Blog
Strong and stable economy? Forgotten macroeconomics in the manifesto debate
25 May 2017
By Özlem Onaran, Professor of Economics, Director of Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre, University of Greenwich
Economist Özlem Onaran analyses the expected impact of both Conservative and Labour Party manifesto pledges on the UK’s economic productivity – a key issue this election, as the nation’s productivity gap with its major G7 competitors is now at its widest point on record.
Can Theresa May Be Taken At Her Word? The Case Of Worker Directors
25 May 2017
By Gregor Gall, Professor of Industrial Relations, the University of Bradford
The Conservative Party manifesto was launched last Thursday, 18 May. In the first section, entitled ‘A strong economy that works for everyone’, one of the highlighted pledges on page 11 is that ‘Theresa May’s Conservatives will deliver ... Fairer corporate governance, built on new rules for takeovers, executive pay and worker representation on company boards’.
What should the political parties be offering whistleblowers at work?
24 May 2017
Dave Lewis, Professor of Employment Law, Middlesex University
Dave Lewis, Professor Employment Law at Middlesex University and a whistleblowing expert looks at what is needed to strengthen the rights of whistleblowers and therefore the safety of workers and public alike. In our Manifesto for Labour Law - the Institute of Employment Rights' recommendations for reform - we argue that individual rights and protections like those covering whistleblowers are best strengthened through sectoral collective agreements, as well as at a statutory level. Our proposal that sectoral collective bargaining should be restored across the UK has been taken up by the Labour Party in their 2017 Manifesto.
Improving Enforcement of Workers’ Rights
23 May 2017
By Michael Ford, Professor Law at University of Bristol and QC at Old Square Chambers
Both the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats have included in their Manifestos a promise to scrap Employment Tribunal (ET) fees. But what has been the impact of the fees and how can the enforcement of workers' rights be improved?
The Tory manifesto and the absence of voice
23 May 2017
Miguel Martinez Lucio, Professor of International HRM & Comparative Industrial Relations, University of Manchester
The engagement of the current government with workers' rights has drawn the attention of the media. Much has been said about how the Conservatives are attempting to encroach on the heartlands of the Labour Party and this current push on workers' rights is seen as an important part of this strategy. Some are even saying the current Conservative Government is taking a post-Thatcherist direction – leaving behind the neoliberal and market-venerating approaches of the 1980s and 1990s Conservative governments – but beyond spin, there is scant evidence for any serious attempt to rebalance the power between employers and the workforce.
Is a robot after your job?
12 May 2017
Martin Upchurch, Middlesex University, London
We re-blog an article from the European Institute for Construction Labour Research on how the growing trend of automation is affecting workers’ rights.
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