Part Time is Not Second Best

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Conference
2006 Local Government Service Group Conference
Date
24 February 2006
Decision
Remitted

The Women and Work Commission report has once again highlighted the need for quality part-time work to be available to women if the gender pay gap is ever to be closed.

LG part-time women earn a mere 58% of full-time men working in local government

85% of NJC workers on points 4-6 are part time, and of these 91% are women

All too often women returning to work after childbirth are sidelined into lower-graded jobs which do not make the best use of their skills and experience simply because managers believe it is too difficult to operate a shared or shorter working week at more senior levels.

At the same time, men are discouraged from applying for part-time and flexible working due to the poor pay levels, the lack of investment in part-time workers and the perception that part time and atypical workers are less productive and committed than their full time colleagues.

The Schools Remodelling Agreement has demonstrated that it is possible to provide an effective career path for part time and term-time only workers, and this now needs to be extended throughout local government at all levels.

Conference therefore calls upon the SGE to pursue these issues through the NJC and SJC with the aim of :

developing strategies to provide quality part-time and flexible working available to all;

ensuring equal access to training and promotional opportunities for part-time, term time and flexible workers;

ensuring that part-time and term-time only workers terms and conditions match those of full-time working colleagues.