[IER] IER NewsBrief

Carolyn cad at ier.org.uk
Fri Jul 18 21:27:56 BST 2014 

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> News Brief 18 July 2014
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> In the news this week
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> Mass industrial action last Thursday saw a walk out of one million public sector workers - the largest in three years. Teachers, firefighters, local government workers and civil servants were among those demanding fairer pay in the co-ordinated 24-hour strike, with a poll by Survation finding the majority of the public supported the strikers. In a report released the same day, economist Howard Reed presented the case for lifting the 1% public sector pay freeze on both moral and pragmatic grounds. Not only is the fact that public sector workers are currently bearing the brunt of the austerity while bankers continue to receive bonuses brutally unfair, it is also economically inept - Reed argues that for each 1% public sector pay rise, up to £820m would be recuperated by the government in increased tax and reduced benefits expenditure, as well as the creation of up to 18,000 full-time jobs.
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> Michael Gove and William Hague have both been ousted from top jobs in this week’s cabinet reshuffle. Iain Duncan Smith remains as head of the DWP despite policy implementations that have lead to catastrophic levels of unemployment, as a TUC report released this week shows. The changes also saw two women - Nicky Morgan and Liz Truss - promoted to cabinet, in a move intended to quiet criticisms of pitiful female representation on Cameron’s front bench, still at under a quarter of the coalition cabinet. So will this be a step forward for equalities? Not if the handling of the reshuffle is anything to go by. Unlike her male predecessor, Tina Stowell will only attend cabinet as leader of the House of Lords rather than being a full member. She was set to earn less too, but the Tories have promised to top up her pay in order to escape unwanted attention for their treatment of women.
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> New on the Coalition Timeline
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> Click here to see the Coalition Timeline
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> Trade Union Rights
> Further threats to trade union right to strike (17/7/2014)
> Economy
> Pay growth at record low (18/7/2014)
> Migration, Exploitation, Regulation: The Migration Advisory Committee Calls for Better Enforcement of Labour Standards.
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> By Bernard Ryan
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> The Migrant Advisory Committee (MAC) has released an extensive report drawing on proposals made in Labour Migration in Hard Times: Reforming Labour Market Regulation – an Institute of Employment Rights publication. The MAC supports the need for stronger labour regulations to protect vulnerable migrant workers, and confirms the need for greater resources and funding to ensure labour law is complied with.
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> Read more…
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> Collective Bargaining in Wales
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> The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the Welsh National Assembly’s bill to protect low paid agricultural workers by setting up an Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) for Wales is lawful. UK Attorney General Dominic Grieve had argued that the Agricultural Wages (Wales) Bill was an issue of employment law, which is not a devolved issue, rather than agriculture. However, senior judges unanimously concluded that the decision falls within the powers of the Welsh Assembly. Read More…
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> Threshold Policy to be included in Tory Manifesto
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> David Cameron has confirmed that further reductions to trade union freedoms will be part of the Conservative’s 2015 manifesto. His statements come on the back of last week’s mass strike of over a million public sector workers, who according to TUC research, are on average more than £2000 worse off since the coalition came to power in 2010 - a real terms pay cut of 20%. The Tories have responded with anti-union rhetoric and reiterating threats to the right to strike with plans to impose a threshold on the number of members required to vote in a ballot to make strike action legal, and a time limit on how long a mandate remains valid. Read More...
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> Conference Reports
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> The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act: impacts and effects, London
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> The Conference focused on this piece of legislation given Royal Assent on 25th April 2013 and looked at the impacts and effects on workers as a result of the changes to employment tribunals, whistleblowing requirements and health and safety regulations. Nerys Owen from the Labour Research Department chaired the conference and opened it by introducing the first speaker Roger Seifert. 
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> Read more about the conference here...
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> TUPE update: the new regulations, London
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> The government published new TUPE Regulations in November 2013, revealing service provision rules will not be repealed, but several changes will be made that could hinder trade union activity. There are many uncertainties about the new regulations and the conference aimed to provide answers to the questions below, and to questions from delegates on the day. 
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> Read more about the conference here...
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> Copyright © IER, 2013, All rights reserved.
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> Help us to celebrate 25 years of the Institute
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> To mark the 25th Anniversary of the Institute, we are asking our subscribers, members and supporters to make a donation and tell us why they support the Institute. So, whether you're an individual or a branch, whether it's £25 or £250, we will add your name and comment to our list of donors on this website page.
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> Forthcoming Events
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> Employment Law Update 2014
> Unite the Union, London
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> Tuesday 7 October 2014
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> This 10th annual IER conference is designed to ensure trade union representatives are kept up to date and well-informed about developments in employment law. It is a must go to event for anyone with an interest in employment law and the protection of collective and individual workers' rights. 
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> Employment Law Update 2014
> Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool
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> Wednesday 22 October 2014
> This 7th annual IER conference in the North West is designed to ensure trade union representatives are kept up to date and well-informed about developments in employment law. It is a must go to event for anyone with an interest in employment law and the protection of collective and individual workers' rights. 
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> Equality and Discrimination: What Next For Equal Rights? 
> Unite the Union, London
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> Wednesday 19 November 2014
> Four years after the introduction of the Equality Act and where are we now? Leading equality experts from the law, trade unions and academia will come together to critically assess the latest case law, precedents and evidence and anticipate where they will lead us in terms of ensuring fairness at work for all. 
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> Publications
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> Labour migration in hard times: Reforming labour market regulation?
> Edited by Bernard Ryan
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> A collection of papers by the UK's leading experts on labour migration on the exploitation of migrant workers and the need for labour law reform.
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> Reconstruction after the crisis: a manifesto for collective bargaining
> By Professor Keith Ewing and John Hendy QC
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> 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.
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