A paper examined the determinants of paid holiday entitlements for full-time workers, and the relationship of entitlements to earnings. Holiday entitlements were strongly related to educational qualifications, occupation, job tenure, and other employer characteristics. Longer holiday entitlements were associated with higher earnings, even after controlling for human capital and job characteristics. Shorter weekly work hours were associated with lower earnings.
Source: Mark Bryan, Paid Holiday Entitlements, Weekly Working Hours and Earnings in the UK, Working Paper 2006-52, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2006-Nov
The European Court of Justice ruled that the United Kingdom government's guidance on rest breaks (requiring a minimum gap of 11 hours between working days, and a weekend break of one day plus 11 hours) was incompatible with the working time directive. The guidelines were liable to render the right meaningless, because they did not oblige employers to ensure that workers actually took the minimum rest period laid down.
Source: Commission v United Kingdom (Social policy) [2006] EUECJ C-484/04, European Court of Justice (00 352 43031)
Links: Text of judgement | TUC press release | Times report | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Sep
The government began consultation on proposals to ensure that workers received paid leave for bank holidays in addition to the statutory four weeks annual leave.
Source: Increasing the Holiday Entitlement: An initial consultation, Department of Trade and Industry (0870 150 2500)
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | DTI press release | TUC press release | UNISON press release
Date: 2006-Jun
A report said that the practice of flexible working (including working at convenient times, hot-desking , peripatetic working, and working from home) was growing fast in local authorities. At least 26,000 council employees were already formally established as home-based workers.
Source: Modern Public Services: Flexible Working, Society of Information Technology Management (01604 674800)
Links: SOCITM press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A trade union report called for a new approach to the way that work was organized. It said that greater flexibility over working hours was something that should be an option for all employees - not just parents and carers.
Source: Out of Time: Why Britain needs a new approach to flexible working, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294)
Links: TUC press release
Date: 2006-Mar