The Joint Review Body will now evaluate the results over the next two months to determine what actions are needed and how these should be reflected in a joint partnership agreement.

"We are now at a watershed in the joint partnership initiative we began last November," said GPMU general secretary Tony Dubbins. "The research shows we do have some common ground. This gives us something on which to build. However we also have some real differences to work through and some hard talking to do on a number of issues."

Southernprint managing director Stephen Clark, who is chairman of the employers' representatives on the Joint Review Body, said it was good the BPIF and GPMU had been able to work together.

"The challenge ahead will be to agree what actions are need to respond effectively to the concerns and issues that come out of this report, and for certain we will have some vigorous discussions about this in the period ahead.

Undertaken by research firm Vision 21 and sponsored by the DTI it was the biggest survey of its kind undertaken by the industry.

Over 2,000 employers and 33,000 workers were canvassed. Over 20% of employers and 7% of workers responded.