Hall, Mark
Terms of reference for review of national minimum wage announced
27 Juli 2000
On 23 June 2000, Stephen Byers, the trade and industry secretary announced
new terms of reference for the Low Pay Commission [1] (LPC) - the independent
body which advises the government on the implementation of the national
minimum wage (NMW), introduced in April 1999 (UK9904196F [2]) - in preparing
its third report, due to reach ministers by July 2001. The government has
already decided to increase the main adult hourly rate of the NMW by GBP 0.10
to GBP 3.70 from October 2000 (UK0003158N [3]), but has now asked the LPC to
make recommendations on its future up-rating.
[1] http://www.dti.gov.uk/lowpay/
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/the-uks-first-national-minimum-wage
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/increase-in-national-minimum-wage-announced
Parental leave Regulations referred to ECJ
27 Juni 2000
On 23 May, the High Court announced that it would refer a legal challenge to
the UK's Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations 1999 [1] to the European
Court of Justice (ECJ) for a decision. The ruling followed a hearing the
previous week in which the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which has brought the
case against the Government (UK0002154N [2]), argued that the Regulations'
restriction of parental leave rights to the parents of children born on or
after 15 December 1999 (UK9912144F [3]) was in breach of the EU Directive
(96/34/EC) on parental leave [4]. The case received considerable media
attention, not least because the TUC was represented in court by Cherie Booth
QC- who is married to the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair- only days before she
gave birth to the couple's fourth child.
[1] http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1999/19993312.htm
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/round-up-of-industrial-relations-developments
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-working-conditions/uk-introduces-new-rights-to-time-off-work-for-family-and-domestic-reasons
[4] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=31996L0034&model=guichett
Junior doctors vote to accept new contract
27 Juni 2000
In May 2000, a ballot of junior doctors belonging to the British Medical
Association (BMA) resulted in an 79% vote in favour of a new contractual
arrangements and marked the end of lengthy negotiations over pay and working
time issues carried out against the threat of possible industrial action
(UK9910136N [1]). The new pay system involves a range of salary bands
reflecting the length and intensity of hours worked and when the work takes
place, and is intended to end hospitals' traditional reliance on long working
hours by junior doctors at low levels of overtime pay. It is expected to
provide significant pay rises for the vast majority of junior doctors.
Ministers at the Department of Health welcomed the outcome of the ballot.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/negotiations-over-junior-doctors-working-hours
Skychefs dispute settled
27 Mai 2000
On 23 April 2000, the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) announced
that the long-running dispute at Lufthansa's airline catering company
Skychefs, triggered by the dismissal of 270 workers in November 1998 for
taking part in a one-day strike over changes to working patterns, had been
settled. Under the terms of the deal, all of the sacked workers have the
opportunity to return to work at Skychefs if they wish to, or will receive
compensation if they prefer. TGWU general secretary Bill Morris said in a
statement: "The Skychefs workers have fought hard for this victory and they
deserve the opportunity to return to work with dignity."
Teaching union conferences vote for ballots on industrial action
27 Mai 2000
As in 1999 (UK9904199N [1]), the 2000 annual conferences of the two largest
UK teaching trade unions - the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the
National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) - held
over the easter period, adopted resolutions calling for ballots on possible
industrial action.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/teachers-unions-threaten-industrial-action-over-performance-related-pay
Union group formed to campaign for euro entry
27 April 2000
On 15 March, a number of leading UK trade unions launched a campaign in
support of the UK joining the EU single currency. Unions supporting the Trade
Unionists for Europe (TUfE) campaign include the Amalgamated Engineering and
Electrical Union (AEEU), the GMB general union, the Graphical, Paper and
Media Union, the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation and the National Union
of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades. The TUfE organisation is chaired by
Sir Ken Jackson, general secretary of the AEEU.
Union challenges UK redundancy consultation law
27 April 2000
On 15 March 2000, the UK's Manufacturing Science Finance (MSF) trade union,
which represents skilled and professional workers, submitted a formal
complaint to the European Commission alleging that UK legislation requiring
employers to consult employee representatives on impending redundancies fails
to implement satisfactorily the requirements of the EU collective
redundancies Directive (98/59/EC) [1]. The union's move comes only months
after the government introduced revised consultation requirements - via the
Collective Redundancies and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of
Employment) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 [2]- with a view to ensuring
compliance with EU law (UK9910134F [3]).
[1] http://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexapi!prod!CELEXnumdoc&lg=en&numdoc=31998L0059&model=guichett
[2] http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1999/19991925.htm
[3] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined-working-conditions/consultation-procedure-on-redundancies-and-transfers-reformed
Uncertainty over future of Rover continues
27 April 2000
In the period since the announcement in mid-March 2000 of the controversial
break-up and sale of Rover (UK0004164F [1]), the UK subsidiary of the
German-owned motor manufacturer BMW, recriminations have continued over the
handling of the issue by both BMW and the UK government. Newspaper headlines
have been dominated by an acrimonious dispute between the UK trade and
industry secretary Stephen Byers and BMW executives over their differing
accounts of whether BMW had given the UK government prior warning that it was
preparing to pull out of car production at the Longbridge plant near
Birmingham. On 5 April, Mr Byers took the unusual step of publishing civil
service records of contacts he had had with BMW in the run-up to the
company's decision to sell Rover. These showed that, a week before BMW
announced its deal with UK-based venture capitalists Alchemy Partners, Rover
chair Werner Sämann outlined BMW's plans for dealing with Rover's escalating
losses to Mr Byers but did not indicate that the option of selling Rover was
being considered. Opposition Conservative MP s, however, continue to argue
that the evident scale of Rover's problems should have alerted Mr Byers to
the possibility of its sale by BMW.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/substantial-job-losses-predicted-as-bmw-sells-rover-and-land-rover
Government's pro-business credentials under attack
27 April 2000
In late March, in the run-up to the annual conference of the British Chambers
of Commerce (BCC), which represents small and medium-sized enterprises, Chris
Humphries, director general of the BCC, said that there was "growing
disillusionment" within the business community about the "new" Labour
government's pro-business credentials, leading to newspaper headlines that
the government's "honeymoon with business" was over. Employer criticism of
the government reflects a number of factors, including adverse reaction to
increases in public expenditure in the budget announced on 21 March and the
continued strength of sterling. However, increasing business regulation,
particularly in the area of employment legislation, continues to be a central
concern for employers' groups (UK9909131N [1]).
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/cbi-survey-highlights-worries-over-employment-laws
Increase in national minimum wage announced
27 März 2000
On 15 February 2000, the trade and industry secretary, Stephen Byers,
announced that the adult hourly rate of the national minimum wage (NMW) will
rise from GBP 3.60 to GBP 3.70 in October 2000 - 18 months after the NMW was
first introduced (UK9904196F [1]). According to government figures, this will
affect 1.3 million workers. He also confirmed that the youth rate payable to
workers aged 18-21 will rise in June 2000 from GBP 3.00 to GBP 3.20,
benefiting 200,000 young workers. The government had been under strong
pressure from trade unions and Labour MP s to up-rate the NMW on its first
anniversary in April. Its initial inclination had been to rule out an
increase in 2000 (UK0001147N [2]), but the prospect of a major revolt by
Labour MPs on the issue appears to have prompted the government to change
tack. Ministers say that by introducing the increase in October, they are
providing time for business to prepare for implementing the change.
[1] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/undefined/the-uks-first-national-minimum-wage
[2] www.eurofound.europa.eu/ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/uncertainty-over-anniversary-uprating-of-national-minimum-wage