Minister calls for wider flexible working rights

British government ministers are considering giving all employees the right to ask for flexible working hours "from the beginning" of a new job as part of plans to encourage a fundamental shift in working habits.

The Work and Pensions Secretary, Yvette Cooper, says her office is working with employers and organisations such as the federation of small businesses to draw up new ways of supporting men as well as women and non-parents as well as parents working more flexible hours.

The current rules are limited to parents of children under 16 and carers, and Cooper wants to extend them. "You want people to offer flexible working from the beginning and we need to look again at how the legislation can support different ways of doing that," she said.

"There will be some areas where it's not possible to fit round particular school hours or particular things where the nature of the business makes it hard - but what you need is the cultural change for everybody to think differently." Cooper's proposals come as the government announced that fathers will be given the right to six months' paternity leave.

There will be a legal right to take the mother's place at home for the last three months of a nine-month maternity break; they would receive £123 a week in statutory pay. Fathers would then be entitled to take a further three months' unpaid leave. The move was criticised by some business leaders.

(From: The Guardian, Friday 29 January 2010 -slightly adapted)

Ms Cooper hopes her new proposals will give more flexible working hours

Minister calls for wider flexible working rights

British government ministers are considering giving all employees the right to ask for flexible working hours "from the beginning" of a new job as part of plans to encourage a fundamental shift in working habits.

The Work and Pensions Secretary, Yvette Cooper, says her office is working with employers and organisations such as the federation of small businesses to draw up new ways of supporting men as well as women and non-parents as well as parents working more flexible hours.

The current rules are limited to parents of children under 16 and carers, and Cooper wants to extend them. "You want people to offer flexible working from the beginning and we need to look again at how the legislation can support different ways of doing that," she said.

"There will be some areas where it's not possible to fit round particular school hours or particular things where the nature of the business makes it hard - but what you need is the cultural change for everybody to think differently." Cooper's proposals come as the government announced that fathers will be given the right to six months' paternity leave.

There will be a legal right to take the mother's place at home for the last three months of a nine-month maternity break; they would receive £123 a week in statutory pay. Fathers would then be entitled to take a further three months' unpaid leave. The move was criticised by some business leaders.

(From: The Guardian, Friday 29 January 2010 -slightly adapted)

According to the text, current British laws on working timetables are designed mainly for

The International Labour Organization

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to advancing opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues.

Origins and history

The ILO was founded in 1919, in the wake of a destructive war, to pursue a vision based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon decent treatment of working people. The ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.

ILO's vision of decent work

Work is central to people's well-being. In addition to providing income, work can pave the way for broader social and economic advancement, strengthening individuals, their families and communities. Such progress, however, hinges on work that is decent. Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives.

Tripartism and social dialogue

The ILO is the only 'tripartite' United Nations agency in that it brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly shape policies and programmes. This unique arrangement gives the ILO an edge in incorporating 'real world' knowledge about employment and work.

Source: http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/lang--en/index.htm

The founders of the ILO believed that

Companies in the rich world are confronted with a rapidly ageing workforce. Nearly one in three American workers will be over 50 by 2012, and America is a young country compared with Japan and Germany. China is also ageing rapidly, thanks to its one-child policy. This means that companies will have to learn how to manage older workers better.

Most companies are remarkably ill-prepared. There was a flicker of interest in the problem a few years ago but it was snuffed out by the recession. The management literature on older workers is a mere molehill compared with the mountain devoted to recruiting and retaining the young.

Companies are still stuck with an antiquated model for dealing with ageing, which assumes that people should get pay rises and promotions on the basis of age. They have dealt with the burdens of this model by periodically "downsizing" older workers or encouraging them to take early retirement. This has created a dual labour market for older workers, of cosseted insiders on the one hand and unemployed or retired outsiders on the other.

But this model cannot last. The number of young people, particularly those with valuable science and engineering skills, is shrinking. And governments are raising retirement ages and making it more diffi cult for companies to shed older workers, in a desperate attempt to cope with their underfunded pension systems.

Feb 4th 2010 | From The Economist print edition [adapted]

In paragraph 2, the author claims that the recent economic recession has

The International Labour Organization

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to advancing opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues.

Origins and history

The ILO was founded in 1919, in the wake of a destructive war, to pursue a vision based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon decent treatment of working people. The ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.

ILO's vision of decent work

Work is central to people's well-being. In addition to providing income, work can pave the way for broader social and economic advancement, strengthening individuals, their families and communities. Such progress, however, hinges on work that is decent. Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives.

Tripartism and social dialogue

The ILO is the only 'tripartite' United Nations agency in that it brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly shape policies and programmes. This unique arrangement gives the ILO an edge in incorporating 'real world' knowledge about employment and work.

Source: http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/lang--en/index.htm

The phrase "gives the ILO an edge" means

Minister calls for wider flexible working rights

British government ministers are considering giving all employees the right to ask for flexible working hours "from the beginning" of a new job as part of plans to encourage a fundamental shift in working habits.

