News Brief July 10

Submitted by claudiaobrien on Fri, 10/07/2015 - 11:36

By Claudia O’Brian

The first Conservative budget since 1996 was predictably grim. Despite his best efforts at rebranding, Osborne’s budget shows we are to expect more of what has already come – the dismantling of the welfare state, pay freezes in the public sector, and tax cuts for the rich while the less-well off get shafted.

Click through for more events, publications, and this week’s employment rights news.

News

George Osborne’s “Living Wage”

Osborne has pledged to introduce a “national living wage” for over-25s, which will start at £7.20 an hour next April, and rise to about £9 an hour by 2020. And while the move is ostensibly an boons to the low paid, Osborne also announced that working age benefits will be frozen for four years – including tax credits and local housing allowance

Early Conciliation – one year on

Acas has published statistics showing the impact of the first year of Early Conciliaiton. Frances O’Grady responded; “This research confirms that people are having as many problems at work as ever. Resolving those issues as soon as possible is important. It is encouraging that the vast majority of employers and staff are participating in early conciliation, and that Acas is settling so many cases so quickly.”

EAT ruling on sick leave and holiday pay

An EAT has held that an employee does not have to show that he was unable to take holiday because of sickness for it to be carried forward.

Tube Strike brings London to a standstill

The dispute arose over the plans to force tube drivers to work an unlimited number of weekend and night shifts for no extra pay. 97.6 percent voted for strike action on a turnout of 81.3 percent, which gives a solid indication of how unpopular the plans are.

Government publishes Key Employment Rights briefing

The Government has published a briefing on key employment rights. It says that the paper “sets out the basic architecture of a range of statutory employment rights and provides links to underpinning legislation. Where relevant, it highlights useful resources and links to more detailed Library briefings”.

Elsewhere on the Internet

Blacklisted : the secret war between big business and union activists – a book review

The Guardian has reviewed Dave Smith’s Blacklisting book, branding it “absorbing”…

IER Manifesto for Collective Bargaining

Read the ten-point manifesto

Buy the book

VIDEOS: Watch the experts

PODCASTS: Listen to the experts

What is collective bargaining? Why do we need it? What will be the consequences of its restoration? Keith Ewing and John Hendy explain all in a new collective bargaining video.

Events

Equality and Discrimination: Post Election Priorities

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Diskus Room, Unite the Union, London

The Institute of Employment Right’s 10th Equalities conference will take place under the UK’s first Conservative majority government in almost two decades. It will be an event not to miss for those concerned about how the UK’s equality and anti-discriminatory laws will fair over the next five years.

Human Rights: Possibilities and Problems for Labour Law

Wednesday 21 October 2015

The Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool

At the Tory party conference in 2014, Cameron announced that he was ready to remove the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights. And now it seems fairly certain that the Tories will replace the Human Rights Act 1998 with a British Bill of Rights. So what would be the impact of such a change on workers?

More events…

Human Rights: What we’re set to lose

The Tories plan on replacing the Human Act with a British Bill of Rights.

The IER has published experts’ analysis on articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, and what they mean for employment law. Read them here:

Article 4: Prohibition of slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour

Article 8: Right to respect for private and family life

Article 10: Right to freedom of expression

Article 14: Prohibition of discrimination

Publications

Reconstruction after the crisis: a manifesto for collective bargaining

By Professor Keith Ewing and John Hendy QC

Collective bargaining is under more threat than ever. This publication presents an evidence-based policy proposal for the state encouragement of collective bargaining, and particularly sectoral bargaining, as a tried-and-tested means of reducing income inequality and stimulating the sustainable recovery of a strong and resilient economy.

Trade Unions and Economic Inequality

By Dr Lydia Hayes and Professor Tonia Novitz

What is the point of trade unions? What do they deliver? Are trade unions relevant in 21st century modern society? These and many other questions are answered by the authors of this timely and well presented report. Order your copy here

Re-regulating Zero Hours Contracts

By Zoe Adams and Simon Deakin

ZHCs are highly profitable for employers, but lead to insecurity of income and low pay for workers. The authors point to rigidities in employment law and the operation of the tax-benefit system as being responsible for the rise in zero hours contracting. Order your copy here

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