A life's work

Achieving full and fulfilling employment

Edited by Nick Burkitt, IPPR, 30-32 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7RA, 181 pages, paperback, £10.95

The government has declared it is in favour of "full employment" but has not said what this means. This book suggests that around 3.5 million more jobs are needed for this purpose, but it does not discuss how this vast number of new jobs are to be created.

Instead, it contains useful contributions by different authors on how working conditions and the quality of jobs could be improved, how employees could be better trained and also how they could be consulted by employers more effectively.

There is also a proposal for a new enforcement agency to ensure compliance with the minimum wage and employment rights.

One chapter is devoted to the topic of statutory works councils. The case for them is put by David Coats for the TUC while a case against is made by Dominic Johnson of the CBI.