15 September 2017

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the EU comes into force next week.

The free trade deal has been criticised for prioritising the rights of businesses among those of the populations of the signatory nations, including by making it more difficult to reverse the privatisation of public services such as the NHS.

Last year, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and European Trade Union Congress (ETUC) warned the deal offers “a VIP process for foreign investors” but only “mild” protections for workers.

Several organisations and experts have concerns over the "ratchet" effect on the liberalisation of services, which makes it difficult to reverse privatisation.

At the end of 2016, IER Chair John Hendy QC joined 101 law professors who signed a statement organised by Stop TTIP in order to warn against investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms in international trade deals, which provide a way for companies to take legal action against nations whose policies limit their profit margins. ISDS mechanisms have famously been used by firms such as Phillip Morris, which took Australia to task after it introduced plain packaging on tobacco products.

Join us to debate this issue at our forthcoming Post-Brexit employment law events At our forthcoming conferences in Liverpool and Glasgow, some of the UK's leading academics, lawyers and campaigners will discuss the threats to employment law posed by Brexit, as well as proposing ideas for how workers' rights can be protected and even improved upon during the negotiations with the EU, as well as in future trade deals. Select the conference location below to read more and book your place.

Glasgow: 16 November 2017

Liverpool: 30 November 2017