[IER] News Brief 6 March

Fri Mar 6 13:52:29 GMT 2015

News Brief 6 March 2014

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/node/2416> 

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/node/2416> View in your browser

By Claudia O’Brian

New Resource

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/access-justice-2010-2015> Access to Justice 2010-2015

The Beecroft report, employment tribunal fees, the removal of wing members, reduction of limits on tribunal awards for unfair dismissal; The Coalition’s reformation of the employment dispute system has succeeded in making accessing justice even more difficult than it already was. We have gathered news, blogs, research and publications documenting the events of the last few years and their consequences together in one place.Take a look  <http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/access-justice-2010-2015> here.

Blogs

The Gagging Act: What can be done?

 <http://> 

By Keith Ewing (President, Institute of Employment Rights)

Many readers will recall the great controversy that was provoked by the clumsily entitled Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning etc Act 2013 at the time it was passed. It is clear its purpose was to clear the pitch for the Tories, to allow them to dominate the election with their city-fuelled war chest…

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/gagging-act-what-can-be-done> Read the full blog here…

News

Barclays Boss earns 465 times that of a minimum wage earner

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/barclays-boss-earns-465-times-minimum-wage-earner> 

Barclays chief executive Antony Jenkins has accepted the committee’s offer of a £1.1m bonus, taking his yearly earnings to £5.5m. Last week we heard that the chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group, Antonio Horta-Osorio, is set to receive a total remuneration package of £11m; basic pay of £1m, an £800,000 bonus and the payout of a three-year long-term incentive plan, which gives him 535,083 shares. Lloyds was bailed out to the tune of £37bn by the taxpayer in 2008.

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/barclays-boss-earns-465-times-minimum-wage-earner> Read More…

The pay gap between London and the rest of the UK has narrowed…

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/pay-gap-between-london-and-rest-uk-has-narrowed> 

…but only because Londoner’s wages are getting worse
. The pay disparity between London and the rest of the UK is narrowing. While this may sound like good news, it is due to wage growth in London slowing down, rather than the rest of the country catching up.

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/pay-gap-between-london-and-rest-uk-has-narrowed> Read More…

Sports Direct founder refuses to appear before MPs

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/sports-direct-founder-refuses-appear-mps> 

Mike Ashley has ducked out of appearing before the Scottish Affairs committee, claiming that it is more appropriate for chief executive David Foley to attend. The committee had requested Ashley to appear before them in order to answer questions about why 200 staff at USC’s Ayrshire warehouse were let go with just 15 minutes notice, when administrators were called in to West Coast Capital (USC), a Sports Direct-controlled business….

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/sports-direct-founder-refuses-appear-mps> Read More…

In the Commons: ZHCs in Wales

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/commons-zhcs-wales> 

In Parliament this week the Conservatives were congratulating each other on the falling unemployment figures. However Labour MP for Ynys Môn Albert Owen commented; “The unemployment figures in my constituency have been coming down for the past 15 years, with the exception of the recession years between 2008 and 2012, but many of those jobs are zero hours, part time and for agency workers.”

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/commons-zhcs-wales> Read More…

New on the Coalition Timeline

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/coalition-timeline> 

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/coalition-timeline> Click here to see the Coalition Timeline

 Increasing vulnerability in the workplace

*         Social care crisis

Blacklisting

*         Ucatt questions Howard over Blacklisting Role

New Collective Bargaining Video – Why we need it

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/new-you-tube-clip-ewing-hendy>  <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/new-you-tube-clip-ewing-hendy> 

To mark #fairpayfortnight we have released a video on collective bargaining. What is it? Why do we need it? What will be the consequences of its restoration? Keith Ewing and John Hendy explain all…

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/new-you-tube-clip-ewing-hendy> Watch the collective bargaining video here

IER Manifesto for Collective Bargaining

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/reconstruction-after-crisis-manifesto-collective-bargaining> 

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/ten-point-collective-bargaining-manifesto> Read the ten-point manifesto

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/reconstruction-after-crisis-manifesto-collective-bargaining> Buy the book

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/watch-experts> VIDEOS: Watch the experts

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/listen-experts> PODCASTS: Listen to the experts

Forthcoming Events

International Women’s Day, 2015

  <http://www.ier.org.uk/sites/ier.org.uk/files/images/Screen%20Shot%202015-02-27%20at%2018.03.57.preview.png> 

People’s History Museum, Manchester

8 March 2015, 2pm-5pm

In the five years that the Coalition Government has been in power, women and families have born the brunt of their so-called ‘austerity’ cuts. To celebrate International Women’s Day, we are holding an event in Manchester. The programme of events includes a discussion on ending apartheid in Palestine, a short play – Soledad – one woman’s experience of the Spanish Civil War and a panel of women MPs discussing why we need to vote. For more information contact teerenasmith at thompsons.law.co.uk <mailto:teerenasmith at thompsons.law.co.uk> 

Employment law after the election: what do we want?, The Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/events/employment-law-after-election-what-do-we-want> 

Wednesday 25th March 2014
Following the tremendous success of the IER’s  <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/what-kind-laws-do-we-want-report-ier-conference> What We Want conference in Londonon 11 February, a similar, half-day event will take place in Liverpool to allow more people to engage in the debate. A summary of the London event is available to read  <http://www.ier.org.uk/events/employment-law-after-election-what-kind-laws-do-we-want-london> here.

What laws do you want after the election? Let us know on #ierwhatwewant.

Can unions stay within the law any longer?

Bill Wedderburn Lecture addressed by Len McCluskey, 19 March 2015

This meeting will be held at The Royal College of Surgeons, 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PE at 6.30pm. The attendance fee will be waived for Trade Union members. More information and online booking is available  <http://www.industriallawsociety.org.uk/ils_events/66> here.

Publications

New – Election 2015: What’s at stake for work, pay and trade unions?

  <http://www.ier.org.uk/sites/ier.org.uk/files/images/Screen%20Shot%202015-02-13%20at%2019.00.26.png> 

Contributors: Professor Tonia Novitz, University of Bristol Law School; Professor Ozlem Onaran, University of  Greenwich; Dr Lydia Hayes, Cardiff University; Carolyn Jones, Institute of Employment Rights; and James Lazou, Unite the Union.

This guide outlines the scale of the fall in living standards since 2008, the explosion of low-wage, insecure work and how working people and their unions have seen their rights attacked. By explaining the link between strong trade unions, widespread collective bargaining and lower inequality the pamphlet suggests short and long term policy interventions that would improve the living standards of working people and begin to steer the economy in a more equitable direction with collective bargaining at its core.

You can read and download the election guide <http://www.classonline.org.uk/projects/election-2015-whats-at-stake> here.

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/justice-deferred-critical-guide-coalitions-employment-tribunal-reforms> 

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/justice-deferred-critical-guide-coalitions-employment-tribunal-reforms> Justice Deferred: a critical guide to the Coalition’s employment tribunal reforms

By David Renton and Anna Macey

This publication offers a chilling reminder of the extent to which access to justice is being systematically shut down by the Coalition government.

  <http://www.ier.org.uk/sites/ier.org.uk/files/images/trade%20unions%20and%20economic%20inequality.img_assist_custom.png> 

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/trade-unions-and-economic-inequality> 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 <http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/trade-unions-and-economic-inequality>  here

  <http://www.ier.org.uk/sites/ier.org.uk/files/images/re-regulating%20zero%20hours%20coontracts%20cover_0.img_assist_custom.png> 

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/re-regulating-zero-hours-contracts> 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  <http://www.ier.org.uk/publications/re-regulating-zero-hours-contracts> here.

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