Hall, Mark

On 18 December 2002, the general council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) elected Brendan Barber as the organisation’s next general secretary. Mr Barber, who has worked at the TUC’s head office since 1975 and has been the deputy general secretary since 1993, will succeed the current general secretary, John Monks, at the end of May 2003. Mr Monks is to become the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) on the retirement of the present incumbent, Emilio Gabaglio (UK0205101N [1]). [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/uk-union-leader-to-seek-etuc-post

At the beginning of January 2003, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) published the findings of a survey of nearly 5,000 people looking for new jobs, which showed that they attached considerable importance to being able to work flexible hours and that, for many workers, flexible working was more important than other 'perks' of the job or extra money.

On 25-26 November 2002, over 400 trade union representatives and employee-side members of European Works Councils (EWCs) took part in a major conference, entitled /Towards more influence/, which aimed to discuss improvements in EWC practice and highlight the trade union case for amendments to the EWCs Directive (94/45/EC) [1]. The conference, organised jointly by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the main Danish national trade union organisations, with the support of the European Commission, was held in the Danish city of Aarhus as part of the programme of activities associated with Denmark’s Presidency of the EU during the second half of 2002. This feature reports on the main strands of the discussion. [1] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=31994L0045&model=guichett

During the week between the end of the first 48-hour strike held in its current pay dispute by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) on 13-15 November (UK0210104F [1] and UK0211107F [2]) and the eight-day stoppage due to begin on 22 November, intensive negotiations took place between the FBU and the local authority fire service employers. Talks continued into the early hours of 22 November and culminated in a draft agreement. This linked pay increases equating to 16% on the total paybill by November 2003 to the completion of negotiations over the modernisation of the fire service. The FBU indicated that it was prepared to call off the eight-day stoppage on the basis of the proposed deal. However, the government was not prepared to endorse the terms of the draft agreement and the strike duly began at 09.00 as planned. FBU general secretary Andy Gilchrist said that government intervention had 'wrecked' the chance of avoiding the strike. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said that it would have been irresponsible to sanction a deal that the government had not had the opportunity to evaluate properly. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/national-fire-service-strikes-loom [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/the-fire-service-dispute-and-the-reform-of-public-service-pay

During November 2002, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reiterated its strong criticism (UK0203101N [1]) of the proposed EU Directive on working conditions for temporary (agency) workers [2] (EU0204205F [3]). The CBI’s offensive, timed to coincide with the European Parliament’s first reading vote on 21 November (EU0212201N [4]), highlights the damage that UK employers believe the Directive will have on the employment prospects of agency workers if it is adopted without significant amendment. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/directive-on-temporary-agency-work-could-damage-flexibility-warn-cbi-and-government [2] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=52002PC0149&model=guichett [3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-industrial-relations/commission-proposes-directive-on-temporary-agency-workers [4] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/parliament-proposes-amendments-to-draft-temporary-agency-work-directive

Directive 2000/34/EC [1] of the European Parliament and of the Council, adopted in 22 June 2000 (EU0005249F [2]), extended Council Directive (93/104/EC) [3] concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time to cover road, rail, air, sea, and inland waterways transport, seafishing, offshore work and the activities of junior doctors - sectors and activities excluded from the earlier Directive. EU Member States must implement the 2000 Directive by 1 August 2003. [1] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=32000L0034&model=guichett [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-working-conditions/extension-of-working-time-directive-agreed [3] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=EN&numdoc=31993L0104&model=guichett

In July 2002, the Labour Party government announced the start of a review of the operation of the Employment Relations Act 1999 [1] (UK9912145F [2]). This will include a public consultation exercise expected to take place around the end of 2002. In advance of this, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has published a comprehensive submission to the government highlighting the legal changes it wants to see. The final version of the TUC document, Modern rights for modern workplaces [3], calls for amendments in a range of areas in addition to the Act’s statutory trade union recognition provisions, which are the principal focus of the government’s review. [1] http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1999/19990026.htm [2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-working-conditions/employment-relations-act-starts-to-take-effect [3] http://www.tuc.org.uk/law/tuc-5677-f0.cfm

Having completed its passage through Parliament, the Employment Bill (UK0112104N [1]) received royal assent on 8 July 2002. The Employment Act 2002 [2] is a major piece of legislation. Its key themes are the enhancement of statutory rights designed to help parents balance work and family commitments, and the reform of employment tribunal procedures and workplace dispute resolution mechanisms in response to the rising number and cost of employment tribunal claims in recent years (UK0108142N [3]). It also includes provisions on a range of other issues, including equal treatment for fixed-term employees and time off for trade union learning representatives. The Act, and several sets of associated regulations, will be implemented in a number of phases over the coming year. [1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/employment-bill-published [2] http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/20020022.htm [3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/controversy-over-proposed-employment-tribunal-charges

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) held its annual conference [1] on 9-12 September 2002 in Blackpool. A wide-ranging agenda included high-profile debates on employment law reform and European Union developments, as well as speeches from prominent guests, among them the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair. [1] http://www.tuc.org.uk/congress/index.cfm?mins=304

On 12 September 2002, the Confederation on British Industry (CBI) published its fifth annual employment trends survey, conducted in conjunction with Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The survey, carried out in March and April 2002, reports the responses of 940 private sector employers and covers a range of labour market issues, including key human resources (HR) influences on competitiveness, flexible working, pensions, informing and consulting employees, 'family-friendly' employment arrangements and skills shortages. According to the CBI, 'this year’s survey suggests that HR strategy is increasingly driven by the need for flexibility - to meet customer and employee need.' Key findings are outlined below.