Saturday, March 28, 2015

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

Pay and the quality of care: report

Posted: 27 Mar 2015 08:09 AM PDT

rates of pay, quality of care, public services, TUC reportOutsourcing public services is damaging for staff and service users, says TUC.

The outsourcing of public services provision to private providers has a detrimental impact on the workforce and a knock-on effect on the quality of care, says a new TUC report.

The research, conducted by the New Economics Foundation on behalf of the TUC, looked at the scale and scope of outsourcing in five key sectors – social care, health care, offender management, local government and employment services.

The report also examined the effects of outsourcing on staff working in a variety of public service jobs, such as care workers, nurses, prison officers and security guards.

The TUC findings show that compared with public service employees, workers in privatised services are more likely to work longer hours, receive less pay and be on insecure or temporary contracts.

Some key figures broken down by job-type are:

Security guards are more than twelve times more likely to regularly work longer hours (more than 48 hours per week) if they are employed by a private company rather than the public sector.

The hourly wage for a private prison officer is more than £4 less than an equivalent public sector employee.

Residential care workers employed by the public sector typically stay in post more than three times longer than private sector workers.

Low pay and poor working conditions in the private sector can affect the commitment and the motivation of employees and have repercussions on the quality of service provided.

Given the absence of monitoring data on standards of services, a useful proxy is to measure aspects of the treatment and quality of the workforce which is correlated with the calibre of service delivery.

This is particularly relevant in 'relational' services, such as health and social care, which depend on high levels of interaction between staff and service users.

Some examples of outsourcing reducing the quality of services include:

Evidence of a higher incidence of hospital infections following the contracting out of cleaning services to private companies.

Private prisons are more likely to be overcrowded than publicly owned prisons and have held a higher percentage of their prisoners in overcrowded accommodation than public sector prisons every year for the past 15 years.

The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) annual report in 2010–11, the last time in which the independent regulator analysed quality delivered by providers distinguished by sector, reported that quality standards were superior in public and voluntary sector providers.

In April 2010, services run directly by councils and those run by voluntary organisations had the same proportion of good and excellent services (91 per cent), while privately run services had a significantly smaller proportion (81 per cent).

Remarking on the report, the TUC’s General Secretary, Frances O'Grady, said: "This research clearly exposes the damaging effect of outsourcing on the morale and working conditions of staff.

"But it is not just the workers who are suffering, it is also service users and family members who are getting a raw deal from the break up and outsourcing of our public services.

"Who would you rather have treating your sick relative? A low-paid, exhausted private sector worker whose temporary contract makes them unable to see the same person more than once, or a public sector employee who is paid a decent salary and is given a proper contract that allows for a long-term care commitment?"

The TUC has identified a number of common themes from the analysis of different public service areas:

There is a tendency towards market concentration, with services taken over by a narrow range of large providers dominating the market, whether this is on a national or local level. Within this concentrated market it is private providers that dominate both in terms of delivering services but also in capturing prime contractor position with subsequent control over supply chains.

Accountability is compromised by a lack of transparency regarding ownership and corporate governance among private providers.

Quality outcomes are difficult to specify, measure and price, particularly in 'relational' services based on high-quality human relationships.

Private providers have tried to increase profit margins by reducing the workforce and cutting back on pay and conditions.

Based on the research, the TUC has identified a set of policy recommendations to address issues related to the outsourcing of public services.

These recommendations include: greater protection of employment standards and collective bargaining in the commissioning and procurement process; clearly defined standards of transparency and accountability for all providers of public services; greater consultation with stakeholders and the need for a public-interest case to be made for any outsourcing; and the public should have the 'right to recall' contracted out services due to poor quality or performance.

To see the full report ‘Outsourcing Public Services’ click here.

Political views, not shoes

Posted: 27 Mar 2015 07:55 AM PDT

fawcett society, #viewsnotshoes, sexist media, elections 2015, women's viewsTheir shoes may be lovely, but, journalists, we would rather hear the views of our female politicians.

Help call out the media when they report what women politicians wear rather than what they say.

Call out sexist media reporting if you see:

Female MPs being discussed for their appearance;

Being reported for their personal life;

Being described in sexist terms;

Or simply being asked stupid questions that would never be asked of men.

Use the #viewsnotshoes hashtag or email the Fawcett Society.

The Fawcett Society will be analysing how much media coverage women politicians and women candidates get in the run-up to the 2015 election.

Fawcett normally campaigns to on several fronts to improve women's access to work and protections in the workplace.

But over the next few weeks, Fawcett will be asking if programmes or newspapers with a large female audience/readership devote much coverage to economic issues, and in what way are these issues presented.

They will also look at and analyse how often women are central to economic stories in the media, and at how often female politicians or other female 'experts' are allowed an authoritative voice about the economy and how often women produce journalism that focuses on the economy.

Women are often still faced with negative attitudes, discrimination and even dismissal in the workplace because of their roles, actual or potential, as carers, workplace rights are vital.

And the recession has seen calls from some quarters for these rights to actually be removed – unhelpfully and inaccurately characterising them as ‘red tape’ and as such “acting as barrier to growth”.

But strengthening – not weakening – key workplace rights is vital.

It has been precisely these rights which have enabled women to balance work and family responsibilities, key drivers in giving women greater access to work and an independent income.

