Agency Workers: Social Justice Long Overdue
A Seminar
Monday 21st April 2008
1:30- 4:15pm
at the UCU Conference Centre,
Britannia Street, London WC1
organised by
The Institute of Employment Rights

About the seminar

When Andrew Miller’s Temporary and Agency Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) passed its second reading in the House of Commons on 22nd February the long promised and much needed statutory protection for agency workers came a step closer.

Under considerable pressure from unions, 147 MPs stayed in parliament to hear the arguments for the Bill, the original proposals for which emanated from the 2002 Temporary Agency Workers Directive. Since then all such proposals have been systematically blocked by UK governments, most recently in December 2007.

The need to ensure equal treatment for 1.4 million agency workers has been a big issue for trade unions and first featured in the Warwick Agreement of 2004. This seminar will examine the main issues surrounding the debate:
• How do we nail the myths put forward by the CBI and show that this legislation is necessary for social justice?
• It is expected that the French will push through an EU Temporary Agency Workers Directive later in the year. Will such a Directive provide sufficiently robust legislation to protect temporary and agency workers and how will it impact on any Bill agreed in the UK?
• If the proposed Bain Commission gets a green light, how can we ensure trade union concerns are heard?

The event brings together an excellent platform of speakers including: Andrew Miller MP who introduced the Private Members Bill; Jack Dromey, Deputy General Secretary of T&G section of Unite and Michael Wynn of Kingston University who has examined recent leading case law.

Programme

• 1:30 registration

• 1:50 Introduction from Chair, Carolyn Jones, Director IER

• 2:00 The Temporary and Agency Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Bill: from Warwick to Parliament
  Andrew Miller MP

• 2:30 Social Justice Long Overdue: Agency workers- Voices from the shop floor
  Jack Dromey

• 3:00 Tea and coffee

• 3:15 Agency workers: recent developments in case law
  Michael Wynn

Speakers

Jack Dromey is the Deputy General Secretary of the T&G section of Unite
Carolyn Jones has been Director of the Institute of Employment Rights since its inception in 1989
Andrew Mill is MP for Ellesmere Port & Neston
Michael Wynn is Principal Lecturer in the Law School at Kingston University with particular interest in agency and migrant workers.

Who should attend

The seminar will be of great interest to trade unionists, employment lawyers, personnel specialists, academics and students and those concerned with the development of public policy.

How to book

To reserve your place, complete the form below and send your cheque, made payable to IER, to Institute of Employment Rights, The People’s Centre, 50-54 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5SD.
Tel 0151 702 6925; fax 0151 702 6935; office@ier.org.uk

CPD, NPP and EPP accreditation

This seminar counts for credit hours under the Law Society’s Continuing
Development Scheme and the General Council of the Bar’s New
Practitioners’ Programme and Established Practitioners’ Programme.

Additional Information

Details of nearby hotels are available from the office. Name changes are accepted up until the time of the event. Delegates who advise IER of their cancellation more than 15 working days in advance will receive a credit note with 10% deduction for administration.

How to get there

Nearest stations are: Kings Cross and St Pancras (tube and British Rail)

Cost

IER subscribers and members £45.00
Trade unions £60.00
Commercial £120.00

Register for this Seminar