TUC Calls on Brown For Fresh Start

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has said that Labour under Gordon Brown must ‘re-engage a public sector workforce thoroughly demoralised by an endless cycle of reform, restructuring and reorganisation’ and ‘revisit a faith in flexible labour markets that leaves one in five workers vulnerable and many more insecure’ to rebuild the winning coalition of 1997.

In a speech to the Unite conference in Bournemouth, he said:

‘This is a critical time for British workers. Yes, we’ve conquered the spectre of mass unemployment, but inequality, unfairness and insecurity still disfigure our workplaces.

‘Despite the genuine progress delivered by Labour – the minimum wage, union recognition rights, family-friendly policies, all the rest of it – we have yet to move from high employment to high-quality employment. That remains very much work in progress.

‘And next week, of course, a new political era will begin. A chance for this Government to make a fresh start.

‘Not to retreat to the failed policies of the past, but to develop an imaginative agenda that once again resonates with ordinary working people. One that rebuilds the winning coalition of 1997; that appeals to the aspirational middle class but not at the cost of the heartland vote.

‘So today I challenge Gordon Brown to be bold and to open a new dialogue with the TUC on the way forward.

‘To reject the low regulation, low skill, low productivity malaise that has held this country back for so long. To revisit a faith in flexible labour markets that leaves one in five workers vulnerable and many more insecure.

‘And yes, to have the courage to stand up to those at the top of our corporate life who seem to see themselves as the untouchables, a law unto themselves, floating free from the realities faced by the people they employ.

‘My argument is simple. Britain at work could be – should be – so much better. More equal, more innovative and more productive. And that applies just as much in our public services as it does in the private sector.

‘Indeed the most urgent task facing the incoming Prime Minister is to re-engage a public sector workforce thoroughly demoralised by an endless cycle of reform, restructuring and reorganisation.

‘It goes without saying that we welcome the massive investments that have flowed into our schools and hospitals under Labour.

‘And despite what the detractors may say, despite what the right-wing press may claim, this has made a real difference. But that progress is now at grave risk from a toxic cocktail of privatisation, contestability and cuts.

‘Untried, untested reforms, imposed from above without consultation, that command neither the support of the workforce nor the backing of the general public. We urgently need a meaningful, wide-ranging dialogue about the way forward.

‘And we seek not an abandonment of reform: but a new way of doing things that delivers for service users, taxpayers and workers alike.

‘So to Gordon Brown I say: Listen to us, consult us, and involve us in shaping change. Together, let us deliver the world-class services this country deserves.’

New Measure of College Performance

According to the government, employers and learners in post-16, Government-funded training will soon be able to judge more easily for themselves how colleges and other providers are performing.

Details of a new system for assessing performance on the basis of effectiveness, responsiveness and finance are published today. One hundred providers will be testing Framework for Excellence from the new term this September. Findings from the trial will help shape a full version of the Framework from summer 2008.

The independent and quantitative nature of the Framework will, so the government hopes, enable the sector to move towards self regulation. The system forms a core part of the Government’s drive to raise standards. The DfES, Learning and Skills Council, Quality Improvement Agency and Ofsted are working together to develop the system in partnership with providers, learners and employers.

Launching Framework for Excellence, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Higher and Further Education, Bill Rammell said: “Everyone involved in the Further Education (FE) system wants the best for their customers. This means high quality products and services that learners and employers need and want.

“Framework for Excellence means that for the first time learners and employers will have full and clear information on which to base their choices about courses and providers. People who feel that they have made the right decisions are likely to be highly motivated and to enjoy better results.

“Colleges and providers will build their plans for improvement on the information in Framework for Excellence. They will be able to benchmark themselves against standards of excellence.”

Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Mark Haysom said: “The Framework will help the LSC judge where best to invest public funds to achieve that goal, while supporting moves towards self-regulation by enabling all stakeholders to have access to timely, relevant, robust and reliable information about the performance of each provider.”

Joint Project On Training Best Practice

The Government is working with the TUC and CBI to take forward a commitment to develop best practice concerning workplace dialogue on training and skills. This commitment was made last year in the DTI report, Success at Work: protecting vulnerable workers, supporting good employers (available on the DTI website at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file27469.pdf).

Although the Government has ruled out, for the time being, making training one of the collective bargaining issue in the statutory recognition procedure, it is committed to work with stakeholders to develop best practice in this area. As such, a joint initiative between the CBI, TUC, DfES and DTI is now under way and is summarised below.

