News Brief July 24

Submitted by claudiaobrien on Fri, 24/07/2015 - 13:26

By Claudia O’Brian

This week the Welfare Reform and Work Bill received its second reading in parliament. John McDonnell’s response to the latest government attack on workers is worth quoting at length; “The reason tax credits are so high, is because pay is so low. And the reason pay is so low is because employers have exploited workers, and we’ve removed trade union rights that enable people to be protected at work. We now have less that a third of our workers covered by collective bargaining agreements. And the reason unemployment bills are so high is because we’ve failed to invest in our economy. We’ve allowed deindustrialisation of the north and Scotland and elsewhere. They’re the reasons the welfare bill is so high. And this welfare bill done what other welfare bills in recent years has done – it blames the poor for their own poverty and not the system”.

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

New Event

The Trade Union Bill 2015: Review and Resist! Free public meeting

Wednesday 29 July 2015

Mander Hall, NUT, Mabledon Place, London WC1 9BD

Following the publication of the Government’s Trade Union Bill on Wednesday 15th July 2015, the Institute of Employment Rights (IER) together with the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom (CTUF) and the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) have called a special public meeting to review the Bill and discuss how best to resist.

News

Maternity leave discrimination is going up

A report published by the Equality and Human Rights commission has found that women are more likely to face discrimination on returning to work after maternity leave than they were a decade ago. The research was conducted on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It draws on interviews with 3,034 employers and 3,254 mothers. The report covers issues concerning employers managing of employees pregnancy, maternity leave and mothers treatment upon returning to work.

Inquiry into courts and tribunal fees launched

The Commons Select Justice Committee has announced an inquiry into employment tribunal fees. The inquiry is independent of the Ministry of Justice’s review into the impact of employment tribunal fees, announced in June.

Responses to the Trade Union Bill

A collection of responses to the Trade Union Bill in the media.

In the Commons this week: The Welfare Bill

John McDonnell said he “would swim through vomit to vote against the Bill, and listening to some of the nauseating speeches tonight, I think we might have to”.

Ikea adopts the Living Wage

Ikea has become the first large national retailer to commit to paying its UK staff the living wage. This means Ikea employees will now be paid a minimum of £7.85 an hour, and £9.15 in London – a pay rise for 4,500 workers.

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?

Employment Law Update

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Diskus Room, Unite the Union, London

This is the ninth annual Employment Law Update Conference, organised by the Institute of Employment Rights held in association with Old Square Chambers and the TUC, and the first to take place under an all Conservative Government. It is a must-go-to event for anyone with an interest in employment law and the protection of collective and individual workers’ rights.

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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