[IER] Insecurity rises, but govt complacent

Mon Feb 13 17:49:53 GMT 2017

IER News Brief 13/02/17

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news brief

Monday 13th February 2017

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Further evidence has emerged this week that insecure work is on the rise and incomes are falling. New TUC research shows one in ten workers are now in precarious work <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=6f11cd0ca9&e=71131c031b>  and The Bank of England has warned of a fall in pay settlements <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=58991b2f6e&e=71131c031b>  that will see real wages squeezed even further.

As is demonstrated in our Manifesto for Labour Law <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=74fee2d490&e=71131c031b> , employers' increasing exploitation of insecure workers - such as agency staff, those misclassified as "self employed" and people on zero-hours contracts - is encouraged by the UK's complex system of employment statuses. While "employees" benefit from the full suite of employment rights, "workers" (such as those hired through agencies) are only eligible for a portion of them, and those (mis)classified as "self employed" do not have workers' rights at all. This provides incentives for emplofyers to use "workers" instead of "employees" to evade rights like unfair dismissal; and to misclassify their workers as self employed, such as in the case of Uber.

To remove the incentives for employers to exploit vulnerable workers, the IER is calling for a universal status of employment to be created, which ensures that anyone in employment is eligible for the full suite of employment rights from day one. Read more about this in our Manifesto for Labour Law <http://www.ier.org.uk/manifesto> .

It seems these issues were not at the top of the Tory agenda until news of exploitation at retailers like Sports Direct gained public notoriety, however. Last week, a review of employment statuses <http://ier.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=2a59cd3420&e=71131c031b>  was finally published after it was launched in 2014 specifically to investigate the risk of exploitation. It seems this was deprioritised. The review, which does not make any firm recommendations, had been chased up in parliament by Labour MPs but has only just been published in light of the Taylor Review.

Blacklisting, too, it seems is not a priority. Labour MPs called on parliament last week to launch a public inquiry into the blacklisting scandal that ruined the lives of construction workers across the UK, pointing out there are serious questions around police and intelligence services involvement that have never been answered. Business Secretary Margot James refused <http://ier.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=7eae935a03&e=71131c031b> , claiming it is too late to investigate the issue.

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 News and comment

 Workers' rights <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/b1c726de-bf3c-454c-9dd0-50d42672c9ff.png> 

	27% more people in insecure work since 2011, study shows
The number of people in roles that provide no guaranteed hours of fundamental working rights has jumped by 27% in the last five years.
 <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=733553a6f4&e=71131c031b> > click here to read full story

 Low Pay <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/c9de063b-cd73-4fc5-8d13-fb67b7e3e040.png> 

	Real wages face further squeeze: Bank of England
Real wages, which have already fallen by 10.4% since 2007, are facing further squeezes, according to new projections from the Bank of England. 
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 Workers' Rights <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/b1c726de-bf3c-454c-9dd0-50d42672c9ff.png> 

	Govt review into employment status and workers' rights finally surfaces
In October 2014, then Business Secretary Vince Cable launched a review into employment statuses, noting an increase in precarious work. The review he commissioned was completed in December 2015 but was only published last week.
 <http://ier.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=c7ef1ba5c0&e=71131c031b> > click here to read full story

 Blacklisting <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/4af5273a-321f-46c2-b0ad-932606fe318b.png> 

	Govt refuses public inquiry into blacklisting
Business Minister Margot James has refused to conduct a public inquiry into blacklisting after being called to do so by Labour MPs.
 <http://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=1f52108f78&e=71131c031b> > click here to read full story

 Access to justice <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/3217d00c-d174-45e5-a9cf-a588a59f2af4.jpg> 

	COMMENT: Trade unions can fix our employment tribunal disaster
The IER's Ben Crawford critically reviews the government's whitewashed report on the impact of tribunal fees and outlines the IER's proposals to improve the enforcement of employment rights.
 <http://ier.us12.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=27ec34d662&e=71131c031b> > click here to read full story

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	Labour Law Highlights 2016: £8
Edited by Rebecca Tuck
This year’s Labour Law Highlights is produced against the backdrop of a Brexit vote in the UK and a Trump victory in the USA. It promises to be a bumpy ride ahead!
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	Health and Safety at Work Act: Time for Change: £10
By Phil James and David Walters
The world of work is changing. Fast. But the framework of law tasked with protecting the health, safety and well being of workers is now 50 years old and – according to the authors of this report – no longer fit for purpose. The authors put forth proposals for reform
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 EU Developments <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/fb25d1db-2c1e-4d50-8d47-17dc166f146f.jpeg> 

	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
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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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 Keithe Ewing <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/6ac2ddd4-6bd6-4c3f-81ad-06fdb882171c.jpg> 

	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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	Migration after Brexit: the challenge for labour standards 2017: London
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Unite the Union, London
This conference will cover migration policy after Brexit, both from the EU and from elsewhere in the world, and the implications of future labour migration patterns for labour standards. The speakers will bring extensive expertise to the subject, as academics, campaigners and trade unionists.
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