[IER] UK sick pay/health and safety regulations found to breach international labour law

Fri Jan 26 17:18:49 GMT 2018

IER News Brief 26/01/18
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news brief
Friday 26th January 2018

Statutory sick pay and health and safety regulations in the UK are in breach of the European Social Charter, a legally binding counterpart to the European Convention on Human Rights, which was ratified by the UK in 1962.

The European Committee of Social Rights, which oversees the compliance of 47 signatories to the charter, criticised the UK for breaching article 12 - the right to social security; and article 13 - the right to social and medical assistance.

The report covered the poor financial assistance received by those out of work, including people unable to work due to illness, but also focused on the weakness of employment rights. Statutory sick pay policy was deemed "manifestly inadequate" and the exemption of self-employed people from many health and safety regulations was described as "disciminatory". Read more here.

Last week, we reported on the launch of the Workers (Definition and Rights) Bill. The second reading of this Bill, which effectively abolishes zero-hour contracts except where they have been expressly agreed with a recognised trade union, has now been set for 27 April 2018.
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 News and comment

Casual work "rarely a stepping stone" and increases risk of joblessness, study shows
Researchers at the Universities of Sheffield and Greenwich have found that taking on casual work is unlikely to lead to a permanent job, and significantly increases people's risk of unemployment.
> click here to read full story

Committee warns gender pay gap progress could be reversed under Brexit
The European Scrutiny Committee has warned that the government has not been clear as to how it will protect equality pay legislation following Brexit.
> click here to read full story

ONS: Real wages continue to fall
Real wages continued to fall in 2017, according to Office for National Statistics data for the three months between September and November announced today.
> click here to read full story

UK sick pay/health and safety regulations found to breach international labour law
Statutory sick pay and health and safety regulations in the UK are in breach of the European Social Charter.
> click here to read full story

Report calls for employers to be held to account for sexual harassment at work
Experts are calling for employers to be held to account for the way their female workers are treated by third parties.
> click here to read full story

 FREE RESOURCES 

Many thanks to all who attended our latest event - Employment Law Update 2017 in Liverpool.

Papers and presentations are now available for download on our website. Don't miss out on our next event Racism at work, further details of which are in the section below.

Click here to download papers and presentations

  Events 

London: Racism at Work
07 February 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
Unite the Union, London
At this one-day conference, our panel of lawyers, academics and campaigners will discus how racism at work impacts individuals across the UK, identify weaknesses in the legal system, propose reforms to the law, and discuss how unions can play a part in protecting workers from racism.
Speakers include Shavanah Taj, Owen Espley, Professor Sonia McKay, Wanda Wyporska and Jo Seery.
> click here to read more and book your place

Liverpool: Racism at Work
08 March 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
Unite the Union, Liverpool
At this one-day conference, our panel of lawyers, academics and campaigners will discus how racism at work impacts individuals across the UK, identify weaknesses in the legal system, propose reforms to the law, and discuss how unions can play a part in protecting workers from racism.
Speakers include Shavanah Taj, Dawn Butler, Owen Espley, Professor Sonia McKay, Wanda Wyporska and Jo Seery.
> click here to read more and book your place

  Publications

New Year Book Sale!
Pick up reports from just £5!
Make sure you don't miss out on our special book packages, available at discounted prices through to the end of January 2018, including Labour Law Highlights, our latest Policy Pack, our Brexit books, our Mythbuster collection, and a cut price report on zero-hours contracts.
> click here to read more and purchase

Blacklisting: the need for a public inquiry (including a Manifesto Against Blacklisting): £8
By Dave Smith and Alex Just
In his thoughtful account of the conspiracy, which incorporates the first-hand experiences of blacklisted workers and their families, the author leads readers through the multitude of obstacles faced by the victims. It concludes with a call for a public inquiry that forces those involved to publically account for their actions; and a detailed Manifesto Against Blacklisting.
> click here to read more and purchase

Europe, the EU and Britain: Workers' Rights and Economic Democracy: £8
Notes from a seminar by the Institute of Employment Rights and the Marx Memorial Library
On 01 July 2017, labour movement leaders from across Europe met at the Marx Memorial Library, London, to discuss how a progressive future for workers’ rights can be sought following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. This report documents the meeting, including the transcripts of each presentation, as well as notes on the discussion between panel and delegates on the day.
> click here to read more and purchase

The Legacy of Thatcherism in European Labour Relations: The Impact of the Politics of Neo-Liberalism and Austerity on Collective Bargaining in a Fragmenting Europe: £8
By Miguel Martinez Lucio, Aristea Koukiadaki and Isabel Tavora
As the UK prepares to leave the European Union, this analysis – the 11th in our Comparative Notes series – shines a light on the deleterious effect of the nation's deregulatory influence on the bloc.
> click here to read more and purchase

8 Good Reasons Why Adult Social Care Needs Sectoral Collective Bargaining: £8
By Dr Lydia Hayes
In this booklet, Dr Lydia Hayes sets out the lessons learned from her interdisciplinary research into the social care sector, and builds upon the recommendations made in the Institute of Employment Rights' Manifesto for Labour Law: a comprehensive revision of worker’s rights to propose a sectoral collective bargaining structure for the negotiation of wages and conditions.
> Click here to read more and buy your copy

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