Employer body the British Printing Industry Federation (BPIF) has secured an agreement with its trade union to improve flexible working and sick pay. The agreement with union Amicus was secured when it came up with the measures after surveying 2,000 employers and 33,000 employees as part of a Department of Trade and Industry funded initiative.

The Partnership at Work initiative found that work-life balance was a key area for improvement. The BPIF hopes that the changes will improve productivity and working environments, and eventually help the industry to respond to increasing competition from new media and overseas printing firms.