The Welsh Assembly began a review of high levels of economic inactivity in Wales, and of the policies to raise economic activity levels being pursued by the Welsh Assembly Government and other agencies.
Source: Raising Levels of Economic Activity, National Assembly for Wales (029 2082 5111)
Links: Background paper (pdf) | Consultation letter (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
The government introduced the Employment Relations Bill. The Bill would give employees improved rights to be informed and consulted on management decisions affecting their future; improve the statutory trade union recognition process; improve the protections against dismissal of workers taking lawfully organised strike action; provide greater protections for people who requested flexible working from unfair dismissal; and improve the national minimum wage enforcement regime. The government confirmed that the Bill would be amended to allow unions to expel or exclude racist activists and others whose political behaviour was incompatible with trade union membership. Trade unions said the Bill did not go far enough, and left people at work in the United Kingdom with less protection than that enjoyed in the rest of Europe. (The government also published its response to public consultation on a review of the Employment Relations Act 1999.)
Source: Employment Relations Bill, Department of Trade and Industry, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 2 December 2003, column 371, TSO | Press release 2 December 2003, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294) | Review of the Employment Relations Act 1999: Government Response to the Public Consultation, Department of Trade and Industry (0870 150 2500)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory note | Hansard | TUC press release | Response to consultation (pdf)
Date: 2003-Dec
A government report (accompanying the 2003 Pre-Budget Report) said that there was a need to build on the 'successes' of its employment policy, and extend opportunities still further. It identified a number of areas where more progress was needed, including increasing employment rates among lone parents, people on sickness and disability benefits, and those who had been on benefits for a long time. It also said there was a need to tackle particular challenges facing some ethnic minority groups, people with no qualifications, and other groups among whom economic inactivity was relatively high - such as people living in big cities or rented accommodation.
Source: Full Employment in Every Region, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558) and Department for Work and Pensions | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 10 December 2003, columns 1087-1099, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | Hansard
Date: 2003-Dec
The government announced its intention to introduce a Bill to give workers new rights to be consulted, and to streamline trade union law.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, 26 November 2003, columns 4-7 (Queen's Speech), TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Queen's Speech
Date: 2003-Nov
A new book examined the impact of government policies on the labour market since 1998, including the minimum wage, the New Deal, working families tax credit, policies on lone parents, and changes in the education system. The book also looked at the impact of growing income inequalities over this period, on the growing geographic concentrations of joblessness, and on the new phenomenon of widespread total economic inactivity amongst certain social groups.
Source: Richard Dickens, Paul Gregg and Jonathan Wadsworth (eds.), The Labour Market Under New Labour: The state of working Britain II, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Contents list | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Nov
A progress report was published on the Welsh Assembly Government s 'skills and employment action plan'. The plan was launched in February 2002, aimed at increasing the supply of, and demand for, skilled jobs. There was an increase in the employment rate of 4.2 percentage points over the year to July 2003, and a fall of 54,000 in the number of economically inactive people.
Source: Skills and Employment Action Plan for Wales: Progress report, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report (pdf) | WAG press release
Date: 2003-Aug
The Northern Ireland Executive published a strategic plan for employment and learning for the period April 2003 to March 2006.
Source: Strategic Plan 2003-2006, Department for Employment and Learning/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9025 7777)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jun
A committee of the Scottish Parliament called for a stakeholder forum to be set up to allow a more effective Scottish contribution to the United Kingdom 'national employment action plan' (part of the European Union's employment strategy).
Source: Report on Europe's Employment Strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility: Inquiry into the Scottish Model, Second Report 2003, SP Paper 834, Scottish Parliament European and External Relations Committee Committee, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Report
Date: 2003-Mar