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501. Good Jobs in Greater Manchester: The Role of Employment Charters

Author:
Emily Ball, Ceri Hughes, Donna-Louise Hurrell, and Tom Skinner
Publication Date:
04-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
A more inclusive labour market would offer more people the chance to take part in rewarding, well-paid work, bringing both economic and social benefits. In the context of declining union membership, limited employment regulation and a growing disconnect between pay and living costs, employment charters are one means for cities to engage employers and start a conversation about how their employment practices can enable local people to live and work well. This paper and the accompanying case studies grew out of a conversation about ways to facilitate more inclusive growth in cities. It focuses on Greater Manchester and reviews the rationale, design and impact of several local employment charter initiatives in the UK to assess the role that they can play in creating and sustaining quality jobs.
Topic:
Poverty, Labor Issues, Employment, and Inequality
Political Geography:
United Kingdom and Europe

502. Oxfam’s Future of Business Initiative: Promoting Equitable Businesses and Fourth Sector Development

Author:
Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:
09-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Since the turn of the century, the poorest half of the world’s population has received just 1% of the total increase in global wealth. Meanwhile, half the new wealth has gone to the richest 1%. At present, mainstream business is driving, rather than reversing, this disturbing trend. To help reverse this trend, we need rapid growth of equitable business structures with purpose, fairness and sustainability embedded into their model. In efforts to promote such equitable business structures, and the fourth sector, Oxfam is launching the Future of Business Initiative. Through this initiative, Oxfam will help such enterprises access finance and work with global companies on how they can include them in their supply chains. Oxfam will also investigate how having more businesses structured more equitably can contribute towards tackling global inequality, and ways government policies can better foster them, and the broader fourth sector.
Topic:
Development, Poverty, Labor Issues, Private Sector, and Equity
Political Geography:
Global Focus

503. Tourism’s Dirty Secret: The exploitation of hotel housekeepers

Author:
Diana Sarosi
Publication Date:
10-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Tourism is booming and generates millions of jobs for women around the world. Yet the hotel industry exemplifies the vast inequality of today’s world. The women who make hotel beds and clean hotel toilets labour long hours for meagre pay, face sexual harassment and intimidation, are exposed daily to toxic chemicals and live in fear of arbitrary dismissal. Meanwhile, the top-earning hotel CEOs can earn more in an hour than some housekeepers do in a year. Such systematic exploitation is not inevitable. The hotel industry, consumers and governments must all be part of the solution to end the economic exploitation of women. This report examines the working lives of housekeepers in Toronto, Canada, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and Phuket, Thailand. In dozens of interviews with hotel housekeepers, representatives of workers’ organizations and hotel managers, Oxfam found five overarching trends common to the three locations: in non-unionized hotels, extremely low wages that are not sufficient to live on; serious health risks and high rates of injury; high rates of sexual harassment; difficulty organizing due to employer resistance and bad management practices; and a lack of adequate child care.
Topic:
Gender Issues, Labor Issues, Governance, Tourism, Sexual Violence, and Exploitation
Political Geography:
Canada, Asia, Caribbean, Dominican Republic, North America, and Thailand

504. The Limits of Labor Legislation Reforms: Rigidity, Growth, and Employment in Brazil

Author:
Jean Francois Mayer
Publication Date:
04-2016
Content Type:
Journal Article
Institution:
German Institute of Global and Area Studies
Abstract:
The literature addressing market dynamics typically assumes that reforming labor legislation has a direct impact on economic perfor- mance, the configuration of labor markets, and the strength of labor organizations. Within this literature one prevalent school of thought advocates flexibilizing labor laws as the key to creating economic pros- perity, enhancing labor productivity, increasing formal sector employ- ment, and successfully fighting poverty and socioeconomic inequality. I test these assumptions by analyzing the case of Brazil between 1995 and 2010. My findings suggest that reforms seeking to flexibilize the Brazilian labor code do not significantly change the country’s labor market or economy. I propose that transformations in international economic con- texts as well as differing policy orientations of successive Brazilian feder- al governments may hold more explanatory power in accounting for labor market changes during this time period.
Topic:
Labor Issues, Reform, Employment, and Legislation
Political Geography:
Brazil, South America, and Latin America

505. The Economic Impact of Bath Spa University

Author:
Oxford Economics
Publication Date:
01-2016
Content Type:
Case Study
Institution:
Oxford Economics
Abstract:
Bath Spa University supported over 2,050 jobs in Bath and North East Somerset in 2014/15 – equivalent to one in every 49 jobs in the district. The University itself employs 966 people. This makes it the fifth largest employer in Bath and North East Somerset. It is considerably more than are employed by some of the city’s most famous institutions. In total, the University generated a value-added contribution of £93.9 million to the Bath and North East Somerset economy in 2014/15. This is equivalent to 2.0 percent of the district’s economic output. Of this, the University supported a £51.7 million contribution and the University’s additional students and their visitors the remaining £41.7 million contribution to GDP. In 2014/15, Bath Spa University made a total tax contribution of £21.1 million to the UK Exchequer. This could fund the Royal United Hospital’s and Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases’ running cost for about a month.
Topic:
Economics, Education, Labor Issues, Employment, Tax Systems, and Higher Education
Political Geography:
United Kingdom and Europe

506. The Economic Impact of London Luton Airport

Author:
Oxford Economics
Publication Date:
01-2016
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Oxford Economics
Abstract:
​London Luton Airport Limited and London Luton Airport Operations Limited commissioned Oxford Economics to undertake an analysis of the nature and scale of the economic impact of London Luton Airport on the UK as a whole, and on the surrounding sub-regional and local economies. The report sets out the results of that analysis, measuring the economic contribution of the airport in terms of jobs created, contribution to GDP and government tax receipts. We present results for the value of this impact in 2013 and forecast it out to 2030 under two scenarios for the future of the airport. The report goes on to explore the value that London Luton Airport creates for its passengers by offering them cheap and local air transport, and by relieving pressure on the air transport system elsewhere in the south east of England.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Labor Issues, Economic Growth, Transportation, and Airline Companies
Political Geography:
United Kingdom, Europe, and London

