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Workers Claim their Toilet Breaks are Timed

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Workers Claim their Toilet Breaks are Timed

Sometimes back in the 1850s, most industrial society's social protests were strikes,

and the personal risks taken were many, with other individuals committing themselves fully

even in the most casual strike, which made the industrial strife a better indicator of the

employees' behavior and attitudes. Strike statistics comprise ideal data types for the U.S. and

western Europe social historians. Strikes have existed since the late nineteenth century and

have been experienced in the most advanced countries since then. The strikes have, for the

longest time, been very significant to the workers in more meaningful ways than other social

or political forms of action. The strikes study is very critical. It is technically obvious: the

traditional burrowing historical research methods must be supplemented with the developed

and applied statistical methods widely used in other social sciences. However, in terms of

theories and concepts, understanding strikes and how to go about them is not that easy, and

uncritically borrowing would look like a mistake along with the models, assumptions, and

techniques dominant amongst specialists in industrial relations whose disciplinary bases are

in political science, sociology, or economics. In the last fifty years, there has been a

pragmatic, fragmented, and piecemeal way the equality law has been developed.

Discrimination and equality legal contexts differ internationally, depending on the political,

socio-economic, and historical context in which they are situated. The strike is also one way

of advocating for equality and fighting discrimination. However, there are promoting equality

is also limited by law. It is very critical to have diversity, inclusion, and equality managed.

The problem

Amazon employees staged the first-ever strike in the United Kingdom, protesting against

policies & benefits. The GMB union argued that the company had given a nonsensical,

insufficient & slight rise of five per cent to 10.5 euros per hour. They also claimed that the

employees work under severe conditions where they are upbraided and monitored for 'idle
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time", which lasts for a few minutes (Jordan & Conway, 2023). They also argued that finding

toilets close to the building is challenging because it takes them more than fifteen minutes to

locate them, yet they are monitored. Furthermore, according to the employees, robots

working in the warehouse are treated better than them. The building managers observe the

employees' performance and always question them about their long trips to the toilets (Jordan

& Conway, 2023). Amazon systems can recognize those who have performed well; it shows

the managers the employees who have spent minutes going to the toilets.

The Problem Context and significance in EDI 100

The employees at the Coventry site of Amazon were facing several issues that led to their

strike, but they also claimed that also the other centres in Britain have such problems. For

example, taking a break to go to the toilet is an extraordinary situation for employees. In

addition, it is not a good practice to track the employees' performance without considering

their work situations, including low salary increments. These issues contributed to the strike

by the employees, who had 178 out of 2000 voting to support the strike action (Jordan &

Conway, 2023). The walk-out by these employees was the first of its kind in Britain for

Amazon staff. Moreover, the strike signified one of the country's most industrial rackets ever

experienced.

Annotated Bibliography 600words

1- Kirk, E. (2017, June 19). The "Problem" with the Employment Tribunal System:

Reform, Rhetoric, and Realities for the Clients of... ResearchGate; SAGE

Publications (U.K. and U.S.).

According to Kirk (2017), employment tribunal claims rose to more than two hundred

thousand in 2014 from fifty thousand in nineteen eighty. The authors argue that instead of

harmoniously solving employment-related problems, there has been an individualism towards

societal values rather than the expression of collectivism. The article by Kirk (2017) is
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relevant to this report because it will help understand how collective bargaining powers have

been withdrawn, especially during the reign of Margaret Thatcher as the prime minister. The

article is from a credible source relevant to this topic and will be highly relevant (Kirk, 2017).

It will be of great significance to analyze how employers and governments have sought ways

of counter-mobilizing against the labor movement because they consider them as the primary

source of poor performance and restrictive practices of firms in Britain in a competitive and

globalized market.

2- CIDP. (2020). CIPD Manifesto for Work 2020.

Reference to CIDP (2020), every individual deserves to be given a chance to develop their

talents and skills fairly without discrimination while receiving rewards and being heard by

their organizations. The Government should increase fairness and transparency, tackle

executive pays, and improve employee well-being and relations. Increasing the relationship

between the employees and the supervisors or the employer will ensure that the workers are

not given timed visits to the toilets. Also, the supervisors will understand that the employees

bring different talents and skills to Amazon and that without their support and contribution,

the company cannot run in an effective manner. They will also understand that Amazon

needs these employees as much as it needs the robots meaning that they will even stop

treating the robots better than the humans. Every employee will receive equal treatment at the

company without being discriminated against. This article is crucial because it will help in

revealing how professional bodies, employers, and the Government can offer practical

supervision.

3- CIDP Report. (2020). Managing conflict in the modern workplace.

