Anything employees ever needed to know about their workplace rights will be answered in a new TUC book published on Thursday.
"Your rights at work: A TUC guide" is published following demand from the TUC know your rights line which has taken over 15,000 calls in the last fifteen months, most of which were requests for guidance on health and safety at work. The guide offers information on the full range of workplace rights from applying for and getting a job, to what to do when faced with redundancy or dismissal. The new book, published by Kogan Page, aims to offer people a basic guide to their workplace rights, equipping them with the skills to argue an informal case.
The book includes chapters on:
- starting a job - applying for and getting a job, other rights at work and a rights timetable
- payday - deductions from wages, sick pay rights, the National Minimum Wage
- working time rights - the 48 hour week, exemptions from the Working Time Regulations, holidays, night working, and rights for under 18s
- families and work - working mothers, parental leave, time off for dependants
- common problems at work - health and safety, stress at work, disciplinary and grievance procedures
- discrimination - sex and race discrimination, equal pay, disability, sexual orientation, and part-time work
- getting the sack - dismissal and redundancy
- enforcing your rights - Employment Tribunals and courts, alternatives to tribunals and courts, and sources of advice and representation.
TUC General Secretary, John Monks said, "Everyone at work has some basic rights in law. And good employers offer much more than the bare minimum. But many people don't know what their rights are. This book, for trade unionists and non-members alike, aims to go a long way towards redressing that."
Mr Monks continued, "We know that union members already have the advantage of expert advice and extra channels to help them raise problems with their employers. And while our aim is not the hard sell, we hope that after reading this book non-members will conclude that joining a union is a vital piece of insurance against work-related problems."
Neasa MacErlean, Work Editor on the Observer said: "This book should really have a readership of about 25 million. Just about every worker in this country has something to gain from dipping into this 191-page, simply written guide to their employment rights. There could not be a better time for the TUC to produce its first such book, reasonably priced, clearly written and aimed at the workers themselves, not just their advisers.
"Your rights at work: A TUC guide" will be available from Thursdy, priced £8.99. Copies can be ordered from TUC Publications 020 7467 1294 for £7.45 including postage and packing.
The guide is also available direct from Kogan Page 01903 828800.
