Read to the end for employment rights for sex workers, the plan to fix the NHS, and a bump in the road for the four-day week campaign.

Morning team, 

It’s Evie Breese here and we’ve got an absolute idol of mine for this week’s Working Culture section. But first, major challenge that’s dominated headlines now for over 18 months. 

Britain’s labour shortages mean a growing  number of industries are saying they’re struggling to get the job done without enough hands on deck. Despite organisations like Working Chance reporting that employers are increasingly open to hiring ex-offenders, new research from The Good Jobs Project, led by the business charity ReGenerate, found that people with convictions continue to be overlooked for jobs, alongside homeless people, young people in or leaving care, refugees, those with mental health problems and over-50s.

“The solution to the UK’s record labour shortage is hiding in plain sight,” says Ed Boyd, ReGenerate’s chief executive, calling on employers to turn to these marginalised groups to fill the 1.1 million vacancies in the UK job market.

But employers can’t cut through the knot on their own. People who have spent time in prison or have a criminal record face an uphill struggle towards breaking the cycle of homelessness and find their footing in work, with a Friday release date presenting the first of many structural barriers.

This new change in the law to bring forward prison release by up to two days, allowing former convicts more time to find somewhere to stay, is a vital step and we’re very proud that The Big Issue played a role in getting it through Parliament. Isn’t it nice to have a bit of good news for once? Have a good week y'all! 

Drop me an email at evie.breese@bigissue.com or tweet at @Evie_Breese

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What you need to know about work this week:

Four-day foul. The first council to trial a four-day working week, to much success, has been ordered to end its “experiment” due to concerns raised by local government minister Lee Rowley around “value for money”. Rowley will meet with the leader of South Cambridgeshire district council asap. 

Feeling bleak. A new report from the TUC has found that LGBT+ workers are lowering their expectations for how they can expect to be treated at work due to ongoing discrimination and harassment. Workers reported feeling “grateful” when basic equality standards are met.

“A second glass ceiling”. A third of women expect to leave work before retirement, with one in five of them citing the menopause as the reason, according to new research from the British Standards Institution (BSI). The researchers found that women are looking first to employers, and second to politicians, to drive change to keep experienced women in work.  

Man with a plan. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled his strategy for a major expansion in training places for health staff in England in the long-awaited NHS workforce plan. Rachel Hall has an in-depth explainer of the plan for The Guardian.  

Preventable deaths. The plan was released just days after new research from the King’s Fund found that Brits die sooner from heart disease and cancer than people in many other rich countries, and the NHS’s lack of investment in staff and resources are partly to blame. I look at how much different countries spend on healthcare per person.

Running on empty. Staff sickness in the NHS has reached record levels – higher even than during the pandemic – and mental health is the biggest cause, according to analysis by the Nuffield Trust of NHS data for the BBC. 

Farewell to the youth. Some manufacturers in Shropshire are refusing to hire young people (under 21) because they are worried about their reliability, according to a survey by the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce. Mental health is not mentioned in the BBC’s report, however new research from the Institute for Employment Studies found that the impact on their mental health was the reason 3 in 10 young people had either left a previous job or are planning on leaving their current job.

Harassment. Two employees, Maya Forstater and Denise Fahmy, have won separate employment tribunals after claiming they were discriminated against by their boss for holding “gender-critical” beliefs which deny the existence of trans people. 

Strike watch

Teachers in England are striking today and Friday as they continue to demand higher pay from the Department for Education. Members of the National Education Union will leave their schools to join picket lines or protest in London calling Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to “pay up”. 

Following on from senior doctors, radiographers too, have voted to strike with dates to be announced by the Society of Radiographers soon.

Workers at homelessness charity St Mungo’s are on day seven of an indefinite strike, hoping to force management to increase their “pitiful” pay offer of 2.25% this April, following a 1.75% raise in 2021. Polly Smythe at Novara Media spoke to striking workers about how rapid staff turnover and open vacancies has impacted the services they can offer to people experiencing homelessness. 

Take a look at our comprehensive list of upcoming strike dates.

A global solution 🇧🇪

To better protect sex workers from exploitation, Belgium has introduced employment contracts for those working in the industry. The new bill seeks to grant sex workers the “same rights as other jobs”, guaranteeing them access to social security and ensuring that rules around working hours and pay are respected.

"We can no longer turn a blind eye and pretend that sex work does not exist," said Federal Economy and Employment Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne, as reported by The Brussels Times. "I want to give a voice to a group that is not being heard,” he continued.

Working culture

Now here’s a film for anyone who’s been “overworked, underpaid, and pushed to the edge by an ungrateful boss”. 

Released in 1980, classic feminist comedy “9 to 5” is just as relevant today as it was. Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin conspire to overthrow their bigoted boss – featuring the hit song Dolly wrote on set while playing with her false fingernails. Taking on the gender pay gap, workplace misogyny, unionising, and women’s rights – it's all there, plus a bit of lighthearted kidnapping. 

And if you’re wondering what Dolly’s up to these days, our own Adrian Lobb sat down with the legend herself, in which he describes her latest album, Rockstar, as her most political yet. 

9 to 5 is available to stream on Disney+

Enjoying this newsletter? Check out Survival Guide, our newsletter on the cost of living crisis from my colleague Isabella McRae. We also have a cost of living help Facebook group with money-saving tips and positive stories..

In the diary

Monday 3 July. Train drivers begin a week-long ban on overtime, until Saturday 8 July, which will likely disrupt many services.

Wednesday 5 July. Teachers in England go on strike with the National Education Union (NEU). 

Friday 7 July. Teachers strike for a second day in England. 

Tuesday 11 July. UK labour market July release, the Office for National Statistics.  

Thursday 13 July. Junior doctors start a 120-hour strike from 7am, ending at 7am on Tuesday 18 July.

Online event: Recruitment and retention in difficult times, The Institute for Employment Studies. 

Wednesday 19 July. Consumer price inflation June release, the Office for National Statistics. 

Thursday 20 July. Railway workers begin the first of three days of strike action with transport union the RMT. 

Consultants (senior doctors) are set to strike for two consecutive days with the BMA.

Saturday 22 July. Railways workers strike for a second day. 

Saturday 29 July. Final day of train strikes.

Event: Troublemakers at Work: Grassroots Trade Unionists conference 2023.

Wednesday 27 September. Creating a Good Jobs economy, lecture by Professor Dani Rodrik, at The Resolution Foundation.

Animals with jobs 

Need a plumb-purr? Stokey is ready to assist. Submitted by reader Paul Cresswell, thanks Paul! 

Does your cat/dog/garden fox/animal you saw on holiday participate in the daily grind? Nominate them today by sending me a photo to: evie.breese@bigissue.com

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