[IER] News Brief 15 May

Sat May 16 11:08:58 BST 2015

News Brief 15 May 2015

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/node/2535> 

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/node/2535> View in your browser

By Claudia O’Brian

It has been a depressing week for the labour movement as we come to terms with the Tories’ shock election victory and Cameron’s new  <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/cameron%E2%80%99s-new-cabinet> cabinet, but as  <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/may/13/post-election-downer-time-to-organise-owen-jones-video> Owen Jones says, “instead of giving up we’ve got to redouble our efforts”. The new business secretary, Sajid Javid spearheaded the  <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/conservatives-press-ahead-strike-restrictions> attack on the right to strike, gaining attention in the <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/14/tories-war-on-trade-unions-public-support-strike-sajid-javid?CMP=share_btn_tw>  press as a move that will  <http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2015/05/conservative-strike-plans-are-an-aggressive-assault-on-our-rights-and-our-democracy/> “leave workers with as much power as Oliver Twist brought to the negotiating table.” At IER we refuse to give up, pushing ahead with a  <http://www.ier.org.uk/events/upcoming-conferences-and-seminars> programme of events that will inform workers, challenge employers and help set an alternative labour law agenda that is truly aspirational! Our first post-election conference will look at  <http://www.ier.org.uk/events/workplace-issues-taking-issues-new-government-0> workplace issues. 

Blogs

Where do we go from here? Trade Unions and the General Election 2015

  <http://www.ier.org.uk/sites/ier.org.uk/files/images/keith%20ewing.img_assist_custom_1.png> 

By Professor Keith Ewing

Shortly after the general election in 2010, Keith Ewing wrote in the Star that Cameron would win the 2015 general election (Morning Star, 18 June 2010). The reason for this was largely historical. In this country Tory governments typically get at least two terms. Indeed since the end of the Second World War only one Tory government – that elected on 1970 – has failed to do so. However, the fear is now that they will get 3 or four term.

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/trade-unions-and-general-election-2015> Read the blog here…

UCU victory against university employer

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/ucu-victory-against-university-employer> 

By Michael MacNeil

In higher education the bosses often consider themselves to sit at the more enlightened and progressive end of the employers’ spectrum. They do, however, preside over obscene levels of casualisation, with ridiculous numbers of zero hour teaching contracts and with 67% of research staff on fixed-term contracts. Some, but not enough, of the employers are negotiating with us to try and address an unfair system that has been cemented into institutional thinking over years; whereas others are actively trying to turn the screw further. Sadly, the University of Stirling is in the latter camp.

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/ucu-victory-against-university-employer> Read the blog here…

News

Access to justice: a bureaucratic nightmare

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/eat-123> 

An EAT has ruled that an employment tribunal was entitled to reject a claim due to an early conciliation number being incorrect. Director of IER Carolyn Jones said; “This is no less than a bureaucratic denial of access to justice. Whatever happened to the long established principle that the court should consider the original intention of the legislation? The EAT is saying that navigating legal hurdles is more important than delivering justice. We always feared that the conciliation process would be used more as an additional hurdle than as a way of improving access to justice”.

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/eat-123> Read More…

TTIP Update: UNCTAD report and a setback in the senate

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/ttip-update-unctad-report-and-setback-senate> 

The Obama administration attempted to pass a fast-track bill, the Trade Promotion Authority, which would allow the president to sign trade agreements without congressional approval. After the signing, Congress would have an up-or-down vote to reject or approve a trade deal, but would have no powers to amend it. On Tuesday (12 May) Democrats in the senate blocked the fast-track bill, with all but one Democrat voting against it. UPDATE: After lobbying by Obama the bill  <http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/14/controversial-fast-track-trade-bill-clears-procedural-hurdle-in-us-senate> cleared the senate, but may well still be stopped in the House of Representatives.

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/ttip-update-unctad-report-and-setback-senate> Read More…

Union News

Blacklisting

Victims of blacklisting are back in the High Court this week in their fight to secure the justice they deserve from Carillion and the other construction companies. An event on the issue, Blacklisting: The secret war between big business and trade union activists, is being held in London on June 2, more information  <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/blacklisting-event-secret-war-between-big-business-and-trade-union-activists> here.

ITV staff on strike

Journalists, production and other staff went on a 24-hour strike over pay yesterday, putting a stop to ITV services. Bectu members had been offered a £1,200 annual bonus, while ITV CEO Adam Crozier received a bonus of £250 million. Assistant general secretary Spencer MacDonald told the  <https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-6852-ITV-staff-shut-down-channel-during-strike#.VVWQPUuivwI> Morning Star; “I think overall people are quite fed up in terms of the way the company has treated them. [ITV] posted profits of something around three quarters of a billion pounds so they are really frustrated”. NUJ and Unite also had members on strike.

Employment Tribunal News

Good News: An EAT has ruled that the appellant in the Goldwater v Sellafield case was infact entitled to recover the ET fees paid by his union, UCU.

Conservative Timeline

As the coalition comes to an end and the conservatives are ushered in unfettered, we replace our Coalition Timeline with a Conservative one. The Coalition Timeline will remain online for you to look back at.

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

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

Trade Union Freedoms

*         Conservatives press ahead with attack on right to strike (11/5/15)

Other

*         Cameron’s new cabinet (12/5/15)

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

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

Human Rights: What we’re set to lose

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/conservatives-target-human-rights> 

The Tories are pressing ahead with their plans to scrap the Human Rights Act and to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights.

The IER has published experts’ analysis on what withdrawal from particular articles of the EHCR would mean for employment rights. Read them here:

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/article-4-prohibition-slavery-servitude-forced-and-compulsory-labour> Article 4: Prohibition of slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/article-8-right-respect-private-and-family-life-implications-unfair-dismissal> Article 8: Right to respect for private and family life

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/article-10-right-freedom-expression-whistleblowing> Article 10: Right to freedom of expression

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/blog/article-14-prohibition-discriminaiton> Article 14: Prohibition of discrimination

Events

Workplace Issues: Taking up the issues with the new government

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/events/workplace-issues-taking-issues-new-government> 

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

Diskus Room, Unite the Union, London

This event will be the firstIER conference to take place after the general election, providing an excellent opportunity to assess the government’s programme of work. How will worker’s rights fair under the new Tory regime? Which labour law topics will trade unionists need to be aware of in order to best protect their members at work?

The People’s Assembly ‘End Austerity Now’ Demonstration

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/peoples-assembly-end-austerity-now-demonstration> 

Saturday, 20 June 2015

The IER, a founder signatory to the People’s Assembly, is supporting this post-election demonstration to keep our anti-austerity message at the public and political forefront. More details <http://www.ier.org.uk/news/peoples-assembly-end-austerity-now-demonstration> here.

Human Rights: Possibilities and Problems for Labour Law

 <http://www.ier.org.uk/events/human-rights-possibilities-and-problems-labour-law-london-0> 

Wednesday 1 July 2015

Diskus Room, Unite the Union, London

The Tory government is gearing up to withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights. They plan to replace the Human Rights Act 1998 with a British Bill of Rights. So what would withdrawal from the ECHR mean for employment rights and worker protections? This conference aims to shed light on the issues by focusing on the kind of workplace abuses that the Convention aims to protect us against.

Publications

 <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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