|
- Extending two-tier workforce protection in Local Govt across the public services, in consultation with the social partners
- Consult with key stakeholders to monitor PFI, inc. future financial implications
- Reform of local authority PFI credits to ensure equality of funding between PFI and conventional procurement
- Confirmation that PFI does not require transfer of staff
- NHS Choice and Capacity - the vast bulk of NHS services will remain directly provided
- Review of NHS cleaning contracts on test of cleanliness
- Network Rail to oversee all rail engineering work; national rail card
- New rules for Quality bus contracts giving greater public accountability. PTEs to have more control over fares. Crossrail Bill
- Agreement to tackle unequal pay in local government inc. gender segregation
- Public Services Forum will engage with unions on workforce development
- Commitment on no extension of school selection by ability; affirm LEA role in admissions and raising standards
- Making private schools justify charitable status to Charity Commission
- Increase access to higher education for disadvantaged groups
- Commitment to address term time workers issue
- Measures to promote healthy eating in schools
- Steps to develop staff e.g. health care assistants with paid training and poss. registration
- Full implementation of the mental health national service framework
- Elected regional govt to draw powers from central rather than local govt
- Continued investment in council housing; more borrowing powers for councils; tackling abuses in Right to Buy
- Strategy to promote independent living for elderly people where possible
Fairness at work
- Commitment to full employment
- New ‘compact’, with contractors and unions to ensure that, when Government contracts for services, employees have access to trade unions, advice, basic training and skills.
- Steps towards a national policy of occupational health and safety
- Will legislate on corporate manslaughter; compensation for victims; draft this session.
- UK government to support the EU Agency Workers Directive, and to engage with the Commission with a view to reaching an early agreement on the proposed Directive
- A commitment to work in partnership with strong, modern trade unions and to help unions such grow
- New sectoral forums bringing social partners together in low paid sectors to discuss strategies for productivity, health and safety, pay, skills and pensions
- Working with unions and employers to develop a comprehensive, voluntary, ‘good employment standard’
- Radically improved enforcement; advice, guidance and support for workers
- New measures on insolvency to ensure that management consult and do not take precipative action such as removing plant
- Uprating of redundancy pay
- Review of changes in employment tribunal regulations, including the issue of re-instatement
- Low Pay Commission to examine differential pay rates for 18-21 year olds
- Protection from dismissal for strikers raised from 8 weeks to 12 weeks
- Keep the Agricultural Wages Board and consider extending its remit
- Bank holidays cannot be counted in four weeks statutory holiday
- Support for pilot in union recruitment in small firms
- Assurance that Posting of Workers Directive will not lead to under-cutting
- Family friendly rights inc. review the right to request flexible hours for parents and carers, maternity, paternity, adoptive and parental leave (including paid); extending respite care
- Major roll-out of childcare schemes; inc Sure Start and Extended Childcare Scheme for lone parents.
- New Women at work Commission reporting in 12 months including on mandatory equal pay audits and equality reps
- Recognition of the value of facility time for workplace union reps and need for a discussion between Government and unions on this
- Rights for migrant workers, inc. stopping employers holding passports of migrant workers
- Using ASBOs, eg on buses and in pubs; tackling violence and anti-social behaviour in and around front-line workplaces
Pensions
- TUPE-style protection to include pensions affected by a company transfer or merge
- Steps to make Pension Credit payment more automatic and steps to move beyond old-style means testing
- Moving to make pensions a bargaining issue for recognition proposes
- Measures on women and pensions report back in 2005
- Commitment on pensions for same sex partners
- Assistance for those who have already lost out on occupational pensions, seeking contributions from the private sector
- Training for pension trustees and move to 50% member trustees
- Agreement to engage in effective dialogue over future of public sector pensions
- Legislation if necessary following the Turner Commission to move beyond the current voluntary occupational pensions system
Manufacturing
- Review and enhance investment funds for support for manufacturing with a view to having the best business support possible.
- Increase R&D investment to 2.5% of national income
- £1 billion extra spending on Science
- £178m funding for the Technology strategy by 2007/8
- Additional funding of £6million a year for the manufacturing advisory service.
- Improve export credit facilities
- Promote a procurement strategy which safeguards UK jobs and skills as permitted within EU rules to ensure that British industry can compete fairly with the rest of Europe.
- Encourage public procurement contracts to be given to UK firms and benefit UK workers within EU law
- Support an EU review of procurement policy.
- A strong skills agenda
- Expansion of apprenticeships
- Rolling out Employer Training Pilots, with training for all up to NVQ2
- Action in sectors under-performing on skills, including possibly training levies.
- Target to treble the number of Union Learning Reps to 22,000
- Removing barriers to TULRs, including through workplace committees
- Pathway for training as a bargaining issue
- Supporting trade union academy
- Ensure RDAs produce manufacturing strategies and work with employers and trade unions
- Encourage RDAs to assist manufacturers to find new markets
- Bank of England to take note of regional and employment data and to engage with all stakeholders including trade unions
- Improve productivity through a culture of long term investment, skills and high quality production
Additional commitments
- Labour is committed to narrowing inequalities in society, tackling the gap between rich and poor and abolishing child and pensioner poverty
- Domestic violence further action to tackle domestic violence and support those at risk
- Royal Mail to stay in public hands; telecom regulation to focus on service choice and reliability, as well as network competition
- Pensioners to remain able to collect benefits from post office
- Agreement on steps to take forward the Disability rights agenda, with more Access to Work help
- Immediate review of NI Lower Earnings Limit to help low-paid workers get benefits
- Stronger company disclosure on social, ethical & environmental issues
- New Deal to utilize voluntary and private sector expertise; help for unemployed over-50s
- Consider further action to promote race equality in private sector
- Action to tackle unethical labour agencies in health sector
- Extend training for police staff in widening their roles
- Consider certification of air cabin crew
- Take account of both UK industry and Less Developed Countries in radical reform of EU sugar regime
- Actively promote accredited proof of age card for age-restricted sales
- Consider ways to reduce smoking hazards at work
- Legal limits to stop rip-off interest rates for credit
- Will address long professional driver hours inc. self employed asap
- Balanced energy policy
- Encouragement of recycling/reducing waste; aid for alternative fuels
- New wildlife, marine protection and animal welfare provisions
- Consideration of road pricing, with proceeds to help transport investment
- Precautionary approach to GM food; UK aim to produce 70% of its organic consumption
- Recognition of importance of fish processing in Scotland
- Commitments on world debt relief, increasing overseas aid and funds to tackle HIV/AIDS
Commitments from March 2004 NPF, also going to 2004 Party Conference
- Migrant workers from all EU member states should enjoy equal freedom of movement. Agreed to monitor asylum seekers who file late applications to assess any undue hardship. Labour will meet full obligations to asylum seekers and refugees under international conventions. Asylum seekers to retain right of appeal to the High Court
- More support for developing countries and their civil society organisations to participate in World Trade Organisation
- Military intervention only as a last resort where all non-violent methods have failed, operating within international law and the framework of the UN. Call on Israel and Palestine to implement UN Security Council resolution 1515
- Strengthen EU Code of conduct on Arms control and work for an International Arms Trade Treaty to prevent the sale of weapons globally where they may be used to abuse human rights, fuel conflict or undermine development.
- Review arrangements for compensation for time off for community activities and political restriction rules and better support for time off for public duties.
- No donation caps on political parties, and nothing to undermine trade union link
- Backing for European charter of fundmental rights in EU constitution
- Safeguards on any move towards electoral reform and reform of House of Lords
- New Commission for Equality and Human Rights to work with unions. Review of current legislation, and draft a Single Equality Act
<<back to articles
|