According to CIDP Report (2020), many people spend much of their waking hours working,

which means that their working environment quality significantly impacts their well-being.
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The overall work quality and culture of the people are much affected by the relationships they

have at their workplace. Therefore, employers should provide a supportive working

environment and ensure that people have a positive relationship to minimize conflicts and

enhance their work experience. This article will be useful in this topic as it will be used to

stress the key challenges that professionals face while guiding organizations in how conflicts

are handled at work.

4- Crompton, R., & Lyonette, C. (2011). Women's Career Success and Work-life

Adaptations in Britain's Accountancy and Medical Professions. Gender, Work &

Organization, 18(2), 231–254.

From the nineteen sixties and seventies onwards, women in the United Kingdom have

significantly improved their qualification levels relative to their men counterparts. In the

nineteen seventies, particularly, and even more swiftly in the nineteen eighties, women have

been increasing, especially those qualifying for medicine, accountancy, and law, among other

higher-level professions. Significant normative and legislative changes accompanied these

improvements. This article will contribute much to this report to examine gendered career

paths in a highly feminized career and the problems they face.

5- Hudson, M., Netto, G., Noon, M., Sosenko, F., de Lima, P., & Kamenou-

Aigbekaen, N. (2017). Ethnicity and low wage traps: favoritism, homosocial

reproduction, and economic marginalization. Work, Employment and Society,

31(6), 992–1009.

According to Hudson et al. (2017), ethnic minorities and women among low-paid employees

are over-presented, linked to their segmentation and segregation into particular sectors,

occupations, and sectors. Among ethnic minority groups, the most commonly under-

represented individuals are the mid-skilled occupations. The authors also revealed that
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barriers hinder people from getting into occupations that pay high salaries. They contribute to

wage differentials between the minority and majority white groups.

Analytical Insights and Recommendations

The workplace can be full of challenges that vary. The employees may be demanding

solutions to issues related to low salaries and pay raises, unconducive working environments,

and discrimination at the workplace, among other inequalities. Nevertheless, the

contemporary policy position is for unions (the ITUC and ETUC) to support advocating and

bargaining for the equality of marginalized groups, and many unions globally have produced

model equality agreements for implementation at the workplace level. (Kirton and Greene,

2022).The employees should advocate for the development of more inclusive and diverse

workplaces: The Government should help in creating more genuinely inclusive and diverse

workplaces to enable anyone, regardless of their background or characteristics, to access

good-quality employment and reach their potential at work. They should also be provided

with flexible working schedules that allow them to work without burnout and be provided

with affordable childcare. Parental leave policies should also be enacted along with statutory

paid carers leave and make access to work schemes fit for purpose. They should advocate for

formal, transformative, and comprehensive equality to ensure they are equally treated and

protected by law.
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References

CIDP. (2020). CIPD Manifesto for Work 2020.

https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/cipd-manifesto-for-work-2020_tcm18-68625.pdf

CIDP Report. (2020). Managing conflict in the modern workplace.

https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/cipd-manifesto-for-work-2020_tcm18-68625.pdf

Crompton, R., & Lyonette, C. (2011). Women's Career Success and Work-life Adaptations in

Britain's Accountancy and Medical Professions. Gender, Work & Organization,

18(2), 231–254. https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/doi/10.1111/

j.1468-0432.2009.00511.x

Hudson, M., Netto, G., Noon, M., Sosenko, F., de Lima, P., & Kamenou-Aigbekaen, N.

(2017). Ethnicity and low wage traps: favoritism, homosocial reproduction, and economic

marginalization. Work, Employment and Society, 31(6), 992–1009. https://journals-sagepub-

com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/doi/10.1177/0950017016674898

Jordan, D., & Conway, Z. (2023, January 25). Amazon strikes: Workers claim their toilet

breaks are timed. BBC News; BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-

64384287

Kirk, E. (2017, June 19). The "Problem" with the Employment Tribunal System: Reform,

Rhetoric, and Realities for the Clients of... ResearchGate; SAGE Publications (U.K.

and U.S.).

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317674293_The_'Problem'_with_the_Empl

oyment_Tribunal_System_Reform_Rhetoric_and_Realities_for_the_Clients_of_Citiz

ens'_Advice_Bureaux

Kirton, G. and Greene, A-M. (2022) The Dynamics of Managing Diversity and Inclusion: A

Critical Approach. London: Routledge. Fifth Edition.

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Hepple, B., Coussey, M., Choudhury, T., (2000). Equality: a new Framework: Report of

the Independent Review of the Enforcement of UK Anti-Discrimination

Legislation, Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2000.