Drawing on literature that examines trade union representation of “non‐standard” workers, this paper aims to analyse the attempts of the Association of University Teachers (AUT…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on literature that examines trade union representation of “non‐standard” workers, this paper aims to analyse the attempts of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) to integrate the interests of contract research staff (CRS) employed on fixed‐term contracts between 1974 and 2002. The paper examines the union campaign under five areas identified in the literature as important to the development of representation of non‐standard workers: trade union orientation to non‐standard workers; recruitment; participation; collective bargaining; extending representation beyond collective bargaining.
Design/methodology/approach
The main sources of data are drawn from analyses of union documentation, including internal memoranda and reports dating back to 1974, which chart the antecedents and progress of the AUT campaign against casualisation. This is supported by participant and non‐participant observation of 14 union meetings and events coupled with data from 20 semi‐structured interviews with a range of national officers and local activists conducted between 1999 and 2002.
Findings
The data support previous research that has identified changing union orientations to non‐standard workers. In the AUT, recruitment of CRS was propelled by instrumental needs to build and extend a declining membership base, but active participation of members employed on fixed‐term contracts has influenced union democracy and the collective bargaining agenda. However, the results, in terms of concrete gains in job security for CRS, have been limited.
Research limitations/implications
The paper examines a case study of one union in particular circumstances. Although the findings add to the general knowledge of union representation on non‐standard workers, the outcomes are specific to the case study union. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the effectiveness of the AUT campaign against casualisation whilst highlighting the implications for the development of conceptual and theoretical frameworks on the representation of “non‐standard” workers.
Originality/value
The paper provides unique and detailed historical data on one trade union's attempts to integrate the interests of academics employed on fixed‐term contracts into union structures originally designed to service one of the most secure sectors of the British workforce.
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Hazel Conley, Mostak Ahamed and Tessa Wright
The focus of this chapter is intersectional bullying and harassment in the rail sector in Britain, where the workforce is male-dominated, gender-segregated and ethnically diverse…
Abstract
The focus of this chapter is intersectional bullying and harassment in the rail sector in Britain, where the workforce is male-dominated, gender-segregated and ethnically diverse. There have been significant gender and race equality issues in the sector that have resulted in a number of high profile legal cases. The authors draw on data from a trade union survey of members (Transport and Salaried Staffs Association) focussing on their experiences achieving equality at work. The survey received 1,054 useable responses. The authors have used both additive and multiplicative data analysis methods to capture the methodological debates concerning intersectional analysis. The analyses provided some varied responses, depending on the methods used, but an enduring factor was that older, ethnic minority women were the group who were most likely to feel that they had suffered bullying and harassment. The authors discuss these findings in relation to the limited legal interventions for intersectional bullying and harassment. The authors argue that employers and trade unions must develop proactive institutional responses to mitigate its damaging consequences.
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Fiona Colgan, Chris Creegan, Aidan McKearney and Tessa Wright
The purpose of this paper is to identify organisational good practice concerning equality, diversity and sexual orientation and consider the impact of the Employment Equality…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify organisational good practice concerning equality, diversity and sexual orientation and consider the impact of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs in‐depth interviews and a short survey with 154 lesbian, gay and bisexual people (LGB) and 60 interviews with management, trade union and LGB group representatives within 16 “good practice” case study organisations.
Findings
Before the introduction of the (SO) Regulations (2003), progress concerning equality, diversity and sexual orientation was made based on social justice and/or business case arguments. The research shows that an inclusive organisational response can benefit both LGB employees and their employers. However, an “implementation gap” between equality/diversity policy and practice on sexual orientation was identified. The introduction of the law as a further driver to equality action in the sexual orientation area has been positive. However, LGB employees voiced concerns about the way in which organisations rely on LGB people to come forward with complaints before tackling problems. Thus, the protection provided by the (SO) Regulations 2003, although welcomed, was not seen as a panacea to tackling discrimination and harassment on grounds of sexual orientation in the workplace. LGB respondents looked to their organisation management to provide proactive leadership on equality/diversity issues and stop treating the sexual orientation strand as the “poor relation” within the organisational drive for equality and diversity.
Originality/value
The paper addresses the gap in knowledge regarding LGB people's perceptions of equality/diversity policy and practice within UK workplaces, providing information on good practice for employers, trade unions, government and LGB campaigning organisations.
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The purpose of this article is to examine the proposal adopted by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) that employers undertaking an equal pay review should be permitted a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to examine the proposal adopted by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) that employers undertaking an equal pay review should be permitted a “protected period” during which its employees would be prohibited from taking equal pay claims to law. This proposal is considered against recent collective agreements in local government and National Health Service, and where equal pay claims have been made by employees either with the support of the unions that are party to the collective agreement or more critically with external legal support.
