For immediate release

03 February 2015

The Institute of Employment Rights has brought together a high profile platform of policy makers, trade union leaders and labour lawyers to discuss an alternative, progressive agenda on labour law.

Under the heading “What we want” the Institute is hosting a special Question Time session in London. Some of the UK’s leading labour movement experts will answer questions from an informed and demanding audience.

The aim is to focus attention on the ever weakening framework of UK rights and to agree a set of policy priorities for an incoming government.

Carolyn Jones, Director of IER said:

UK labour law has been consistently criticised internationally for failing to deliver fundamental protections for UK workers. Traditionally those criticisms focused on UK restrictions on the right to strike and to bargain collectively. But in January 2015 the UK was blasted for failing to protect workers against unpaid overtime, unpaid holidays, inadequate rest periods, failure to secure a decent standard of living, failure to compensate workers exposed to occupational health risks and much more. Infact, the UK was found to be in compliance with only 3 of the 10 standards examined by the European Committee on Social Rights. Our current labour laws are not fit for purpose and an incoming government must address that problem. This event provides an excellent opportunity to discuss how we can make our laws fit for the 21st century so that we can better protect the basic, fundamental rights of workers.

Professor Keith Ewing will guide the Question Time session involving Natalie Bennett (Green Party), Jon Cruddas (Chair, Labour Party’s National Policy Forum), Frances O’Grady, (General Secretary, TUC), John Hendy QC, Len McCluskey (UNITE) and Mark Serwotka (PCS).

Adding their suggestions on future policy priorities will be Billy Hayes (CWU), Christine Blower (NUT), Matt Wrack (FBU) and Jane Carolan (Chair, UNISON NEC Policy Committee).

Some of IER’s legal experts (Simon Deakin, Vicky Philips, Aileen McColgan, John Hendy and Keith Ewing) will then consider how the policy issues raised can best be translated into UK law.

ENDS