Launched in May 2007, the joint project will produce best practice guidance, helping employers, employees and trade unions develop workplace dialogue on training and skills. The four parties aim to publish the guidance in autumn 2007, after assembling evidence from a range of other organisations and experts.

This project is important because an effective training and skills strategy is central to lasting business success and workforce development. An effective strategy rarely works in practice without fully engaging the workforce and its representatives in its design and delivery.

For more information about this project or if you have information such as case studies which you believe the project group should consider, please contact the ACM office.

Supporting People With Learning Difficulties or Disabilities

Ministers have launched a cross government strategy to support people with learning difficulties or disabilities to achieve fulfilling lives and further their education.

The Department for Education and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health have joined forces to demonstrate their collective resolve to improve the outcomes for all learners with learning difficulties or disabilities and show their commitment to ensuring they are given the best chance to achieve their full potential.

Progression through Partnership is the Governments’ joint response to ‘Through Inclusion to Excellence’ (known as the Little Report) and it sets out plans including increased joint policy development, improvements in provision and services, and improvements in workforce performance. It also covers the development of specific activities with delivery partners around issues requiring immediate attention e.g. improved planning activity, looking at courses at local colleges, and day centres, and improving the quality of what is on offer.

Migrant Workers Bring Benefits

The British economy is benefiting from the influx of migrant workers to the UK, reveals a TUC study The Economics of Migration published today (Tuesday).

Contrary to far right accusations that immigrants are a drain on the welfare state, TUC research shows that migrant workers are paying more in taxes than the value of the public services they receive. Across the economy the arrival of migrant workers has not depressed jobs or wages, and although there is limited evidence of some local effect on wages and employment for low-skilled workers, so far low-skilled workers have not lost out thanks to the vibrant economy.

To continue with that good performance we need to ensure unscrupulous employers stop taking advantage of migrant workers’ lack of knowledge of their rights and poor English, the report says. The solution is to crack down on the minority of bad employers by properly enforcing employment rights such as the minimum wage and closing loopholes such as the poor protection enjoyed by agency workers, not by taking it out on the migrant workers suffering the exploitation.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Migrant workers are making a substantial contribution to Britain’s economy, and some sectors would collapse if they were removed overnight. They haven’t caused mass unemployment or held wages down as some would have us believe. But we do not do enough to protect vulnerable workers, whether migrant or indigenous, from exploitation. If migrant workers are treated fairly and paid a decent wage they can only add to the economy, and pose no threat to the livelihoods of the rest of the workforce.”

The report shows there is very little evidence that migration has had a negative impact on the distribution of jobs and wages. To ensure this continues to be the case and that low-skilled workers do not find themselves pushed out of the market, the TUC believes the supply of jobs to all workers – and services for displaced workers and unemployed people to get even better jobs – needs to be increased.

The report also finds little evidence that immigration has driven down wages. TUC research shows effective enforcement of the UK minimum wage must be a greater priority than it is at present – migrant workers who are paid less than the minimum wage are being exploited and the emergence of a large group of employers habitually breaking the law could undermine the minimum wage’s effectiveness for all workers. The Low Pay Commission and the Government must make special efforts to make sure that the value of the minimum wage does not fall relative to pay generally.

The arrival of migrant workers is not problem-free as any unplanned population change can put strains on an area if the social and housing infrastructure cannot cope. The TUC argues that a share of the extra prosperity that migrant workers are contributing to the economy should be used to ensure local public services can deal with new workers. Treasury figures show that migrant workers are responsible for around ten per cent of economic growth.

The full report can be viewed at http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/migration.pdf

ACM Response To Dispute Consultation

Plans to scrap the statutory grievance and dismissal procedures have received cautious support from ACM. In our response to the government consultation on replacing the procedures with new guidelines, we say the existing statutory procedures have over formalised matters resulting in a much greater number of official grievances.

However, our response also says that any new guidelines must be backed up by a revised ACAS code of practice on grievances and disciplinary problems. In particular, we want to see legal strong incentives to make employers operate fair procedures. We also call for more resources and a higher profile for ACAS in individual dispute resolution. For example, where no internal settlement has been reached, we would support a role for ACAS in offering to resolve problems before any tribunal claim is submitted; and we would also like to see the fixed time limits on ACAS conciliation removed.

Turning to the employment tribunal system, we argue that to allow more opportunity for internal resolution of disputes, the time limits for submitting a claim should be harmonised at six months. We also want to see a simpler, more flexible tribunal application form. However, we are very much against the idea of claimants only being able to access the tribunal system via a government advice agency. In our view, this will only serve to put people off seeking justice.

