[IER] IER News Brief 06/05/2016

[Sarah Glenister]

> IER News Brief 06/05/16	Follow us on Twitter	 
> news brief
> Friday 06th May 2016
> 
> Following months of debate and campaigning, the Trade Union Bill gained Royal Assent this week (04 May 2016). The final Act is a watered down version of the original punitive proposals made by the Tories, but it still presents a major challenge to the Labour Movement, particularly through the imposition of support and turnout thresholds on strike ballots; the introduction of reserve powers for Ministers to place a cap on facility time in the public sector; and the change to an opt-in process for unions' political funds, which presents a major risk to the funding of political opposition to the Tory Party.
> 
> Some gains were made in the Lords, with the government backing down on its planned - and entirely unjustified - prohibition of check-off in the public sector, although even here the law now allows employers to challenge the agreement, putting this time-honoured system on more fragile ground. While evidence shared in the Lords suggests most public sector employers want to continue with check-off, there were worrying indications that some authorities might use their powers to scrap the process for purely ideological reasons. Indeed, one Conservative Council Leader told Tory peer Lord Balfe, he was in favour of anything that could hurt the labour movement.
> 
> Director of the IER Carolyn Jones provides more analysis of the Trade Union Bill in her blog today. Meanwhile, we will continue to track the progress of Tory plans to allow employers to use agency staff as strike breakers. The government has still not responded toits consultation on the matter, which closed over half a year ago.
> 
> Subscribers receive all of our publications free and discount rates on our conferences. Subscribe now
>  News and comment
> 		Lords accept weakened concessions on the Trade Union Bill
> The House of Lords yesterday accepted the government's amendments to the Trade Union Bill, allowing the Tory proposals to reach Royal Assent today.  
> > click here to read full story
> 		France fights neoliberalism as another half million protest 
> Millions of people have taken to the streets in France to demonstrate against proposals to decentralise collective bargaining, thus weakening trade union rights and dragging France into a pattern of increasing neoliberalism seen across the EU. 
> > click here to read full story
> 		How does TTIP leak square with government "mythbuster" on the deal? 
> The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills recently released a TTIP "mythbuster" defending the deal. However, a leak of the TTIP documents by Greenpeace does not seem to square with the government's claims. 
> > click here to read full story
> 		Blacklisted workers finally see some justice, but IER warns law still needs to change 
> Workers blacklisted by construction firms for being members of trade unions finally saw some justice, as major industry players were forced to fork over £250 million in compensation. 
> > click here to read full story
> 		COMMENT: A nasty Bill turned into a nasty Act 
> Carolyn Jones, Director of the IER, takes us through the challenges introduced by the new Trade Union Act and announces a new IER Manifesto for labour law change that will be released later this year to inform the opposition. 
> > click here to read full story
>  Don't miss out on our Human Rights debate!
> 		Seats filling up in Liverpool
> European Conventions protect workers in a number of ways: the right not to be forced into labour – a growing concern with the roll out of Universal Credit; the right to respect for private and family life; freedom of expression without interference by public authorities; freedom of assembly and association - protections that trade unions used to argue against the Trade Union Bill; and the right not to be discriminated against at work.
> 
> These basic rights form the basis of any civilised society so how can we ensure that these protections are included in any British Bill of Rights?
> 
> Speakers include Professor Keith Ewing, (IER, KCL); Jo Seery, (Thompsons Solicitors); Robert Knox, (University of Liverpool); Hannah Reed, (TUC); Paul Draycott, (Doughty Street Chambers); David Whyte & Stefanie Khoury, (University of Liverpool).
> > click here to read more and book your place
>   Publications
> 		Access to Justice: Exposing the myths: £6
> By Andrew Moretta
> In the second of IER’s series of Mythbusters, Andrew Moretta considers the many myths surrounding access to justice, including the narrative surrounding the “red tape” and “burdens on business” ideology, which he believes paved the way for systematic attacks on the tribunal system.
> > click here to read more and purchase
> 		Protect the right to strike: kill the bill: £5
> By John Hendy QC & Professor Keith Ewing
> Two leading experts on trade union rights – Professor Keith Ewing and John Hendy QC – publish a short but comprehensive overview of the Trade Union Bill and its implications.
> > click here to read more and purchase
> 		The Conservative Government’s proposed strike ballot thresholds: The challenge to trade unions: from £6
> By Professor Ralph Darlington and Dr John Dobson
> According to the authors of this timely report, the government is attempting to rush into law ‘the most sweeping and radical tightening of rules on industrial action since the Thatcher era of the 1980’s’. They warn that such proposals could result in ‘the biggest showdown over industrial relations for a generation’ and go on to drill down into one aspect of the government’s proposals – strike ballots.
> > click here to read more and purchase
> 		The mythology of business: from £6
> By David Whyte
> The ‘myths’ that this publication takes into consideration are the kind of things that politicians now routinely say without thinking. Yet these 10 myths have very little foundation in reality and are rarely, if ever, accompanied with any concrete evidence to support them.
> > click here to read more and purchase
>   Events
> 		LONDON: Public Sector cuts, Privatisation and Employment Rights
> 15 June 2016 - 09:30 - 15:30
> Unite the Union, London
> How far has the Government gone towards its promised British Bill of Rights? More importantly, how would such changes impact on the rights of UK citizens at work, in society and in the economy?
> > click here to read more
> 		LIVERPOOL: Public Sector cuts, Privatisation and Employment Rights
> 05 July 2016 - 09:30 - 15:30
> Unite the Union, Liverpool
> How far has the Government gone towards its promised British Bill of Rights? More importantly, how would such changes impact on the rights of UK citizens at work, in society and in the economy?
> > click here to read more
> To unsubscribe, please contact sarah at ier.org.uk.
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> Institute of Employment Rights,
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> 1 Islington
> Liverpool L3 8EG
> 0151 207 5265
> www.ier.org.uk
> 
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