So in the run-up to the election on 7 May, Fawcett is setting out to discover if the economy, central to the lives of women and such a key election issue, appears as the preserve of men when covered in the media.

Fawcett will be watching to see whether, if women do get to comment on economic issues, they are confined to certain aspects of the economy or certain types of media.

Fawcett will also be watching if journalists report what women politicians wear rather than what they say.

Are we to be given a shoe commentary rather than hearing what women have to say on the economy?

You can help here, by tweeting to #viewsnotshoes articles that cover what women are wearing rather than what they are saying.

And then we shall see.

One year after the words, time for action

Posted: 27 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PDT

trafficking, prostitution, the Honeyball resolution, EU, Urgent action is required at European level to end a pervasive violation of women's and girls' human rights.

Just over one year ago, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) adopted a historic resolution on 'Prostitution and sexual exploitation and its impact on gender equality' – also called the 'Honeyball resolution'.

Supported by a large cross-party majority, the resolution sent a strong signal that urgent action is required at European level to end a pervasive violation of women's and girls' human rights.

In the context of the ‘harrowing‘ reality of prostitution rendered visible by the Carlton case, through which the use of women in prostitution by Dominique Strauss-Kahn and other men has come to light, several MEPs are now calling on the European Commission and the European Union’s Member States to take action.

For, as the president of the European Women's Lobby (EWL), Viviane Teitelbaum, said: "As the Carlton case shows, through the testimonies of some courageous women, we are facing a system which exploits the most vulnerable, perpetuates male domination and fuels trafficking in women."

And she continued: "By celebrating the anniversary of the Honeyball resolution, we want to remind the EU and its Member States that the reality of prostitution is a reality of violence and inequalities, which are contrary to the fundamental values of the EU."

The first anniversary of the Honeyball resolution could for example be used to remind the European Union (EU) and its member states of their obligations towards realising gender equality, guaranteeing women's human rights, and combating trafficking in human beings.

Tackling the system of prostitution should be a priority of the EU actions towards the realisation of gender equality.

The European Commission has highlighted the gender dimensions of trafficking and sexual exploitation, both in the EU Directive itself and in the EU Strategy to combat human trafficking.

According to Eurostat, sexual exploitation is the most widespread form (62 per cent) of human trafficking in the EU, and women and girls make up the overwhelming majority of all victims at 96 per cent.

Moreover, the Honeyball resolution has acknowledged that, "Prostitution is a cause and a consequence of gender inequality, which it aggravates further."

The EWL is calling on the EU’s Commissioner for Gender Equality, Vera Jourova, to address prostitution and all other forms of violence against women in the new EU Strategy on Gender equality and women's rights.

For, as MEP Mary Honeyball said, "If we want to live in a Europe where women have equal rights and can feel safe and respected, we must work to eliminate prostitution and to create a culture in which it is not permitted or acceptable to purchase the body of another."

The Honeyball resolution also states that prostitution and sexual exploitation are "highly gendered issues and violations of human dignity, contrary to human rights principles, among which is gender equality, and therefore contrary to the principles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, including the goal and the principle of gender equality."

The European Commission has reiterated its commitment to the UN 1949 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, which affirms that "Prostitution and the accompanying evil of the traffic in persons for the purpose of prostitution are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person."

In 2012 Eurostat asked EU Member States to integrate most of the illegal activities producing wealth into their national statistics, and this included drug dealing and prostitution.

While some countries already counted prostitution in their gross domestic product (GDP), others will be hurriely doing so, to be able to play down their debt and their deficits with no consideration for the impact of theses on women and girls in Europe.

The EWL condemns this economic strategy. It that trivialises the commodification of women's bodies and violence of the prostitute system.

The EWL therefore calls on the European Commission to rectify this requirement, and consider the EU’s human rights and commitments.

"As we commemorate 20 years since the Beijing Platform for Action, the EU must reaffirm its commitment to international women's human rights and put people, not the economy, at the centre of its policies and actions," MEP Catherine Bearder said.

"Women's human rights must not be denied or violated for economic reasons."

In several of its answers to written questions from MEPs, the European Commission has made clear that it has recognised the links between prostitution, organised crime and trafficking in human beings.

And in an intervention in the European Parliament in January 2014, Europol representatives explained that trafficking in human beings, and especially in women and girls, has increased in the countries where prostitution markets have been legalised.

Under Article 18(1) of the EU Directive on human trafficking, Member States are obliged "to take appropriate measures, such as education and training, to discourage and reduce the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation related to trafficking in human beings," and they have to report to the European Commission on their efforts to tackle such demand.

There is now increasing evidence that the so-called 'Nordic model', by criminalising the purchase of sex, is a contributing factor in deterring trafficking and organised crime.

Evaluations in Sweden and Norway have demonstrated that tackling the demand for prostitution is the best strategic and most efficient way of reducing trafficking, as well as changing mentalities and reduce violence against women.

And given this, the EWL repeats its calls on the EU and its Member States to acknowledge the links between prostitution and trafficking, and address the demand and the gender stereotypes which support the persistence of prostitution as a system.

“Combating sexual exploitation and the growing sex industry in Europe is an integral part of working for women's human rights,"  Sweden’s MEP Malin Björk said.

"That is why the European Parliament has to take the lead on this issue, demanding the total decriminalisation of women, girls and boys in prostitution, and instead penalising the pimps and buyers of sexual services."