Newsletter No. 26
JANUARY 2005
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Work-life ‘revitalises’ UK unions and promises to be a vote winner Campaigning on work-life issues has helped revitalise trade unions in United Kingdom, according to the Trade Union Council. Involvement in the Changing Times project brought fresh blood to the union movement. Many new unionists, particularly women, started off with grassroots negotiations with employers to match staff work time preferences with business needs & since gone on to senior national positions in their unions (Workforce 5.11.04 http://www.cpd.com.au/). Unions have also successfully pressed the UK Labour government for extra holidays, longer & higher paid maternity & paternity leave. They claim this is a vote winner for a Labour government seeking a third term, because it convinces wavering supporters it is “unmistakably on the side of the working people” (Labour pledge: more time off work http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ 20.9.04). Most of the UK workforce is dissatisfied with its work hours. However, the great majority (80%) are not willing to work fewer hours for less pay, mainly because they cannot afford it (‘Britons want money more than extra family time’ The Times 22.11.04) |