The Work and Pensions Secretary, Yvette Cooper, says her office is working with employers and organisations such as the federation of small businesses to draw up new ways of supporting men as well as women and non-parents as well as parents working more flexible hours.

The current rules are limited to parents of children under 16 and carers, and Cooper wants to extend them. "You want people to offer flexible working from the beginning and we need to look again at how the legislation can support different ways of doing that," she said.

"There will be some areas where it's not possible to fit round particular school hours or particular things where the nature of the business makes it hard - but what you need is the cultural change for everybody to think differently." Cooper's proposals come as the government announced that fathers will be given the right to six months' paternity leave.

There will be a legal right to take the mother's place at home for the last three months of a nine-month maternity break; they would receive £123 a week in statutory pay. Fathers would then be entitled to take a further three months' unpaid leave. The move was criticised by some business leaders.

(From: The Guardian, Friday 29 January 2010 -slightly adapted)

The Work and Pensions Secretary

Companies in the rich world are confronted with a rapidly ageing workforce. Nearly one in three American workers will be over 50 by 2012, and America is a young country compared with Japan and Germany. China is also ageing rapidly, thanks to its one-child policy. This means that companies will have to learn how to manage older workers better.

Most companies are remarkably ill-prepared. There was a flicker of interest in the problem a few years ago but it was snuffed out by the recession. The management literature on older workers is a mere molehill compared with the mountain devoted to recruiting and retaining the young.

Companies are still stuck with an antiquated model for dealing with ageing, which assumes that people should get pay rises and promotions on the basis of age. They have dealt with the burdens of this model by periodically "downsizing" older workers or encouraging them to take early retirement. This has created a dual labour market for older workers, of cosseted insiders on the one hand and unemployed or retired outsiders on the other.

But this model cannot last. The number of young people, particularly those with valuable science and engineering skills, is shrinking. And governments are raising retirement ages and making it more diffi cult for companies to shed older workers, in a desperate attempt to cope with their underfunded pension systems.

Feb 4th 2010 | From The Economist print edition [adapted]

According to the text, businesses

Companies in the rich world are confronted with a rapidly ageing workforce. Nearly one in three American workers will be over 50 by 2012, and America is a young country compared with Japan and Germany. China is also ageing rapidly, thanks to its one-child policy. This means that companies will have to learn how to manage older workers better.

Most companies are remarkably ill-prepared. There was a flicker of interest in the problem a few years ago but it was snuffed out by the recession. The management literature on older workers is a mere molehill compared with the mountain devoted to recruiting and retaining the young.

Companies are still stuck with an antiquated model for dealing with ageing, which assumes that people should get pay rises and promotions on the basis of age. They have dealt with the burdens of this model by periodically "downsizing" older workers or encouraging them to take early retirement. This has created a dual labour market for older workers, of cosseted insiders on the one hand and unemployed or retired outsiders on the other.

But this model cannot last. The number of young people, particularly those with valuable science and engineering skills, is shrinking. And governments are raising retirement ages and making it more difficult for companies to shed older workers, in a desperate attempt to cope with their underfunded pension systems.

Feb 4th 2010 | From The Economist print edition [adapted]

The text suggests that the governments of industrialized countries are

The International Labour Organization

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to advancing opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues.

Origins and history

The ILO was founded in 1919, in the wake of a destructive war, to pursue a vision based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon decent treatment of working people. The ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.

ILO's vision of decent work

Work is central to people's well-being. In addition to providing income, work can pave the way for broader social and economic advancement, strengthening individuals, their families and communities. Such progress, however, hinges on work that is decent. Decent work sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives.

Tripartism and social dialogue

The ILO is the only 'tripartite' United Nations agency in that it brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly shape policies and programmes. This unique arrangement gives the ILO an edge in incorporating 'real world' knowledge about employment and work.

Source: http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/lang--en/index.htm

The International Labour Organization seeks to

Em relação às ideias do texto, assinale a opção correta.

Na história do capitalismo, as crenças a respeito da relação entre Estado e mercado seguem uma dinâmica pendular, chegando a atingir os extremos do espectro ideológico. Períodos de maior confi ança no livre mercado e na desregulamentação podem permitir intenso crescimento econômico, mas em geral se associam a deslocamentos abruptos e nocivos no tecido social. A reação comum nos momentos subsequentes, em especial após uma crise, é uma meia-volta em favor de maior intervenção do Estado. Depois de 20 anos de marcante crescimento global, quando reinou o ultraliberalismo no Ocidente e irromperam a revolução da tecnologia da informação, a globalização acelerada e o protagonismo da China, nova reviravolta pendular foi defl agrada pela crise fi nanceira de 2008, que fez ressurgir em muitos meios a crença no "Estado grande". Os adeptos desse slogan em geral colocam Estado e mercado como opostos. É um erro. Trata-se mais de uma simbiose do que de uma luta, pois, longe de existir em si mesmo, o mercado está inserido nas estruturas da sociedade e, por conseguinte, na política. Mas o fato é que, se antes o risco do ultramercadismo prevalecia, agora é a ameaça do ultraestatismo que cabe combater. (Folha de S. Paulo, Editorial, 17/01/2010.)