{"id":10081,"date":"2016-10-03T15:14:37","date_gmt":"2016-10-03T14:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=10081"},"modified":"2016-10-03T17:01:04","modified_gmt":"2016-10-03T16:01:04","slug":"celebrating-decent-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=10081","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating decent jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

So much focus has been on bad jobs and bad employers recently like Sports Direct, with their shameful warehouse working conditions and zero hours contracts that rob people of any quality family life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But this Friday (October 7) marks World Day for Decent Work. A day where we celebrate all the decent jobs that exist.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Since 2008 the International Trade Union confederation (ITUC) has been organising the World Day for Decent Work (WDDW).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite is proud to be supporting World Day for Decent Work this year,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Steve Turner, Unite assistant general secretary.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bToo often the focus is on all the bad employers and what is missing from their workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 jobs, like guaranteed hours every week, training opportunities and good pay that we can forget to highlight the good jobs and how we can make all jobs into good jobs,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 added Steve.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Fightfor5 campaign is aimed at winning decent work for all. But what makes a job a decent job? I spoke to Paul Robinson, who works for Essar oil UK, formerly Shell oil, who told me what he thinks makes his job decent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe reality is that the main reason people come to work is to get paid,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd the pay here is top of the table for the area,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pay isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t what makes the job great though as Paul, who has worked at the Ellesmere Port plant for 38 years, went on to explain. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bRetention here is very high because people are happy,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The employer is very flexible with staff either on day worker contracts, which are 08.00 until 16.00 or shift worker contracts, which are two 12 hour days followed by two 12 hour nights and then six days off.<\/p>\n

The pay for both types of contract is similar, with the shift workers getting an extra shift allowance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf you have a young family the shift work allows you to split childcare or the day contract means you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re there for dinner and bedtime,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 explained Paul.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paul worked as a plant operator before becoming a full time convenor. He is now responsible for Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 600 members at the plant.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOne of the best things about the plant is how safe it is,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Happy setting<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe company is also compassionate in the way it deals with sickness and family issues and that makes it a happy setting,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. When Essar oil UK took over from Shell in 2011 they kept existing staff on a final salary pension and mirrored the scheme for new starters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey even use an Acas approved disciplinary process, which is incredibly fair,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Paul. There are lots of training and development opportunities and access to career progression with Essar even sponsoring employees to do degrees. We have free Bupa healthcare and a canteen that provides free meals,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Paul.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou can have a full cooked English breakfast every morning and a three course lunch cooked by a great chef,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Treating your workforce with respect and fairness also benefits the employer as Paul went on to explain. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn 2012 we had two major fires, which caused significant damage to the plant,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.\u00e2\u20ac\u015bDuring the 2013 pay negotiations the staff agreed to a pay freeze so that money could be focused on making repairs and getting the plant back up and running,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The following year the plant saw record profits and staff were rewarded with a pay rise and a big bonus. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAn employer just wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get that kind of loyalty from its workforce without the mutual respect,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Paul.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Working with management <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I also spoke to Frank Wood, a senior biomedical scientist. He has worked in one of Kings College hospital\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pathology labs for almost 30 years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Four years ago the service was taken over by a private company, Viapath. Since then Frank, a Unite convenor, has worked closely with the management to ensure it is a good employer. It is one of the biggest pathology providers in the UK with 1,000 staff. About 200 of them are based at Kings College.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhen we were taken over by Viapath our terms and conditions and our NHS pensions were transferred,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Frank.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unless you chose to do shift work the hours are very social, starting at 09.00 and finishing at 17.30. There are also flexible working arrangements in place should people need them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOne colleague with an elderly parent works part-time to share carer responsibilities,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Frank. Parents are also able to start and finish later or earlier to do the school run or share child care responsibilities too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe work is very pressed and demanding but the hours are quite normalised,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Frank.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Although Frank tells me things were very different before the EU Working Time Directive was introduced in 1993. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI would do 32 hour shifts, which is a day, then a night and then another day in a solid row,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe would nap on shift and then if someone needed an urgent sample they would wake us,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are three elements to Frank\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work. Radioactive work, screening for multiple sclerosis and specialist protein work. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI enjoy it because there is a lot of variety, a good degree of job control and I can work well within the expectations of my employer. I work as part of a good but small team and have the opportunity to train people up,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Frank is clearly very proud of what he does finding his work intellectually engaging.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere is a degree of problem solving and a craft element to the work in that I make something,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. It takes quite a dedicated individual to follow Frank\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s path with a two to five year post graduate degree needed. Some of that completed while also working in a lab. NHS pay has fallen back a bit and there are more competitive salaries out there but it is a very rewarding career,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Frank.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tip of the iceberg<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sports Direct – the now infamous bad employer – is unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg and there are many more bad employers out there not treating their staff fairly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTrade unions will always be here to improve the lives of all workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why we also campaign for changes in the law to improve rights and remove the barriers to trade unions organising,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Steve Turner.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite believes decent work is a human right and continues to campaign for better pay and terms and conditions for its members. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe best way to enforce your rights at work is to join a trade union,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 said Steve.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bEssar Oil UK and Viapath should be proud of their record and how fulfilled\u00c2\u00a0their employees are. The government and businesses must go a lot further in working with trade unions to ensure that employers like these are customary, not employers like Sports Direct,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We want to hear from you<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you think you have a decent job we want to hear from you so that we can celebrate all the good jobs out there. You can write to us at decentwork4all@unitetheunion.org<\/a> and tell us what is great about your job.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information on World Day for Decent Work\u00c2\u00a0click here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So much focus has been on bad jobs and bad employers recently like Sports Direct, with their shameful warehouse working conditions and zero hours contracts that rob people of any quality family life.   But this Friday (October 7) marks World Day for Decent Work. A day where we celebrate all the decent jobs that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[190,339,338,370,603],"wps_subtitle":"Unite members tell us what makes a job great","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10081"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10083,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10081\/revisions\/10083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}