services manager, who sat on the expert group that devised the strategy, said the new emphasis on skilling up staff would be key to implementing the government's new policies on fathers and fatherhood. 'This shows the government is serious,' he said. 'We will be working with DCSF on this and other aspects of their fatherhood strategy, to make sure it gets implemented.'

Fatherhood Institute news release and workplace webpage.

Decade of delay for women directors

The proportion of directorships held by women on FTSE 100 corporate boards has risen by only five percentage points in a decade, according to a new report. The 2008 Female FTSE research published by Cranfield School of Management in November reported a slight increase, bringing the total to 131, or 12 per cent of the total. Ten years ago the report found there were 79 (7 per cent) female-held directorships on the FTSE 100 boards. The report authors say although the increase is 'alarmingly small' there are some encouraging underlying shifts. There was an increase in women chief executives (CEOs) to five in the FTSE 100 and an additional three more divisional or regional CEO posts held by women, which is an all-time high. There are now two female chairs of FTSE 100 companies and 17 female executive directors. Report co-author Dr Val Singh said: 'In 1999 we asked if CEOs believed the female talent pool was too small. This 2008 Report shows that there is a considerable number of well qualified and ambitious women waiting for opportunities to contribute.' Harriet Harman, minister for women and equality, commented: 'Britain needs women in the boardroom. We'll never get truly family-friendly workplaces from male dominated boards. This year's Female FTSE index is a reminder that we have come a long way, but have much further to go.'

Cranfield School of Management news release and report. Fawcett Society news release.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Recession guide: A free guide from Working Families says companies can use flexible working to help them navigate the economic downturn. The charity says the new resource gives human resources managers the arguments to put the case for maintaining and expanding flexible working practices. Working Families publications webpage. Flexible working in a recession [pdf].

No flexibility: Some single parents looking for work in the UK are struggling because many firms do not offer the option of flexible working hours, according to Parent Families|Gingerbread. Head of policy Kate Bell said: 'They are telling us that they're concerned about these changes and most single parents want to work but sometimes the flexible jobs aren't out there and the childcare isn't out there.' Jobs Newswire.

Old problem: The ratio of workers to pensioners is expected to decline over the next 25 years, putting employees under financial pressure. The Office of National Statistics says there were 3.3 UK workers for every pensioner last year. By 2032, this is forecast to fall to 2.9 workers; by then, one in four will be over 65 and the number of over-85s will double. BBC News Online.

Bad lot: Badly behaved and incompetent bosses not only make work stressful, they can increase the risk of heart disease for their employees. A Swedish team found a strong link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease and heart attacks among more than 3,000 employed men - and the effect may be cumulative - the risk went up the longer an employee worked for the same company. BBC News Online. Personnel Today.

Christmas bonus: Shopworkers' union Usdaw has welcomed a £70 Christmas bonus for carers. People claiming Carer's Allowance will qualify for a £10 Christmas bonus plus an extra £60 in the New Year; pensioners and many people on other benefits are also entitled to the payout. Usdaw news release and Supporting Parents and Carers campaign. More information on Christmas bonus.

Sick bullies: Workers with disabilities or those with long term ill-health are facing higher levels of hostile and negative treatment in the workplace. In a survey of nearly 4,000 workers, the British Workplace Behaviour Survey 2008 found employees with a disability or long-term illness reported they were more likely to have negative experiences at work, ranging from low expectations of workers, bullying and humiliation to, in some cases, physical violence. EHRC news release. Disability Alliance news release.

School costs: Half of parents would consider cancelling the family holiday to help fund their child's pre-school education. A survey of 1,000 parents by pre-school activity group Talking Tots found that an average of £600 a year is invested in early years education. NUT news report. Talking Tots website.

Harassment cover-up: The union GMB has demanded an external investigation into a hospital trust's failure to address complaints of sexual harassment of staff over a period of years. NHS staff at both Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals in Berkshire said a series of complaints went ignored by hospital management, despite the offender subsequently pleading guilty to 14 related charges. GMB news release.

RESOURCES

Working women worldwide

An International Labor Rights Forum webpage on rights for working women says while increased access to employment has provided new economic and social opportunities for poor women, the jobs they occupy remain unregulated and unstable. ILRF, on a webpage with lots of useful links and resources, says women workers are systematically denied their rights to: regular pay and regular working hours; equal pay for equal work; permanent contracts; non-hazardous work environments; and freedom of association. It adds that organising against employment abuses 'is particularly difficult for women, because of the highly gendered nature of subcontracting and other forms of flexible work.' According to ILRF: 'Over the past several years, the ILRF's Rights for Working Women (RFWW) Campaign has sought to bring together allies throughout the developing world to promote viable remedies for the problem of sexual harassment and violence in the workplace. Today, the ILRF is extending the scope of its RFWW Campaign to identify the linkages between sexual violence in the workplace, and broader labour rights violations, and to promote strategies that will advance the economic and social rights of working women. The ILRF is also committed to challenging the gendered nature of international trade... to advocate for women's rights globally.'

