TUC Campaigns

Campaigns

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  We need a maximum working temperature

  Every summer, temperatures are rising and working in prolonged heat and sun can be dangerous. It can cause a number of health concerns, from dehydration and dizziness to the most serious of illnesses. The Health and Safety Executive say 4,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every year as a result of outdoor working. Trade unions want to see the law changed, so that employers and workers know when action must be taken to keep workers cooler and safer. We want to see guidance which asks employers to begin taking steps to reduce temperatures when they get above 24°C and workers feel uncomfortable. This is the World Heath Organisation's recommended maximum temperature for working in comfort. While official guidance exists for a *minimum* working temperature of 16°C, there is no law to guide bosses on what a maximum should be. It's time to protect working people feeling the heat!

  822 of 1,000 Signatures

  Created by Shelly Asquith
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  Tell Trump: Hands off our NHS

  Our NHS is not for sale. Not now, not ever. NHS leaders warned weeks ago that hospitals and patients will pay billions more for drugs in a post-Brexit US-UK deal. Now we have it in black and white. Leaked government documents reveal that Trump and his big pharma cronies want to charge our NHS a lot more for vital drugs. And the US wants "total market access" to public services as a condition for opening new trade talks. That’s code for carving them up and selling them off to the highest bidder. It's never been more important to stand up for our NHS and demand that any future trade deals include cast iron guarantees for public services.

  5,806 of 6,000 Signatures
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  Coronavirus: Nobody should lose jobs or pay because their kids' school is closed

  We support measures to reduce the spread and impact of coronavirus, but no-one should be out of pocket, or even worse out of a job, for doing the right thing. When schools and nurseries close for most children, loads of parents will be unable to work because they'll have to look after their kids. But current parental or dependants' leave arrangements are too short and in any case mean going without pay – something most people simply can’t afford. If we want people to follow government health advice, the government has to support parents. And they need to act fast to deal with this emergency. That means: * Keeping everyone on full pay, if their kids' school or childcare closes. * Reimbursing employers – just like they do for maternity pay. * No-one should be treated unfairly or lose their job because they need to look after their kids. Let's support workers in getting us through this epidemic, and make sure no-one loses their job or is pushed into hardship because their kids' school closes. __________ (If you're a working parent and concerned about your own work rights when schools close, find out more where you might stand under the current arrangements here: https://bit.ly/3928WfT )

  17,346 of 20,000 Signatures
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  End sexual harassment at work

  Sexual harassment has no place in the workplace. But every day, people across the UK are sexually harassed at work. 1 in 2 women have been sexually harassed at work. 2 in 3 LGBT workers have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace - that's 68%. Currently, there is no legal duty on employers to take proactive action to prevent this from happening. We're demanding a new, easily enforceable legal duty requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to protect workers from sexual harassment and victimisation. Our laws rely on individuals reporting but #ThisIsNotWorking. The onus is on the victim to report - which can be isolating, confusing and potentially traumatic. Four out of five don’t feel able to report sexual harassment to their employer. It should not be down to the individual to prevent and manage their harassment alone. Tell the government to act now and change the law. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/8afd273cb98bce4cdfe3e8bd2/images/7b9335ad-c3b6-4ceb-8f6c-acd80da70c28.png

  12,387 of 15,000 Signatures
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  #SickPayForAll: Guarantee decent sick pay for every worker

  Workers affected by the coronavirus outbreak could have to go into quarantine or self-isolation to prevent the further spread of the virus. But already companies like Wetherspoons are refusing to give staff sick pay from day one, even if they are quarantined by government order. Right now millions of UK workers don’t earn enough to get this protection. And even those that do have to be off sick for at least three days before they get paid. And workers with existing sick pay schemes should be paid at the full rate offered by the employer while in isolation, and not be considered as on annual or unpaid leave. No one should worry about falling into debt or struggling to pay their bills when they’re ill or have to self-isolate. If people aren't compensated for the time spent at home, the risk people go to work and spread the illness increases. Nearly 2 million UK workers do not qualify for statutory sick pay, including 1 in 10 working women and 23% of zero-hours contract workers. Currently, workers need to have been off work sick for 4 or more days in a row to receive the payment. And people who earn less than £118 a week don’t qualify for statutory sick pay. The government must ensure everyone gets statutory sick pay from day one, however much they earn.

  23,306 of 25,000 Signatures
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  We need disability pay gap reporting

  For too long, disabled workers have faced double discrimination. Not only are they less likely to have a paid job but when they do, disabled people earn much less than their non-disabled peers. Disabled workers face a pay gap of 15.5 per cent. This means they earn £3,003 less a year than their nondisabled counterparts. This pay gap means that disabled people effectively work for free for the last 57 days (or 8 weeks) of the year and stop getting paid on 04 November. The TUC has branded this day Disability Pay Gap Day. Mandatory disability pay gap reporting would mean bosses had to identify and address poor workplace practices that lead to inequality. Mandatory gender pay gap reporting has shone a light on the barriers faced by women at work– and it’s also one of the reasons why the government is consulting on the introduction of mandatory reporting on the ethnicity pay gap. So if compulsory transparency about pay is seen as a positive way of addressing gender and race pay gaps, then why isn’t it being applied to disabled workers too? Without a legally binding requirement on companies to publish their pay gaps – and say what action they are taking to address them – progress will be too slow and disabled workers will be consigned to many more years of lower pay and unfair barriers to getting jobs and progressing at work. Disabled people shouldn’t be fobbed off with voluntary reporting. We know that doesn’t work. The government’s voluntary scheme for gender pay gap reporting, only led to 5 businesses actually publishing their data. However, when mandatory reporting was introduced more than 10,000 employers reported their gender pay gap – close to 100% compliance. Disabled people deserve more, they need mandatory disability pay gap reporting – they have waited long enough for fair and equal treatment at work.

  3,348 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Quinn R
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  UK MPs: Reject Boris Johnson's Brexit deal

  Boris Johnson and his hard-right cabinet are not only on the side of the establishment … they are the establishment. And this Tory government isn’t so different from any other Tory government: they will help the rich get richer and make working-class people pay. That’s why the Brexit deal just announced between the EU and UK government would be a disaster for working people. It's clear that the UK government will seek to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU after Brexit. A free trade agreement could shrink the UK economy by 6 per cent, hammering jobs and livelihoods, and putting our NHS and public services at further risk. Leaving the customs union will also make trade more expensive and slower, hitting working people’s pockets. Low income families would be hit hardest. This deal also gives no guarantee that workers’ rights will be protected or keep pace with improvements in the rights of workers across the EU. Add your name to make sure Boris Johnson knows the people won’t accept his deal.

  134 of 200 Signatures