[IER] Shocking discrimination figures show UK workers need stronger protections

Fri Sep 2 16:03:26 BST 2016

IER News Brief 02/09/16

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news brief

Friday 02nd September 2016

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The government has declined to put in place individual risk assessments for pregnant workers and new mothers <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=bbe3848899&e=71131c031b>  despite an enormous rise in discrimination against these groups described as "shocking".

This comes after the Citizens' Advice Bureau reported a rise <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=f179e8fd91&e=71131c031b>  in the number of pregnant women and mothers seeking advice after being discriminated against at work; news that Sports Direct removed guaranteed hours contracts from new mothers <http://ier.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=664b95583b&e=71131c031b>  on their return to work; and is added to by today's TUC analysis showing mothers are signficantly less likely to be in work than fathers.

Not only are women starting families continuing to have negative experience in the workplace but figures by both the CAB and the Department of Business show this situation is getting worse. Yet, the government is pushing ahead with cuts of 30 per cent to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission! <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=81474f7009&e=71131c031b> 

It is clear workers' rights need to be stronger to ensure that vulnerable workers are not exploited by unscrupulous employers. The Institute of Employment Rights' Manifesto for Labour Law <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=f6373a7139&e=71131c031b>  lays out a legal framework that would provide workers with a stronger voice to negotiate better conditions at work, improve enforcement of labour law, and remove today's barriers to access to justice.

We will also be discussing issues like these at our annual Employment Law Update, held in Liverpool <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=9474550d37&e=71131c031b>  and London <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=048a0dc115&e=71131c031b>  this November. These popular events always book up in advance so please be sure to secure your place to avoid disappointment.

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 News and comment

 Equality <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/41d5d27b-969b-4b55-bcb8-9a0e910471e3.png> 

	Childcare 'locking mothers out of work'
New mothers are significantly more likely to be unemployed than new fathers, new research from the TUC has found.
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 Low Pay <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/c9de063b-cd73-4fc5-8d13-fb67b7e3e040.png> 

	Tories ‘trying to shift focus’ from poverty to worklessness
The government has been accused of trying to shift the focus away from the near seven million families living in poverty in the UK by talking about worklessness instead of income.
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	Under TISA “general elections will become increasingly pointless”
Global Justice Now has released a briefing on the Trade In Services Agreement (TISA), warning that it represents a substantial threat to the NHS and workers’ rights, and could make irrelevant our political parties and democracy itself.
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 Union Rights <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/8a74e5d2-ba66-4faf-a08d-e7b95ed9b73b.png> 

	Tories lash out at doctors striking over ‘dangerous’ contract
The Health Secretary and Prime Minister have both lashed out at the legions of junior doctors who plan to go out on strike this September in protest over a contract they believe will harm patient safety.
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 Equality <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/41d5d27b-969b-4b55-bcb8-9a0e910471e3.png> 

	Govt rejects risk assessment for pregnant women despite “shocking” rise in discrimination
The government has rejected calls for an individual risk assessment for new and expectant mothers despite evidence of dire conditions pushing women out of work.
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 Equality <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/95a3f90d-83e6-4ce0-b186-b01b05cc2f77.png> 

	REVIEW: Manifesto sets out stall on new workers’ rights
Britain’s largest unions are backing comprehensive policy proposals for a framework of collective bargaining, underpinned by strong trade union rights, drawn up by 15 of the UK’s leading labour lawyers. 
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	Government apprenticeships a “car crash”
New government plans for apprenticeships have been dubbed a “car crash” by an employer’s organisation.
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 The IER at the TUC

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	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.
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 Kill the Bill <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/3a996d1c-1459-4dfb-81b8-8901488dad8a.jpg> 

	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.
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 Ballot Thresholds <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/cee8b19e-c2dc-452d-a284-b14209fbf568.jpg> 

	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.
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	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.
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	LIVERPOOL: Health and Safety Update 2016
04 October 2016 - 09:30 - 15:30
Unite the Union, Liverpool
An update on problematic developments in health and safety legislation and what can be done to reverse their harmful effects. Topics include HSE's new strategy, the reduction in inspections, worker experiences of pursuing compensation, comparisons with other European countries and developments in the construction industry on worker engagement and mental health. . 
 <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=2481698984&e=71131c031b> > click here to read more and book your place

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	LONDON: Health and Safety Update 2016
18 October 2016 - 09:30 - 15:30
Unite the Union, London
An update on problematic developments in health and safety legislation and what can be done to reverse their harmful effects. Topics include HSE's new strategy, the reduction in inspections, worker experiences of pursuing compensation, comparisons with other European countries and developments in the construction industry on worker engagement and mental health. . 
 <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=5732e5f799&e=71131c031b> > click here to read more and book your place

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	LONDON: Employment Law Update 2016
09 November 2016 - 09:30 - 15:15
Unite the Union, London
Our annual Employment Law Update brings together legal and academic experts with a representative from the TUC. This year we are very pleased that our event will be opened with a keynote address from the President of the Tribunals, Judge Brian Doyle, updating us with an inside account of the current ET practices and procedures. . 
 <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=bd1ba4fbe9&e=71131c031b> > click here to read more and book your place

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	LIVERPOOL: Employment Law Update 2016
29 November 2016 - 09:30 - 15:15
Unite the Union, Liverpool
Our annual Employment Law Update brings together legal and academic experts with a representative from the TUC. This year we are very pleased that our event will be opened with a keynote address from the President of the Tribunals, Judge Brian Doyle, updating us with an inside account of the current ET practices and procedures. . 
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