Blacklisting blog

I've just come across a very interesting blog dedicated to tackling the employer practice of 'blacklisting' - an underhand (and usually illegal) method of blocking the employment of workers judged by the employer to be a 'troublemaker'.

Details courtesy of the blog keeper:

This blog is dedicated to exposing blacklisting and blacklisters.

We work with unions and activists to fight for workers’ rights – and that means being able to stand up for health and safety without losing your job.

It is brought to you by Hazards, the only independent, union-friendly magazine to win major international awards.

Hazards recognises that workplace unions are your best hope for better, safer work.

For more details click here.

Older workers

Hazards magazine is currently featuring a report on older workers. The report is said to attack ' the idea that the post-war baby boomers are opting to retire early'. The reality is that 'only a third of those who retire early do so entirely voluntarily.'

A key aim of the feature/report is to look at how health and safety issues have become one of the main reasons given by employers when dispensing with their older employees.

Probably one of the most striking features of the report - Not dead yet (Hazards) - is a chart that asks whether people currently working would be able to do the same job at 60. The difference between workers from across the EU is quite remarkable - e.g. from 47.5 per cent in Portugal to 73.6 per cent in Germany (both figures are up from a similar survey only 6 years ago).