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Current Happenings

Uncertain Status - TUC steps up its campaign for employment rights
Posted 24th July 2008

On Wednesday the National Group on Homeworking was invited to address a TUC seminar dedicated to the problems of uncertain employment status and access to employment rights. Uncertain employment status is a huge problem for homeworkers, who are frequently denied employment rights, and the National Group on Homeworking is dedicated to working closely with unions and other organisations campaigning for a change in the law.

The seminar was chaired by Jeremy Dear, General Secretary of the NUJ, and key speakers included Sandra Fredman from Oxford University, Nicola Smith from the Commission on Vulnerable Employment, Nesta Holden from NGH and Liz Blackshaw Director of the TUC Organising Academy.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said,
'Too many workers are falling through gaps in employment law which mean they do not enjoy the same rights at work as their colleagues... It is vital unions adopt a united approach to the issues around employment status, and keep playing our part in ending exploitation at work.'

Trade Unions urge Brown to change direction
Posted 22nd July 2008

Gordon Brown is under pressure to shift the political direction of the Labour Party and do more to increase workers’ rights and reduce inequality. The trade unions have come together to agree 130 policy demands they will put to Labour’s national policy forum later this week.

The list includes workers' rights, such as extending the adult minimum wage to 18-21 year olds and apprentices and introducing the right to take supportive strike action, as well as wider social justice issues such as free school meals for all primary school children and scrapping NHS prescription charges. They are also asking for the lower earnings threshold to be reduced to £30 per week to allow low-paid workers access to sick pay.

See you in Tolpuddle!
Posted 16th July 2008

The National Group on Homeworking will be attending the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival for the first time this year.

The Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival takes place from the 18-20th July in Dorset. It is run by the South West TUC, and commemorates the six agricultural labourers who were transported to Australia in 1834 as punishment for forming a union. A massive trade union campaign secured their free pardon and their return to England.

Today, their story is marked with a major festival of music, drama and politics, bringing unionists from around the country together in Tolpuddle to celebrate, learn and build the movement. NGH will have a stall throughout the festival, raising awareness about homeworking amongst trade unions and activists, and campaigning for homeworkers rights.

Employers refuse most requests for homeworking
Posted 8th July 2008

Employers are yet to get the message that flexible working is good for business. More than two thirds of employers never or only rarely accept employee requests for homeworking according to a recent study by the CIPD human resources organization and the accounting firm KPMG.

But the study found these refusals were not due to concerns over productivity. Only 8% of employers believe home-workers are less productive than their office-bound colleagues, while 30% say they are more productive. Previous studies have repeatedly confirmed that homeworkers are more productive than those that work on site.

"The slow increase in the take-up of home-working defies the evidence. While the cost of home-working has gone down, the cost of commuting has shot up," said Gerwyn Davies, policy adviser at CIPD.

It is unclear how quickly things will improve as 27% of employers predicted an increase in homeworking in the next year, but 58% said they expected no change.

The Trades Union Congress wants employers to adopt more flexible working practices, such as homeworking, to help workers improve their work-life balance. The National Group on Homeworking would like to see an increase in opportunities for those who want or need to work at home – provided they have the same rights and protection as on-site employees.

Women's low pay is the key to tackling child poverty
Posted 26th June 2008

The TUC has published a briefing which reveals that tackling women's low pay is key to ending child poverty in the UK. The Iron Triangle draws together research from the TUC, the End Child Poverty coalition and the Fawcett Society and finds that women's low pay not only causes their poverty, but also has huge implications for their children's living standards.

The Government has committed to halving child poverty by 2010, but The Iron Triangle explains that the poverty of children is inextricable from the poverty of their mothers. Half of all poor children - 1.4 million - are being raised in working households, and a clear majority of children in poverty (57 per cent) live in a family where one or more adults have jobs.

One essential link between low pay, women's poverty and child poverty is the employment discrimination that many mothers face. Mothers in Britain are far more likely to be poor than anywhere else in Europe and from the moment they conceive a child women face immediate financial penalties - thousands lose their jobs and many more face disadvantage and reduced opportunities in the workplace.

In addition, after having a child many mums become trapped in part-time, low-paid and low status work. They are more likely to be in insecure jobs as temps or homeworkers, where they have fewer employment rights.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, 'The Government has promised to end child poverty by 2020. But the number of children in poverty has risen over the last two years. It's vital the Government tackles low pay and takes action to stop discrimination against mothers now.

Support homeworkers - Tell Primark not to cut and run
Posted 19th June 2008

Primark has announced it is cancelling its orders with three factories in India highlighted in a forthcoming BBC Panorama programme. Panorama has reportedly uncovered the widespread use of subcontracting in the manufacture of embroidered goods, including the employment of home workers under extremely bad conditions and possible instances of child labour.

The programme has not yet been screened so it is difficult to comment on the detail of the allegations, but labour rights campaigners Labour Behind the Label are calling on Primark to reverse its decision to cut and run from these suppliers. Cancelling orders is the easy way out, but in effect it means abandoning these workers and potentially costing them their jobs.

Cutting and running from a supplier is not the action of an ethical company. Ultimately this kind of action only punishes workers. When companies respond in this way what they are really saying is that if workers speak out about their conditions they will lose their jobs. Instead Primark should be working with these suppliers to tackle the problems, and improve conditions for the workers.

Send a message to Primark calling on them to support homeworkers in their supply chains, and to work with the suppliers and workers involved to achieve a positive outcome in this case.

National Group on Homeworking

Current Happenings

Uncertain Status - TUC steps up its campaign for employment rightsPosted 24th July 2008

Trade Unions urge Brown to change directionPosted 22nd July 2008

See you in Tolpuddle!Posted 16th July 2008

Employers refuse most requests for homeworkingPosted 8th July 2008