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PAGE EUROPEAN REVIEW
THE LATEST EU STUDY OF ONLINE public services, carried out last April, shows that considerable progress has been made in getting European governments to create web-based versions of the services that they provide. By measuring both the availability and inter-activity of online public services the survey recorded a 10% increase on the figure recorded last October.
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In a representative sample of 10,000 public services from 18 countries (the EU plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland), 80% were found to have online versions of some kind. The degree of inter-activity was then assessed, placing it in one of four stages: 'information', 'one-way interaction', 'two-way interaction' or 'full transaction'. By this method a figure of 55% was arrived at, up from 45% in October. Income generating services like tax payments are most highly developed followed by registration of, for example, cars and new companies whereas more complicated procedures like local |
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environmental permits, remain in the information stage. Although all countries have made substantial progress the figures for services online, taking inter-activity into account, varies greatly from 22% for Luxembourg to 85% for Ireland. The United Kingdom is towards the middle of the league table at 63% and opinion seems to be divided on whether this country will achieve the ambitious targets set for it for online government and whether the supposed benefits will accrue. Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, has raised concerns that money is being wasted on electronic delivery services while |
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Tax forms : a thing of the past ? |
Ken D'Rosario, an ex-civil service computer expert, does not think the government will hit its 2005 deadline for getting all services online and commented, 'What people really need is someone to talk them through how to fill in the form'. Meanwhile the UK 'e-envoy' Andrew Pinder predicted that 20% of civil service jobs would disappear if the plans came to fruition. Civil service unions reject this however 'A significant proportion of the public will still want face-to-face contacts' said a PCS spokesman and pledged that the union would work for redeployment instead of redundancy.
THE TRADES UNION CONGRESS RECENTLY released research which shows how large numbers of employees in the UK not only receive fewer holidays then the counterparts in other EU countries but are missing out on the legal minimum. The TUC estimates that about 400,000 workers have employers who are simply flouting the law by not giving them at least 4 weeks annual leave. Another 850,000 are not benefitting fully from the EU's Working Time Directive because a loophole, which applies only to the UK, allows bosses to count public holidays as part of their leave. A regional break-down shows that 308,000 employees in London and the South-East are affected. These statistics only include full time workers.
The legal rights to paid holidays derive from the Working Time Regulations, passed in 1998, which put the directive into the law in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately these allowed the loophole in certain circumstances and this has been widely used. By contrast, in the Republic of Ireland the law implementing the directive explicitly stated that public holidays should be additional to annual leave. The TUC document goes on to point out that the reduced legal minimum in the UK comes on top of the lowest number of public holidays of any country in the EU and the lack of any national standard for paid annual leave. This adds up to a situation where the average total for legal minimum and public holidays combined is 34 throughout the EU, the highest figure coming from Austria at 38. The TUC therefore states that 'the net result is that UK workers are guaranteed 14 days less paid time off per year than the average EU worker'. It says that, during the review of working time legislation to be held next year, it will press the government 'to adopt a minimum standard for UK employees of four weeks paid annual leave plus 11 paid bank holidays - a total of 31 days paid leave for full-time workers with pro-rata arrangements for those working part-time'.
THE NEW DANISH government's proposed laws on part time working (see issue 19 page 3) provoked several strikes involving a total of 15,300 workers. They included employees at Copenhagen airport and the Carlsberg brewery. However the trade unions did win some concessions in the final text of the law adopted in June. Collective agreements which insist on a 15 hour weekly minimum will still be valid, also employees can not be sacked either for asking to work part time or for refusing such a request.
PORTUGAL IS ANOTHER country where a new government wants to change laws relating to work. The new Prime Minister Durão Barroso, conscious of EU criticisms, urged a social dialogue on employers and unions as he put forward amendments to social security laws. He wants to cap contributions to the state system in order to encourage supplementary and private ones. However the two union confederations CGTP and UGT are hostile to any change.
IN THE U.K. Peugeot's group profit sharing plan has payed out for the fifth year in a row. The 3,000 workers at their Coventry plant will receive between £539 and £1,903 as the car maker's profits topped £30 million and triggered the payments.
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