Brendan Barber Quotations

Unions do believe in proper regulation - but this initiative shows workplaces can do even better when managers and employees work together.

The reforms should recognize that employer prejudice is a key obstacle in the way of many claimants moving back to work.

The reality is that Britain has one of the lowest rates of sick absence in Europe and sickness rates have been coming down for the last 10 years,

Millions are still putting in up to an extra day a week for free.

But there is evidence that some employers still put greater emphasis on paying dividends to shareholders - often other companies' pension schemes - rather than funding their own employees' pension scheme.

But, as ever, with each minimum wage increase comes the predictable wave of protests from business saying that it cannot afford another rise.

If the government suggested that they were actually going to walk away from a deal, that would be a hugely important problem and then, of course, the possibility of disputes could come back on to the agenda.

The amendments add up to a series of pragmatic changes that should help to ensure the services directive does not undermine social Europe.

We are beginning to cut the UK's working hours, but there is still a long way to go before the UK gets anywhere near the European average.

We're not saying that we should turn into a nation of clock-watchers. Most people do not mind putting in some extra time when there's a crisis or an unexpected rush. But too many workplaces have come to depend on very long hours. They get taken for granted and staff have to do even more if there is an unexpected rush,

This report increases pressure on the government and the Turner Commission to bring forward radical proposals to tackle the future of pensions.

We already have huge incentives to save for retirement, but they are not working,

Too many directors have closed decent final salary pensions for staff and replaced them with cheaper and riskier schemes

The public wants a ban, the health arguments are overwhelming and all that is holding government back seems to be a reluctance to say no to business lobbying or risk being called nannies,

We don't want to turn into a nation of clock watchers. Most people enjoy their jobs, and don't mind putting in extra effort when there's a rush or in an emergency, but that easily turns into the long hours culture of extra hours every week.

Britain's boardrooms are secure in a pensions ivory tower,

The whole of industry needs to start gearing up for 2012 immediately.

This is a major victory for the simple union principle that people at work should not have to breathe in toxins.

This missed opportunity is very disappointing...if ministers cannot agree among themselves, then they should give MPs a free vote.

For four years the agency workers directive has been blocked by various governments, including our own, and now it is destined to sit on a Brussels shelf for many more years to come,

It is time for the government to be brave,

Everyone knows we work the longest hours in Europe,

No longer should British workers like the Peugeot workers in Coventry find that they are the cheapest and easiest in Europe to get rid of when the going gets tough - and we send them a message of solidarity today.

They can combine market incentives with smart support for key strategic sectors, getting the best of both worlds. We should do the same.

The CBI should not pre-empt the outcomes of this review before in-depth research has been conducted on how the procedures are operating in practice.

Instead of the further help for the better-off that new incentives would provide, the government should phase in compulsory savings for employers and employees.

By accepting flexible work requests from their female employees but not from their male staff, employers are helping reinforce the gender pay gap, when instead they could be enabling young dads to play a more active role in the raising of their children.

These figures suggest that there can be few workplaces in the UK without a resident bully.

The increase will see well over a million low-paid workers with more cash in their pockets, many of them women working part-time,

Agency workers deserve a better deal...Today's announcement gives a green light to those unscrupulous employers who will continue to exploit agency workers.