507. When the Walls Come Down: How Smart Companies are Rewriting the Rules of the IOpoen Workplace

Author:
Oxford Economics
Publication Date:
06-2016
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxford Economics
Abstract:
Open-plan offices are meant to encourage collaboration and contribute to a collegial workplace culture, but they also come with serious drawbacks like noise and distraction. Oxford Economics conducted a survey of more than 600 executives and 600 employees to better understand what works for employees—and what doesn’t—about open-plan layouts, and to test for disconnects between workers and their managers. The results show that threats to productivity and worker peace of mind are bigger issues than most executives realize, and most do not have the technology or strategies in place to deal with the problems.
Topic:
Labor Issues, Work Culture, Innovation, and Business Management
Political Geography:
Global Focus

508. The Recruitment of Migrant Workers By London Science and Technology Firms

Author:
Oxford Economics
Publication Date:
08-2016
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Oxford Economics
Abstract:
Access to talent is central to London’s competitiveness. It is important that all companies can recruit the skills and experience they need to innovate and grow. Tier 2 of the UK’s visa system is the main economic route for skilled immigration from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), where the position cannot be filled by a UK/EEA national or is on the Shortage Occupation List. This report assesses the extent to which start-ups and SMEs, particularly those in the science and technology sectors, have difficulties in recruiting from outside the EEA through Tier 2. It finds that while some firms are undoubtedly facing challenges, the problem is not especially widespread across the science and technology sector as a whole. However, at least some employers are encountering difficulties with Tier 2 and a faster, better-supported, and simpler process would make a real difference to employers.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Labor Issues, Employment, and Migrant Workers
Political Geography:
United Kingdom and Europe

509. İşyeri Sendika Temsilcileri ve Sosyal Diyalog: Çare mi, Çaresizlik mi? | Union Stewards and Social Dialogue: Remedy or Helplessness?

Author:
Erdem Cam
Publication Date:
12-2016
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bilgi
Institution:
Sakarya University (SAU)
Abstract:
Bu çalışmada işyerinde sosyal diyaloğu sağlamada önemli görevleri olan işyeri sendika temsilcilerinin sorunları araştırılmıştır. Bu amaçla Türkiye’de faaliyet gösteren iki konfederasyona üye olan sendikalardaki işyeri sendika temsilcileri ile 2012-2017 yılları arasında odak grup mülakat ve derinlemesine mülakat yapılmıştır. Çok farklı işkollarından olan bu temsilcilerin belirtmiş oldukları sorunlar, temsilcilerin işyerinde ortaya çıkan sorunları nasıl çözdükleri hakkında ipuçları vermektedir. Çalışmada temsilcilerin davranışları kuramsal olarak iki ana başlık altında incelenmiştir. Bu başlıklar çatışmacı yaklaşım çerçevesinde işçilerin hakları için mücadele eden temsilciler ile yapısalcı kuram başlığı altında işverenle uzlaşan ve diyaloğu esas alan temsilcilerdir. Bu çalışmanın bulguları sayesinde Türkiye için işyerinde demokratik çalışma ortamının daha iyi nasıl kurulabileceği ve sendikal kararların tabandan karar alıcılara doğru nasıl etki edebileceği yönünde öneriler yapılabilir. | In this study, the problems of union stewards who have important roles in ensuring social dialogue in the workplace were investigated. For this purpose, focus group and in-depth interviews were conducted with workplace union stewards who are the representatives of two labour confederations in Turkey between 2012 and 2017. The problems expressed by these union stewards from many different branches of activity have been given some clues about how the union stewards sort out the problems that arise in the workplace. The behaviours of the workplace union stewards were theoretically examined under two main approaches in this study. These are the representatives who struggle for the rights of workers within the framework of the confrontational approach and representatives who compromise with the employer under the structuralist theory and take dialogue as basis. Thanks to findings of this study, suggestions can be made that how to establish a democratic working environment in the workplace and how trade union decisions can create an impact from shop floor to decision makers in Turkey.
Topic:
Labor Issues, Democracy, and Unions
Political Geography:
Turkey and Middle East

510. Six ways to enable women’s economic empowerment

Author:
Fenohasina Rakotondrazaka Maret, Ammar A. Malik, Nan Marie Astone, and H. Elizabeth Peters
Publication Date:
11-2016
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Urban Institute
Abstract:
Worldwide, only about one in two women work, compared with three in four men. In some low-income countries, such as Zimbabwe and Madagascar, the labor force participation rate for women has reached 90 percent, but these women are often underemployed. Hard economic circumstances often force them to be self-employed or work in small enterprises that are unregulated and unregistered. About 83 percent of all domestic workers in the world are women, most of whom work in precarious conditions. Women also do much more unpaid work than men, including caring for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities; contributing to family farms or businesses; and performing household chores such as collecting water or gathering firewood. Improving women’s livelihoods constitutes basic human rights protection. But could including more women in the labor force also stimulate economic growth, enhance business competitiveness, and improve well-being? We recently conducted a review of evidence to answer that question and found that reducing the gender pay gap and equalizing access to economic opportunities and resources are good for economic, social, and business development. For example, some firms that purposefully reduced gender discrimination and supported family-friendly policies attracted more talented workers, improved retention rates, and decreased employee stress, resulting in enhanced productivity.
Topic:
Gender Issues, Labor Issues, Women, and Economic Development
Political Geography:
Africa, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar