English for social workers I session 9, 9 dec 2013

1. English for social workers Isession 9, 9dec 2013 Miljen Matijašević E-mail: miljen.matijasevic@gmail.com Office: G10, room 6 (1st floor) Tue, 11:30-12:30

2. Today’s session • Revision of the last session • EMPLOYMENT • Employment (general terms and concepts) • Equal Opportunities • Case Study • Labour Unions

3. Revision of the last session Education

4. Revision • Discuss the following terms: • grade • to graduate (US) • optional (elective) subjects • college vs. university • junior vs. community college • advanced professional degree • major • ECTS • joint degree

5. Revision • Discuss the following terms: • grammar school • vocational school • public school (UK) • polytechnic • higher education • tuition • GSCE • sixth form (UK)

6. Employment

7. Employment The Right to Work • one of the human rights mentioned in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law • it is the right of every human to work and they should not be prevented from it • this right is also provided for in the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia

8. Employment • Employment regulated by labour law (employment law) legislation and contractual provisions (odredbe ugovora) • Employment contracts can be: • permanent contracts (na neodređeno vrijeme) • fixed-term contracts (na određeno vrijeme) • Either type can be for: • full-time work (puno radno vrijeme) • part-time work (skraćeno radno vrijeme)

9. Employment • Legislation lays down the national minimum wage • Working and employment conditions may be laid down in collective agreements • Employees have a right to sick and parental leave (during which time they receive sick and parental pay) • Contracts also include the notice period for the termination of employment • Deductions from payment are also regulated (contributionsto health insurance andpensionfunds, etc.)

10. Starting and Terminating Employment • Employing new staff is usually referred to as RECRUITMENT – carriedoutby human resources departments • Candidates mayundergotests, required to file an application, submit a CV and have an interview • In many jobs, new recruits start out as trainees for a certain period (traineeship)

11. Termination of employment • An employee can resign (quit) when he/she finds another job or is dissatisfied with the current one • An employer can dismiss an employee because he or she is no longer needed (1) or because of misconduct (2) • the employee is maderedundant (or laidoff) • the employee is summarily dismissed* (‘fired’) *summary dismissal – izvanredni otkaz

12. Termination of employment • Dismissals are sometimes contrary to regulations, such as: • unfair dismissal • where procedure was not followed by the employer • wrongful dismissal • where the employee was dismissed for unlawful reasons

13. Equal opportunities

14. Revision • Translate/explain the following terms: • contractual provisions • fixed-term contract • sick leave • parental pay • jobseeker • summary dismissal • to make sbd redundant • employment prospects

15. Fighting Discrimination • Equalopportunities (anti-discrimination) laws – it is ILLEGAL to discriminate on the basisof: • race or ethnicity • religionandbelief • disability • sexualorientation • age

16. Typesofdiscrimination Direct Discrimination • occurs when someone is treated less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic (age, race, religion or belief, sex, sexualorientation,marriage and civilpartnership,disability and gender reassignment). Indirect Discrimination • canoccur when you have a condition, rule, policy or even a practice in your organisation that applies to everyone but particularly disadvantages people who share a protected characteristic.

17. Typesofdiscrimination Associative Discrimination • direct discrimination against someone because they associate with another person who possesses a protected characteristic. Perceptive Discrimination • direct discrimination against an individual because others think they possess a particular protected characteristic. It applies even if the person does not actually possess the characteristic.

18. Fighting Discrimination • Positive discrimination (a.k.a. affirmative action) – giving advantage to minority groups in employment • Aimed at increasing the number of women and minority groups holding jobs • Statistics show that unemployment is still higher in these groups

19. Fighting Discrimination • EU anti-discriminationlawsinforcesince 2000 • Diversityis one ofthekeyEuropeanvalues • Only 1/3 ofEuropeans are awarethatthelawprotectsthemagainstdiscrimination

20. Gender Equality in Employment • Equality of women and men is a basic right, common value of the EU and an objective for the achievement of social cohesion • A vast body of legislation and activities aimed at achieving gender equality (equal access to employment, equal pay, maternity protection, parental leave, etc.)

21. Gender Equality Statistics READ THE TEXT ON p. 16 in your coursebook

22. People with disabilities • Represent around 1/6 of the working age population in the EU • Unemployment almost double compared to non-disabled people • Have equal rights as non-disabled people, which include: • dignity • equal treatment • independent living • full participation in society. 

23. Discussion • Do you think that gender inequality is a problem in Croatia? • How do you explain the fact that there are fewer women in decision-making positions? • Have you ever been a victim of or witness to discrimination? What was the basis?

24. Case study Employment

25. Case study For your information... • In the UK, employment disputes are heard in Employment Tribunals – specialized courts (decisions made by a panel of employment experts and judges) • Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) is the second instance for such cases • Appeals to EAT decisions are heardin the Court of Appeal(a regular appellate court in the UK court network)

26. Casestudy: Eweida v British AirwaysPlc FACTS • NadiaEweida is a practising Christian. She works for British Airways (BA) as a memberofcheck-instaffand is required to wear a uniform. From 2004 until 2007, BA's uniformpolicyprohibitedthewearingofvisibleitemsofjewellery. Between 20 Mayand20September 2006, Eweidaattended work wearing a visiblesilvercross on a necklace. Whensherefused to concealthecross, shewassent home. Sheremained at home, unpaid, from 20 SeptemberuntilFebruary 2007, whentheuniformpolicywasamendedallowingstaff to display a faith or charitysymbol.

27. Casestudy: Eweida v British AirwaysPlc • Eweidabrought a numberofclaimsagainst BA, includingclaimsundertheEmploymentEquality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 ofdirectandindirectdiscriminationandharassment. • Harassment is "unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual's dignity or creating intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual".

28. Labour Unions

29. Labour Unions • a.k.a. trade unions • associations of workers in a particular trade, profession or company, created for the purpose of securing better pay, benefits(e.g. health and pension insurance), working conditions, or social and political status through collective bargaining *bargaining - pregovaranje

30. Labour Unions • First small associations of workers appeared in the 18th century, but trade unionism as an organised movement emerged in the 19th century in Europe and the USA • In many countries appeared as part of the labour movement • Throughout the most of the 19th century members of these associations seen as hostile by employers and government groups and were therefore prosecuted

31. Labour Unions • In the UK they developed into the Labour Party (1906), which still exists today as one of two strongest political parties in the UK • In the USA , they focused on collective bargaining • Labour movements were slowly made legal through a number of court decisions • American Federation of Labor (1886) – the first national labor union • Made up of national trade or craft unions

32. Labour Unions • In the 20th century, industrial unions developed and started to push out craft unions, which supported unskilled workers • After some disputes, these finally merged and became powerful negotiating forces

33. Labour Unions • Strength of labour movements depends on the economic situation of a country • They are stronger in times of crises and depression • At present, power of collective bargaining threatened by consequences of globalisation – workers often easily replaceable by cheap imported labour

34. Labour Unions • However, they have left a lasting impact in the development of employment policies • Contribute to legislation, which now pays more attention to workers’ rights • Their objectives and principles adopted by many professional associations which are not labour unions (associations of lawyers, translators, civil engineers, etc.) – act as protectors and representatives of particular professions

35. Labour Unions DISCUSSION • From observing the labour situtation in our country, what is your opinion of the work of labour unions? • What are the options for professions not represented in a labour union? What are their disadvantages?

36. Thank you for your attention!