EUROPEAN ELEMENT IN REMPLOY CRUSADE

Last month I took part in the Remploy Crusade, organised by the Remploy Trade Unions Consortium, at the factory in Wishaw to highlight the important European element in the campaign against the proposed factory closures. The European angle in saving Remploy factories and jobs could come through securing high quality contracts through Public Procurement. After a joint campaign between the Trades Unions, European Parliamentary Labour Party and the Socialist Group in the European Parliament the EU Directive on Public Procurement was amended to include Article 19 which allows public authorities to award orders to supported workshops without going through the competitive tendering process. The new Article 19 provides legal certainty for public authorities that wish to promote employment opportunities for people with disabilities in supported employment. Public authorities spend £136 billion a year on goods and services, if just 5p in every £100 of that public procurement spending went in contracts to Remploy this would be enough to save all the factories and jobs. What is needed is a Remploy management with the drive and initiative to go for these contracts and public authorities with a commitment to corporate social responsibility to award them.

DECENT HOLIDAYS AT LAST

As from 01 October 2007 all UK workers will finally get an increase in their statutory holiday entitlement. The Working Time Directive provides that all workers should be entitled to four weeks paid annual leave. Unfortunately the Working Time Regulations 1998, which implemented the Directive in the UK, allowed employers to include the 8 statutory UK bank holidays as part of the four weeks annual leave. As a result millions of low paid workers only had 12 days for which they were free to choose when to take their leave. Successful campaigning by the Trades Unions led to an increase of statutory leave in the UK to 5.6 weeks or 28 days with a pro-rata increase for part-time workers.

MIGRANT WORKERS POORLY REWARDED FOR
CONTRIBUTION TO EU ECONOMIES

A new European Report warns that despite the increasing awareness of the vital role that migrant workers play in the economic development of their host country, more attention needs to be paid to their employment and working conditions. The report shows that migrant workers suffer from higher unemployment; tend to be segregated in unskilled occupations and exposed to higher risks of over-qualification; experience considerable job insecurity; work in sectors and occupations with poorer and more dangerous working conditions; work longer hours; and are more likely to face discrimination in the workplace. The Report concludes that they would greatly benefit from increased union representation.

UK WORKERS NEAR TOP OF MINIMUM WAGE LIST

According to Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Communities) the UK’s Minimum Wage is the third highest in the EU and double that of the USA. The UK minimum wage was set at €1,361 per month, with only Ireland and Luxembourg having a higher level. The Federal minimum wage in the USA is only €676 a month. The lowest minimum wage in the EU is in Bulgaria and is only €92 per month.

SOCIALIST GROUP CONDEMN UNEQUAL PAY

The Socialist Group in the European Parliament has called for tougher action to close the gender pay gap. Despite the fact that the founding Treaty of the EU established the principle of equal pay for men and women over 50 years ago, women in the EU are still paid, on average, 15% less per hour than men. Since 1995 there has only been a 2% reduction in gap between pay. The ETUC has highlighted two areas which need to be encouraged: more explicit support for collective bargaining and the strengthening of the Part-Time Workers Directive.

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