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Presents an evaluation of a trade union project to appoint regional health and safety representatives in farm‐working. Outlines the background and development of the scheme and assesses its outcomes. Reviews the problem of health and safety in agriculture and discusses the scheme as a means of improving the health and safety performance of the small enterprises typical of the industry. Identifies factors that have supported or constrained the activities of the regional safety representatives and evaluates their importance. Compares the scheme with analysis of more developed provisions for regional health and safety representatives found in Sweden and identifies and discusses a number of supporting and limiting factors common to both schemes. Concludes the project has achieved very limited success in improving joint consultation on health and safety in agricultural employment. Suggests its limited progress is a result of constraints specific to the industry rather than those of employment in small enterprises in general. Proposes further strategies that the trade union might adopt to increase the chances of success within the industry.

Examines the provision of trade union training for health and safety representatives in the UK. Bases research on a 1995 European survey of provisions for education and training in health and safety offered by trade unions in eight European countries and allows for some inter‐country comparisons. Focuses on some of the influences that have helped to shape provision including the introduction of new legislative provisions for employee representation. Describes developments in Britain with reference to the TUC Regional Education Programme, sources of funding and the likely impact of new legislation extending representative rights in health and safety to all employees. Shows that trade unions make an important contribution to health and safety training, particularly through the TUC Regional Education Programme. In Britain as in other European countries, training is identified as an important supportive factor in promoting the effectiveness of employee health and safety representatives. It is possible to identify a common pedagogy of trade union education in health and safety whose characteristics are applicable internationally and which may be linked to effective actions by health and safety representatives in their workplaces.

Examines the situation in the UK in some detail with regard to three aspects of the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights of the European Union. Looks at the aims, together with an analysis and appraisal. Considers, first, information and consultation rights with regards to the transfer of undertakings and redundancies, followd by the right to collective action and, lastly, protection in the event of unjustifiable dismissal. Presents case law throughout as examples. Concludes that the UK has attempted to prevent social and economic rights for workers from being included in the final charter despite fierce opposition. Compares this view together with the UK suspicion of Europe against the views of the other member states.

A distinction must be drawn between a dismissal on the one hand, and on the other a repudiation of a contract of employment as a result of a breach of a fundamental term of that contract. When such a repudiation has been accepted by the innocent party then a termination of employment takes place. Such termination does not constitute dismissal (see London v. James Laidlaw & Sons Ltd (1974) IRLR 136 and Gannon v. J. C. Firth (1976) IRLR 415 EAT).

Discusses research into provisions for education and training in health and safety offered by trade unions in a number of European countries. Uses material gathered in the survey to consider the role of trade union training in health and safety and its contribution to the operation of participative management of health and safety at the workplace level. Discusses the significance of employee representation in health and safety regulation and examines the support provided by trade union training in the context of factors that influence its effectiveness. Several specific aspects of trade union training are identified as characteristic. Other aspects of trade union health and safety education that contribute to the overall support and proactive role of trade unions in preventative health and safety are identified and discussed. Trade unions make extensive provision for education and training in occupational health and safety. This is a significant factor in raising awareness of health and safety issues and the development of a preventive health and safety ethos in all of the countries included in the study. Argues that it is possible to identify a common pedagogy in trade union education and training in occupational health and safety. This pedagogy is rooted in the educational methods of labour education, emphasizing the value of participants’ own experience and developing a collective approach to the definition and solution of problems, while encouraging listening and communication skills in this process. Shows that although trade unions have suffered a loss of influence and power across Europe during the past decade ‐ and in some countries their losses have been severe ‐ in the case of education and training in health and safety, generally trade unions have maintained a significant provision as well as continuing to develop an innovative and dynamic approach to its content and delivery.

Considers the role of employee representation in improving health and safety performance within small enterprises. Focuses on an approach to employee participation through regional health and safety representatives and provides an analysis of the factors necessary to ensure their effectiveness, based on previous studies in the UK and Sweden. Identifies and analyses the challenges presented by small enterprises in light of evidence from existing evaluation of regional representative schemes. Identifies and discusses supportive factors that might enhance representative participation in health and safety in small enterprises, including the role of regulation, and employer and trade union support. Considers the implications of the Health and Safety (Consultation of Employees) Regulations 1996 and concludes that in their present form they offer only very limited support for employee representation in health and safety in small enterprises.

The Equal Pay Act 1970 (which came into operation on 29 December 1975) provides for an “equality clause” to be written into all contracts of employment. S.1(2) (a) of the 1970 Act (which has been amended by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975) provides:

Disparities in learning opportunities endure. This paper aims to investigate whether the learning representative schemes in the UK and New Zealand (NZ) may redress disparate opportunities for learning.

An interview study of UK trade unions' educational officers and an interview study of representatives of bodies involved in designing the NZ learning representative scheme are used to consider each scheme's capability to address disparate learning opportunities.

The paper finds that the UK scheme allows trade unions to initiate vocational and non‐vocational learning opportunities locally. Legislative and financial support allows some redress of inequalities in learning opportunities. The NZ scheme was introduced through a tripartite alliance of central organizations, without legislative support, to provide vocational opportunities. This scheme may facilitate learning opportunities at companies where the constituents of the central organizations support the initiative.

The UK scheme is firmly established, while the NZ scheme has only been developed recently. The potential for further developments in the New Zealand scheme must be acknowledged.

Union‐backed learning representative schemes in different countries have been introduced to redress the unequal distribution of learning opportunities that exist at work. However, to date, there has been limited research into the potential for learning representative schemes to promote learning in different organizational contexts. There is a need for further research in this area.

The paper presents findings from the first comparative study of the learning representative schemes in the UK and NZ.

Employee representatives′ perceptions of job evaluation are explored and the impact of job evaluation on the collective bargaining procedure, pay differentials, motivation and performance is considered. In conclusion, an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of job evaluation is given.