Agenda item

NOTICE OF MOTION -TUC'S GREAT JOBS AGENDA

 

This council notes that:-

 

               Insecure work includes people working on zero-hours contracts, temporary and agency work, and low-paid self-employment.

               3.5 million people could be in insecure work by start of 2022 if current trends continue - a rise of 290,000. That’s the equivalent of the entire working population of Sheffield.

               Workers on zero-hours and short-hours contracts earn a third less per hour than the average worker.

               1 in 13 Black, Asian and minority ethnic employees are in insecure jobs, compared to 1 in 20 white employees.

               Insecure work costs the Treasury £4 billion a year in lost income tax and national insurance contributions, along with extra benefits and tax credits.

 

This council further notes that:-

 

               UK workers are still on average £38 a week worse off than before the crash in 2008 (figures to April 2017). This is the longest squeeze on pay since Victorian times.

               Public sector workers’ real wages are down thousands of pounds a year compared to 2010. For example, prison officers and paramedics are all down over £3,800 a year. Firefighters are down nearly £2,900, while teachers are down approximately £2,500.

               Just one in three people (33%) people say their employer offers regular training opportunities - and one in four workers (24%) say that no training is offered at their workplace at all apart from a new starters’ induction.

               More than a million workers suffer from ill-health related to their employment, and around 23 million working days are lost each year due to injury or illness in the workplace.

               Almost one in three workers have been bullied in the workplace.

               More than a third (37%) of Black and minority ethnic workers have been bullied, abused or singled out at work.

               More than half (52%) of women and nearly two-thirds (63%) of women aged 18-24 years old have experienced sexual harassment at work.

 

This council believes that:-

 

               Every job should be a secure and great job. That means every worker must be paid fairly; work in a safe and healthy workplace; be treated decently and with respect; have guaranteed hours; have the chance to be represented by unions and be consulted on what matters at work; have the chance to get on in life.

               Currently, too many jobs in the UK aren’t great jobs – and too many people feel that great jobs aren’t available where they live. 

               It is positive that there is now a public debate about how we improve jobs in the UK – much of it driven by union campaigning and legal action against bad employers like Sports Direct, Uber and Hermes.

               The TUC have been clear that the proposals put forward by Mathew Taylor’s review of employment standards for the government are inadequate.

 

This council resolves to:-

 

               Support the TUC’s Great Jobs Agenda, which sets out the actions employers and the government must take for every job to be a great job, and tell the TUC of this support.

               Ask for a paper to be presented to cabinet setting out the actions the authority is taking to ensure that every job in this authority is a great job, and relating those to the six standards in the Great Jobs Agenda. At a minimum this should include:-

 

o      Confirming how many council staff receive the real Living Wage.

o      Reporting on how many workers are employed on zero- or short-hours contracts or agency contracts, and what actions the authority is taking to reduce this.

o      Setting out how the authority proposes to use its procurement process to raise employment standards among its subcontractors.

 

               Write to all MPs in Rotherham and the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Dan Jarvis, informing them of our position and encouraging them to support the Great Jobs Agenda too.

               Invite a trade union representative to present the Great Jobs Agenda to a meeting of the Rotherham Together Partnership’s Business Growth Board.

               Make increasing job quality a key part of the conversation when pursuing local economic development opportunities in Rotherham.

               Continue to value meaningful workforce engagement and representation through our recognised trade unions in RMBC.

 

[All stats sourced at tuc.org.uk]

 

Mover:-  Councillor Steele                          Seconder:-  Councillor Rose Keenan

Minutes:

Proposed by Councillor Steele and seconded by Councillor Rose Keenan:-

 

This Council notes that:-

 

               Insecure work includes people working on zero-hours contracts, temporary and agency work, and low-paid self-employment.

               3.5 million people could be in insecure work by start of 2022 if current trends continue - a rise of 290,000. That’s the equivalent of the entire working population of Sheffield.

               Workers on zero-hours and short-hours contracts earn a third less per hour than the average worker.

               1 in 13 Black, Asian and minority ethnic employees are in insecure jobs, compared to 1 in 20 white employees.

               Insecure work costs the Treasury £4 billion a year in lost income tax and national insurance contributions, along with extra benefits and tax credits.

 

This Council further notes that:-

 

               UK workers are still on average £38 a week worse off than before the crash in 2008 (figures to April 2017). This is the longest squeeze on pay since Victorian times.

               Public sector workers’ real wages are down thousands of pounds a year compared to 2010. For example, prison officers and paramedics are all down over £3,800 a year. Firefighters are down nearly £2,900, while teachers are down approximately £2,500.

               Just one in three people (33%) people say their employer offers regular training opportunities - and one in four workers (24%) say that no training is offered at their workplace at all apart from a new starters’ induction.

               More than a million workers suffer from ill-health related to their employment, and around 23 million working days are lost each year due to injury or illness in the workplace.

               Almost one in three workers have been bullied in the workplace.

               More than a third (37%) of Black and minority ethnic workers have been bullied, abused or singled out at work.

               More than half (52%) of women and nearly two-thirds (63%) of women aged 18-24 years old have experienced sexual harassment at work.

 

This Council believes that:-

 

               Every job should be a secure and great job. That means every worker must be paid fairly; work in a safe and healthy workplace; be treated decently and with respect; have guaranteed hours; have the chance to be represented by unions and be consulted on what matters at work; have the chance to get on in life.

               Currently, too many jobs in the UK aren’t great jobs – and too many people feel that great jobs aren’t available where they live. 

               It is positive that there is now a public debate about how we improve jobs in the UK – much of it driven by union campaigning and legal action against bad employers like Sports Direct, Uber and Hermes.

               The TUC have been clear that the proposals put forward by Mathew Taylor’s review of employment standards for the government are inadequate.

 

This Council resolves to:-

 

               Support the TUC’s Great Jobs Agenda, which sets out the actions employers and the government must take for every job to be a great job, and tell the TUC of this support.

               Ask for a paper to be presented to cabinet setting out the actions the authority is taking to ensure that every job in this authority is a great job, and relating those to the six standards in the Great Jobs Agenda. At a minimum this should include:-

 

o      Confirming how many council staff receive the real Living Wage.

o      Reporting on how many workers are employed on zero- or short-hours contracts or agency contracts, and what actions the authority is taking to reduce this.

o      Setting out how the authority proposes to use its procurement process to raise employment standards among its subcontractors.

 

               Write to all MPs in Rotherham and the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Dan Jarvis, informing them of our position and encouraging them to support the Great Jobs Agenda too.

               Invite a trade union representative to present the Great Jobs Agenda to a meeting of the Rotherham Together Partnership’s Business Growth Board.

               Make increasing job quality a key part of the conversation when pursuing local economic development opportunities in Rotherham.

               Continue to value meaningful workforce engagement and representation through our recognised trade unions in RMBC.

 

On being put to the vote, the motion was carried unanimously.