[IER] New reports show much work to be done on gender equality at work

Fri Mar 9 17:41:32 GMT 2018

IER News Brief 09/03/18

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news brief

Friday 09th March 2018

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Yesterday, people across the world celebrated International Women's Day, remembering the courageous acts women have performed in search of gender parity both historically and in the modern day; and highlighting the inequalities that still persist.

Sadly, several new reports this week have brought to light how much further the UK needs to go to reach true equality between the genders.

Research revealed <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=7791b15542&e=71131c031b>  that most young women have first-hand experience of gender discrimination at work. Elsewhere, fears that employers would not take their gender pay gap reporting duties seriously are being realised.

So far, only 1,290 companies of an estimated 9,000 businesses required by law to submit gender pay gap reports have done so. Employers of 250 or more staff have until 04 April to publish their figures, but it is anticipated that many will fail to comply owing to the fact the government has not put in place any form of sanction on businesses that ignore the law.

What's more, MPs this week accused firms <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=c9b75309a8&e=71131c031b>  of deliberately massaging their figures to make their gender pay gaps seem narrower than they are in reality. This reveals a dismissive attitude among some major employers to the job of reducing gender equality, adding fuel to concerns that firms will not take action to fix the issue unless their hand is forced.

In France, the government moved to do just that. This week, it was announced that employers in the country who did not close unjustified gender pay gaps within three years would be fined. Meanwhile, in the UK, Shadow Women and Equalities Minister Dawn Butler promised that the Labour Party would require businesses to prove they were acting to solve the issue in their companies or face financial penalties.

In our Manifesto for Labour Law <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=4a98e90fd1&e=71131c031b>  - 25 recommendations for reform that have been adopted as the blueprint for Labour Party policy - we put forth several proposals for the improvement of equality at work.

These include providing truly flexible work, and shareable parental leave, including six months of maternity leave on full pay; one month of paternity leave on full pay; and an entitlement for parents to share leave by reducing their working hours.

In order to better enforce the law, we propose that all employers should be required to monitor the composition of their workforce in terms of disability, race and gender; and to carry out regular pay audits in co-operation with workplace equality officers from recognised or representative trade unions. These equality officers would sit on an equal opportunities forum (which employers would have a statutory duty to create) with the role to consider and work to ameliorate issues affecting equality in the workplace.

In addition, we recommend that employers' liability for third-party harassment is restored and that employers should be required as a matter of law to provide a workplace free of abuse.

Read more about our Manifesto for Labour Law <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=af5d1e54bd&e=71131c031b>  

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 News and comment

 public sector <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/e80db0b0-be8d-47c8-8d7d-05383e5cbcb3.png> 

	Govt 'misleading workers on end to public sector pay cap'
The government has been accused of misleading workers on the end of its pay cap policy for public sector staff after analysis showed that many departments don't even have the budget to meet the 1% limit on raises implemented as an austerity measure.
 <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=63693fbf1b&e=71131c031b> > click here to read full story

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

	Most young women have felt discriminated against at work, study shows
A new poll has found that most young women have had first-hand experience of feeling discriminated against due to their gender at work.
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 Low pay <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/c9de063b-cd73-4fc5-8d13-fb67b7e3e040.png> 

	Major high street firms dodge minimum wage
The government has named and shamed 179 employers for dodging the minimum wage, including several major high street firms.
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 Equality <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3/images/41d5d27b-969b-4b55-bcb8-9a0e910471e3.png> 

	Employers accused of abusing loopholes in gender pay gap reporting laws
Employers have been accused of abusing loopholes in reporting laws to make their gender pay gaps seem narrower than they are.
 <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=5d8f02ddd1&e=71131c031b> > click here to read full story

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

	Taylor gives govt 'four out of ten' for Good Work Plan
Matthew Taylor, who last year led the Modern Working Practices review into the 'gig' economy and precarious working, has give the government a rating of four out of ten for the actions it has taken based on his recommendations.
 <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=32c929bc50&e=71131c031b> > click here to read full story

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

	Morrisons latest supermarket to face equal pay claim
Morrisons is facing an equal pay claim expected to be worth as much as £100m in compensation on the heels of similar cases being brought against major supermarkets across the UK.
 <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=0b3af95208&e=71131c031b> > click here to read full story

 New publication 

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	Catch up with the most important case law developments in 2017 in the latest of our popular Labour Law Highlights series.

In this year’s Labour Law Highlights, a team of barristers from Old Square Chambers returns to assess how each of these events has impacted upon case law in the last 12 months, including clarification from the courts on the requirements of the Trade Union Act in practice, the flurry of tribunal hearings regarding ‘gig’ workers, and further decisions on the rights of workers required to take "sleep-in" shifts. In each case, they provide commentary on the potential wider implications of tribunal decisions.

The team covers a wide array of key rulings during 2017, from cases affecting trade union rights such as industrial disputes, collective consultation and recognition; to individual employment rights, such as the terms and conditions of precarious workers, pay, equality and discrimination at work, whistleblowing, and TUPE; to clarifications on and changes to the employment tribunal procedure itself.

Click here to read more and purchase your copy, or access your free download if you subscribe <https://ier.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f121e48a8bb6d3101590c12d3&id=adabe4716e&e=71131c031b> 

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	National Assistant
Two days a week, Liverpool or London

The Institute of Employment Rights is looking to appoint a part-time assistant to join our busy team. Tasks will focus on promoting our work, increasing sales and reaching out to new funding opportunities. Knowledge of the trade union movement will be essential. The assistant will work 14 hours, over two days and can be based in Liverpool or London.

Applications must be received by Monday 26 March and interviews will take place on 04 April in Liverpool and 11 April in London.
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The Institute of Employment Rights is collaborating with the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool in a project aimed at understanding how the corporate veil that shields shareholders works to restrict labour rights. The project also seeks to identify progressive reforms.

We are seeking to appoint a PhD student who has a commitment to protecting and enhancing employment rights.
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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.
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	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.
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	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.
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	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.
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