Finally, we argue that the government should extend the definition of what constitutes a grievance or disciplinary hearing to cover investigatory meetings, capability hearings and grading reviews. This would help avoid any arguments over the right to be represented by an ACM officer.

Career Tips

The TUC’s WorkSmart website has a useful section on career advice. Of particular interest will be tips on becoming a new manager, time management, how to keep fit at work, and work-life balance. You can see for yourself at How To Work Smarter.

TUC Response To Skills Pledge

Welcoming the skills pledge launched today (see previous post below) TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

‘The lives of millions of UK employees have already been transformed by workplace learning. As employers start to sign up to the skills pledge, thousands more workers will get the chance to learn valuable new skills at work.

‘Union learning reps are working hard to encourage more people to sign up for training around their jobs. The pledge is the perfect opportunity for the TUC and unionlearn to work with a whole new batch of employers to make big improvements to the UK’s skills base.

‘But the Government needs to find a way of reaching the third of UK employers who steadfastly refuse to offer their employees any form of learning at work. Ministers need to make good their commitment to introduce a statutory right to training by the end of the decade if these short-sighted bosses continue to short change their staff over training.’

Employers Sign Skills Pledge

Education and Skills Secretary Alan Johnson today congratulated the first 150 employers to sign up to a public pledge to train their staff, ensuring they have the skills needed to compete in the global workplace.

By making the Skills Pledge, employers commit to support all their employees to develop basic literacy and numeracy skills and work towards a full level 2 qualification equivalent to five GCSEs A* to C.

In addition Mr Johnson announced the chair of the new UK Commission for Employment and Skills – a new employer-led voice on the skills and employment agenda; and unveiled four New National Skills Academies.

Mr Johnson said: “Skills are vitally important for individuals, for their future employability and for the success of businesses throughout the UK. That is why I am so pleased to see so many companies making the Skills Pledge today. I hope others will follow their lead, helping the UK to meet the challenges set out in Lord Leitch’s Review of Skills.”

Published in December 2006, Lord Leitch’s independent review of skills warned that the UK must ‘raise its game’ on skills at all levels if it is to sustain and improve its position in the global economy and get on track to achieve world class skills by 2020.

Achieving that world class ambition means dramatically increasing the number of adults who improve their skills and achieve qualifications each year, at all levels from functional literacy and numeracy to higher education levels.

The newly appointed Chair Sir Michael Rake will lead the establishment of the Commission for Employment and Skills (expected to become operational in April 2008). The new Commission will replace two existing bodies – the Sector Skills Development Agency and the National Employment Panel.

Stress Still Big Problem

Work related stress continues to be a big problem for members. Only this week we referred another serious case to our solicitors.

On a related note, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a newsletter about its ongoing campaign to tackle stress in the education sector. It covers progress on implementing the management standards for work related stress and looks at activities planned for 2007-2008. A copy of the newsletter can be sent to members on request if they contact the ACM helpline.

It’s Not Just The Golf Club…

Commenting on the results of the Discrimination Law Review published today (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

‘We welcome efforts to simplify and consolidate equality law. The right to be protected from unfair discrimination needs to be easy to understand and easy to enforce.

‘There are also some useful improvements suggested, including more protection from harassment. But those looking for major advances today – such as protection for those who fall foul of employers because of their caring responsibilities – will be disappointed.

‘The TUC will use the consultation period to press for a more effective and wide-ranging package. We will work to stop the review going down as a missed opportunity to tackle unfair discrimination at work, not just the golf club.’

Smoking Ban Legal Requirements

Although most colleges in England already have fairly detailed smoking policies, certain steps must still to be taken in order to comply with the new law that takes effect on July 1st.

The correct type of sign must be displayed prominently at each entrance to the premises. The signs must be no smaller than A5 size paper, display the no smoking symbol, and the words, No smoking. It is against the law to smoke in these premises. No smoking signs must also be displayed in each compartment of any college vehicles, although there is no minimum size restriction. Also, any current indoor designated smoking room will from 1 July have to be smoke-free.

Colleges may also want to consider making the entrance areas themselves smoke-free so that staff and visitors do not have to walk around groups of smokers. In most cases this could be best achieved by providing designated smoking areas away from college buildings.

The smoking ban has already been introduced elsewhere in the UK. We therefore welcome comments from members in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.