Equal opportunities and collective bargaining in the European Union

A Case Study of British Gas in the United Kingdom Phase III WP/97/80/EN EUROPEAN FOUNDATION for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions EUROPEAN FOUNDATION for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions Equal opportunities and collective bargaining in the European Union A Case Study of British Gas in the United Kingdom Phase III By Trevor Colling Working Paper No.: WP/97/80/EN EUROPEAN FOUNDATION for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions Executive Summary 1. Introduction The prime objective set for this research has been to identify factors likely to encourage the effective negotiation and implementation of collective agreements with positive implications for equal opportunity. In order to draw out the factors impinging upon equality bargaining processes, and their influence at each stage, one set of negotiations has been examined in detail. 2. British Gas PLC: Background Information The study centres on the renegotiation of the Gas Staffs and Senior Officers (GSSO) agreement in British Gas between 1988 and 1991 and its subsequent implementation. A number of factors made British Gas a good research site. First, at the time of the review, British Gas was one of the largest and most stable companies in the UK with a turnover of 7.5bn. Second, it was still influenced by the public sector tradition of model industrial relations practice and had a history of introducing equal opportunity measures both jointly, with trade unions, and independently, through management policy. Third, collective bargaining was a central element of the management and culture of the company. The GSSO agreements covered approximately 60% of all British Gas staff and 95% of the women in employment. The majority of staff were trade union members, most (64%) belonging to the National and Local Government Officers Association (NALGO). 3. The Revised GSSO Agreement The negotiations revised the full range of terms and conditions of employment. New provisions were introduced in the areas of, Labour Flexibility; Hours of Work, Employment Patterns and Payments; Salary Scales: and a Career Support Scheme (CSS). The CSS addressed the issue of balancing domestic and work commitments via increased provision for paid maternity leave; additional unpaid leave; paternity leave; adoption leave; and a broader range of options made available to women returners. Career breaks were opened to all staff (both male and female) having a child or EUROPEAN FOUNDATION for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions adopting a child. Employees with children under school age were provided with a childcare allowance of 30 per week per child. The CSS forms the focal point of the research. 4. Conducting the Review: A Brief Chronology