Design/methodology/approach
Information is drawn from the EOC, from employer and trade union sources, and decisions of the employment tribunals and courts.
Findings
The outcome of the unstructured mix of collective bargaining and litigation shows a pattern of delay, uncertainty, added conflict between involved parties and pressure, making resource adjustments that initially were to be avoided.
Research limitations/implications
The research has been undertaken as the collective agreements are being implemented. As the initial hearings of claims are not complete and there are opportunities for appeals against initial judgments, the descriptions here are unlikely to provide a settled account.
Originality/value
The EOC proposal is given support but shown to need further institutional support. In that regard the opportunity is taken to consider a possible alternative form of adjudication of “collective” equal pay issues. It is proposed to facilitate an extended version of a former jurisdiction of the Central Arbitration Committee.
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Rosemary Lucas and Shobana Nair Keegan
The purpose of this paper is to explore the basis of the Low Pay Commission's (LPC) presumption of the “distinctiveness” of young workers aged 16 and 17 in the absence of any…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the basis of the Low Pay Commission's (LPC) presumption of the “distinctiveness” of young workers aged 16 and 17 in the absence of any systematic and objective basis for determining “fair pay”. In the context of labour market theories and the issues they raise in relation to skill, training and pay, the paper questions the presumption that young workers are distinctive with reference to contemporary notions of skill and training requirements.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a sub‐sample of hospitality businesses in North Wales, the paper presents selected evidence from semi‐structured interviews about firms’ pay and employment practices that included a systematic method to enable managers to provide some objectively justifiable measures of job content and perceptions of personal attributes in relation to the pay of 16‐ and 17‐year‐old workers compared with their older counterparts.
Findings
Employers’ informal and pragmatic employment and pay practices both reflect and reinforce the LPC's presumption of distinctiveness for a predominantly student labour force. This indicative and exploratory method of quantifying jobs and personal attributes in relation to pay appears to have some validity, although the sorts of skills that are associated with young workers’ jobs may not be fully recognised or valued, reinforcing inequality and discrimination in some cases.
Originality/value
In raising awareness of potential inequality of treatment and discrimination in the context of age discrimination legislation, the paper will be of interest to researchers in employment relations, human resource management, equality and diversity management, minimum wages and the hospitality industry.
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Glenda Strachan, John Burgess and Lindy Henderson
Organisations have to respond to a range of legislative and policy initiatives intended to promote equal employment opportunity for women. The purpose of this paper is to analyse…
Abstract
Purpose
Organisations have to respond to a range of legislative and policy initiatives intended to promote equal employment opportunity for women. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the mix of legislation and policies in Australia: anti‐discrimination and equal opportunity legislation, equal pay, work and family and managing diversity policies.
Design/methodology/approach
Legislation, industrial relations changes and policies relating to pay equity, non‐discrimination on the grounds of sex, affirmative action and equal opportunity, including work and family policies and managing diversity approaches are reviewed in the context of changing labour conditions and social trends.
Findings
Organisations are presented with a range of policies from which to choose and the result is variety in the extent and type of equity programs which produce variable outcomes for women in the workplace.
Practical implications
While this paper deals in particular with Australia, the pattern of multiplicity of approaches is common to other Western countries. As organisations choose among a variety of approaches in implementing an equal opportunity programme, the outcomes for women will vary.
Originality/value
The paper offers insight into equal employment opportunity legislation and policies within the Australian context.
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The UK government has suggested that women's inequality can be addressed through improved education and training. The aim of this paper is to explore the extent to which this is…
Abstract
Purpose
The UK government has suggested that women's inequality can be addressed through improved education and training. The aim of this paper is to explore the extent to which this is the case by examining the opportunities for learning in a range of low‐paid jobs in local government, which are predominantly but not exclusively occupied by women.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on a case study involving over 100 face‐to‐face interviews with low‐paid workers, their supervisors, managers, trainers and union representatives in one local authority, it uses Scherer's 2004 framework to examine whether low‐paid jobs and the opportunities they provide for training act as “stepping stones” or “traps” to job progression and better pay.
Findings
As a solution to the problem of low pay, the discourse of individual self‐improvement under‐estimates the structural problems facing low‐paid workers, their lack of resources and entitlements to learning. Moreover, it ignores the fact that many low‐paid workers in the public sector value their work as socially useful. This public service ethos should not be a justification for low basic pay.
Originality/value
This paper extends the theme of gender equality in UK public services by examining to what extent measures focusing on education and training can lift women workers off the “sticky floor” of low‐paid low status work.