Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest News

Union calls on PM to tackle access problem

by Personnel Today 10 Jun 2002
by Personnel Today 10 Jun 2002

Skilled
and professional workers union Amicus wants Tony Blair to grant it access to
every workplace in the UK, claiming that many employers are exploiting
legislation to keep staff in the dark.

Amicus
general secretary Roger Lyons said that despite 470 recognition deals signed by
trade unions in the past year, millions of working people are being denied
their human rights.

"Anti-union
employers are exploiting the legal regulations to deny unions access to their
employees," he said.

"We
need 10 per cent membership in any workplace to trigger a ballot for union recognition.
So anti-union employers surround their staff with razor wire and high-tech
surveillance equipment to make it impossible for trade unionists to communicate
with them."

Amicus
will ask the Prime Minister to allow trade union representatives regular access
to all workplaces in the UK in order to provide information on membership and
advice on employment rights.

"Access
is not just about a physical presence in a large office or factory. The
majority of working people share their workplace with fewer than 50 people and
many organisations have a workforce spread over a wide geographical area with
people increasingly working from home. All these people are difficult for
unions to communicate with and easy for employers to exploit. We want the
Government to give us access to staff e-mail lists so we can offer them the
opportunity to choose union representation and protection over
exploitation," Lyons said.

Amicus
is also seeking a reduction in the 40 per cent threshold for recognition and an
end to the exclusion from the recognition law of workplaces with fewer than 21
employees.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

"Union
members receive higher pay, get longer holidays and work shorter hours than
staff in non-union workplaces. The Government has a duty to provide genuine
opportunities for working people to join a trade union," Lyons said.

By Quentin Reade

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
HR bogged down in admin, says report
next post
Union highlights anger over ‘great pensions robbery’

You may also like

HMRC releases research on removing salary sacrifice tax...

28 May 2025

Call-handler sues Met Police over reinstatement of offensive...

28 May 2025

WFH for important meeting was acceptable, tribunal rules

28 May 2025

KFC to create over 7,000 jobs

28 May 2025

Consulting giant McKinsey cuts headcount by 10%

28 May 2025

Scrapping Level 7 apprenticeship funding is a ‘major...

27 May 2025

Higher-level apprenticeship funding to be limited to under-22s

27 May 2025

HS2 labour supplier ‘falsely’ declared PAYE to inflate...

27 May 2025

Volvo to cut around 3,000 roles in restructure

27 May 2025

Three ways technology can boost wellbeing outcomes

27 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+