30 Quotes by Brendan Barber

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.