ILRF Rights for working women webpages.

CLC pay equity resources

Canada's national union federation CLC says pay equity laws will be a big improvement, but will not eliminate the country's gaping gender pay gap. Its pay equity campaign webpages say 'other measures like employment equity programmes are needed so that women and other workers from equality-seeking groups can access high paid work. Increasing the minimum wage would also go a very long way to reducing the gap - since most minimum wage workers are women.' CLC adds: 'Since women still assume most of the responsibility for children, we need affordable and accessible child care. Women would be able to take less time off work or be able to work full-time rather than part-time if they knew their children were receiving quality care.' It concludes: 'But, what really is the best way to eliminate the wage gap? Join a union. Unionised women earn 93 per cent of the wage of unionised men. Women know a good thing when they see it, but labour laws make it tough for workers to join unions. Labour law reform is a question of equality.' The webpages include factsheets and reports and a 'Gapzilla' photogallery.

CLC pay equity webpages.

Redundancy advice from the TUC

A comprehensive package of advice for workers who have been made redundant, or are at risk of redundancy or of losing their homes due to the economic downturn, has been published online by the TUC. The package includes two new free booklets - Coping with the Economic Downturn and Facing Redundancy - as well as updated information about redundancies, how to use JobCentre Plus, how to look for a new job, and what training and benefits individuals are entitled to on www.worksmart.org.uk, the TUC's website for people at work. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'With unemployment due to exceed two million and possibly hit three, more than 1,500 people a week are losing their jobs. Many will be facing redundancy and unemployment for the first time in their lives. But these are not the only victims of recession. Many others are losing pay as they lose overtime or face lay-offs. Millions more fear unemployment as benefits set at levels designed to deter 'scroungers' are way below what most people need to pay back debts and meet regular outgoings. All these are reasons why now, more than ever, people should consider joining a union.' Mr Barber added: 'Unions are experts at handling the threat of redundancy, and can often win the argument for alternatives or at least negotiate a package better than the legal minimum.'

TUC workSMART redundancy advice pages.

UK politicians on childhood futures

Politicians from the major political parties have spelled out their views on the future of childcare in a new report from the Daycare Trust. Writing in 'Childhood futures', childcare secretary Ed Ball said: 'The government is investing £100 million over three years to extend the offer of free education and childcare to 20,000 two-year-olds in our most disadvantaged communities, adding: 'It is no exaggeration to say that what we have here is a new frontier of the welfare state, a new, modern public service.'

Daycare Trust news release.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Australia: Women unite for paid parental leave

The Australian Services Union (ASU) and a range of national women's organisations have united to pressure the country's federal government to confirm that paid parental leave will remain in its immediate plans. A government-convened Productivity Commission is holding hearings around the country to hear positive and negative experiences related to having or not having parental leave. The ASU presented a follow up submission to the Commission in November. The union and the women's organisations say now is the time, regardless of the international financial situation, to implement a system of paid maternity leave as it will foster growth, create jobs and encourage families to grow and prosper. They add that the short term costs are far outweighed by the long term gains. The union says: 'A government funded paid parental leave scheme would ensure such leave is valued as highly as annual leave or long service leave, and seen as a fundamental right for all workers.'

ASU news release. ACTU paid maternity leave campaign.

USA: Unions deliver massive benefits for women

A new report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) documents a large wage and benefit advantage for US women workers in unions relative to their non-union counterparts. The report, Unions and upward mobility for women workers, found that unionised women workers earned, on average, 11.2 per cent more than their non-union peers. In addition, women in unions were much more likely to have health insurance benefits and a pension plan. 'For women, joining a union makes as much sense as going to college,' said John Schmitt, a senior economist at CEPR and the author of the study. 'All else equal, joining a union raises a woman's wage as much as a full-year of college, and a union raises the chances a woman has health insurance by more than earning a four-year college degree.' The study also found that unionisation strongly benefited women workers in otherwise low-wage occupations. Among women workers in the 15 lowest-paying occupations, union members earned 14 per cent more than those workers who were not in unions. In the same low-wage occupations, unionised women were 26 percentage points more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and 23 percentage points more likely to have a pension plan than their non-union counterparts.

CEPR news release. Unions and upward mobility for women workers, John Schmitt, CEPR, 2 December 2008 [pdf].

GLOBAL ROUND-UP

Flying lows: Aviation workers feel emotionally drained and exhausted as a result of working long hours, according to the preliminary findings of an ITF survey. Thirty-nine per cent of respondents to the global union federation's poll revealed that most of those they represented felt 'emotionally drained' and 49 per cent reported that some of those they represented felt that way. ITF news release.

Pregnancy firings: Two New Zealand employers have been ordered to pay thousands of dollars in compensation for wrongfully dismissing employees after they became pregnant. Maternity Services Consumer Council coordinator Lynda Williams said the cases made her despair, adding: 'I can just imagine what it took for those women to have to go through all this while they were pregnant'. The Dominion Post.

Newsletter (5,100 words) issued 15 Dec 2008