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Chapter 5 Work. Focal Questions. What are the most important trends in the pattern of employment in Britain today? Why has self-employment increased? What might be its advantages and disadvantages?
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Focal Questions • What are the most important trends in the pattern of employment in Britain today? • Why has self-employment increased? What might be its advantages and disadvantages? • Do you think the distribution of jobs and incomes in Britain is both fair to individuals and efficient for the economy? • How significant are trade unions in contemporary Britain? • How would you account for the fact that far fewer women than men are in top positions or have highly paid jobs?
Focal Question 1 • The decline in the agriculture and textiles sectors • The decrease of the proportion working in the mining and transport industries • The manufacturing industries—not a drastic fall • The growth of the service sector • The proportion working in office jobs
Employment ratehttp://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=12
Focal Question 2 • Decide-making as to what work to do, how and when to do the work and where to provide the services • To hire or to be hired? • Working for a number of different people • Construction, sales and distribution, hotels and restaurants; and banking, finance and insurance.
Focal Question 2 • To risk one’s own money (insecurity) • Being responsible for one’s own tax and National Insurance contributions • Affecting the benefits one can claim, eg. unemployment benefit • Maternity leave? Redundancy payment? • Liability to the public for the work you do for them
Focal Question 3 • Increased inequality of original income (wages & salaries, esp. skilled vs unskilled workers) • Slower growth in income from cash benefits • Decline in the role of trade unions • The Income Tax cuts of the late 1980s (income – tax = ?)
Employment rates and gross weekly earnings for full-time employees of working age: by highest qualification, spring 2003, UK
Reduction in Inequality of Income • Fall in inequality of original income • Receipts of tax credits • Increases to the rates for employees' national insurance contributions
A 5 Gender & Ethnicity • High female employment rate • TheEqual Pay Act, 1970s, • The Sex Discrimination Act (1975) and the Race Relations Act (1976) • Ethnic minority: difficulties in finding jobs (p86 table) • Rate of unemployment for Muslims—27%, Christians—10%
Women MPs, 1997 Thatcher -- elected prime minister in 1979 Breaking the glass ceiling In 1997, 5 women appointed to senior positions by Blair (Mo Mowlam as secretary of state for Northern Ireland) A 5 Gender & Ethnicity
A 5 Gender & Ethnicity • In the May 1997 general election 101 female Labour members of Parliament (MPs) were elected to the 659-seat House of Commons. • Britain: women MPs – 18%; Sweden -- 43%; Germany – 31% • The recent elections to the Welsh Assembly -- an equal 50:50 split between men and women
A 5 By Gender • Employee jobs: by industry and sex at June each year.
A 5 By Gender • Employment rates: by sex and age, 2008
A 5 By Gender • All in employment: by sex and occupation, 2008
A 5 Gender • Female employees: administrative or secretarial work • Men: managers, senior officials or in skilled trades • Men: more likely than women to be self-employed
A 5 By Ethnic Group • Self-employment as a percentage of all in employment: by ethnic group, 2004, GB
A 5 By Ethnic Group • People in employment in managerial or professional occupations: by ethnic group, 2004, GB
Occupation—by ethnic group • 1/7 Pakistani men (1/100 White British men) -- taxi driver, cab driver or chauffeur • ¼+ Bangladeshi men (1/100 White British men) -- chefs, cooks or waiters • 4% Indian men (0.4% White British men) -- medical practitioners • 1/10 Black African women, 1/7 Other Asian women (1/30 White British women) -- nurses in 2004 • Indian, Pakistani and Black African women (White British women * 4) -- packers, bottlers, canners and fillers • Pakistani (White British women *6) and Indian women (White British women*4) sewing machinists
Pros. protecting the interests of employees persuading the government to pass the Health and SafeAct a range of services, particularly through the TUC. Cons excessive wage claims undemocraticunion elections too powerful undermining the competitiveness of British industry A 4 Unions & Management
A 4 Unions & Management • New Style Management – Japanese Influence • Only one union representing workers • Disputes that cannot be settled by union & management will be decided by arbitrator • No industrial actions (strikes) are used in disputes • Workers enjoy same benefits and perks as managers • Pay rises reflect increase in productivity. • Workers work in groups. • (Compare Ford & Nissan pp 84 – 85)
A 4 Unions & Management • The Trades Union Congress (TUC) -- most unions ( 70 )are affiliated to it • The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) –employers’ associations affiliated to it • The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Services (ACAS) -- set up by government playing an important role in ‘new style agreement
A 4 Unions & Management • TUC Congress 2003
The TUC • With member unions representing over six and a half million working people, we campaign for a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad.
The TUC • brings Britain’s unions together to draw up common policies • lobbies the Government to implement policies that will benefit people at work • campaigns on economic and social issues • represents working people on public bodies • represents British workers in international bodies, in the European Union and at the UN employment body - the International Labour Organisation • carries out research on employment -related issues • runs an extensive training and education programme for union representatives • helps unions develop new services for their members • helps unions avoid clashes with each other • builds links with other trade union bodies worldwide
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1003 • http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=10 • http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=463&Pos=6&ColRank=2&Rank=224 • http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=11&Pos=2&ColRank=2&Rank=448 • http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=698 • http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=332&Pos=1&ColRank=2&Rank=448 • http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pdfs/ir56.htm#5b • http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=4&Pos=4&ColRank=2&Rank=448 • http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=1654&Pos=1&ColRank=2&Rank=1000