Making the world of work better: TUC’s Paul Nowak talks to Oven-Ready HR

In the opening episode of the new season of the Oven-Ready HR podcast, Paul Nowak, deputy general secretary of the TUC, talks exclusively to Chris Taylor.

Union membership in the UK for last few years has been on the rise (albeit modestly). Trade unions remain an important actor in how the UK employment market is regulated and their influence has been particularly prominent during the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of their campaign to provide a decent level of statutory sick pay for all workers.

On a more macro level, the TUC has also been extremely vocal about structural issues within the UK employment market and in particular how certain employers within the gig economy have been seen to avoid their responsibilities by offering what he describes as bogus self-employment.

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In this episode you’ll discover:

• Why the  image of unions often portrayed by certain sections of the UK media when reporting on disputes between employers and unions is not a true representation of the work they do;
• How unions are working hard to explain their relevance to Gen-Z workers and the cohorts that follow who, we are told,  place great importance on the employers values, purpose and culture;
• What can be done to fix the UK’s statutory sick pay provision highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic;
• The benefits that can be achieved when employers representatives and unions work together such as the furlough scheme and the self-employed income support scheme launched during the pandemic and why the Government should do more to encourage this type of collaboration;
• The benefits of collective bargaining and how rumours of its death in the UK are greatly exaggerated and how international organisations such as the OECD and IMF see collective bargaining in a more positive light;
• The positive developments since the Supreme Court judgement in the Uber BV v Aslam landmark employment case;
• Nowak’s deep concern surrounding the delay of the long-awaited Employment Bill following Matthew Taylor’s report and how consultation with the TUC and other stakeholders in advance of publishing a white paper would make his year.