Edited by Professor Keith Ewing

Published in January 2001

The Employment Relations Act 1999 is the most important piece of trade union legislation for a generation. Included in its terms are procedures for union recognition and representation, a framework of family friendly policies, new protections against unfair dismissal and powers to extend the scope and coverage of employment protection legislation.

This book, prepared by a distinguished team of trade unionists, social scientists and lawyers, offers a unique and timely overview of the legislation. Each essay considers an aspect of the Employment Relations Act, highlighting both the strengths and weaknesses of the legislation. More importantly, the book goes on to ask what more can be done?

By Mike Clancy and Roger Seifert

Published in November 2000

By Mary Stacey and Andrew Short

Published in August 2000

The 2nd December 2000 will be the fourth anniversary of the coming into force of the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA). The DDA was seen as a long overdue measure to give disabled people legally enforceable rights.

By Karon Monaghan

Published in March 2000

This timely publication, by one of the UK’s leading barristers in race law, provides a comprehensive guide to the complexities of UK race discrimination law.

The book is designed to help trade union representatives challenge race discrimination at work and includes an overview of the Race Relations Act together with detailed chapters on identifying and proving race discrimination in the workplace through to bringing a complaint to an Employment Tribunal. This chapter also gives an overview of the remedies that might be available to a successful complainant in an ET.

Published in March 2000

Since taking office in 1997 the government has introduced a national minimum wage for the first time in this country, and delivered the manifesto promise to implement a statutory right to trade union recognition. The GCHQ ban has been lifted, and the government has committed itself more wholeheartedly to the implementation of European social policy than its predecessors.

The Institute of Employment Rights was invited by a number of trade unions to consider what steps might be taken in the future to build on these achievements: how to build on the new fairness at work legislation.

By Malcolm Sargeant

November 1999

In 1999 the government introduced a Code of Practice on Age Discrimination in Employment. The aim of the Code is to introduce good practice into employers’ policies on recruitment, selection, promotion, training, redundancy and retirement. It is argued that when 12% of employers feel that people aged 30 are too old to employ, and another 25% believe 50 is too old then some form of protection against discrimination is required.