[IER] Blacklisted workers need a change in the law as well as a public inquiry

Fri Mar 23 18:06:42 GMT 2018

IER News Brief 23/03/18Follow us on Twitter 
news brief
Friday 23rd March 2018
Following today's reports that the Metropolitam Police has admitted to having a role in the systematic blacklisting of thousands of construction workers, the IER is reiterating our recommendation for legislative reforms.

Blacklisting activists have long suspected undercover officers had infiltrated trade union meetings and supplied information to the 44 major construction firms who ran infamous blacklister The Consulting Association.

But, as Secretary of the Blacklist Support Group Dave Smith told the BBC today: "When we first talked about police collusion in blacklisting, people thought we were conspiracy theorists. We were told, things like that don't happen here. With this admission from the Met Police, our quest for the truth has been vindicated."

Dave Smith recently teamed up with Alex Just, one of the barristers who represented blacklisted workers in their High Court case, to draft the IER report Blacklisting: The need for a public inquiry (including a Manifesto Against Blacklisting).

In that publication, Dave called for a public inquiry to bring those responsible for the suffering of thousands of workers to account. Alex provided a detailed Manifesto Against Blacklisting, proposing legislative reforms to better protect workers and prevent this scandal from happening again.

Today, the IER supports widespread calls for a public inquiry into the involvement of both employers and police officers in blacklisting. But we also stress that legislative change is vital.

Both in the Manifesto Against Blacklisting and the IER's Manifesto for Labour Law, our experts have repeatedly proposed that criminal sanctions are put in place to robustly penalise and deter employers who blacklist.

Read more about the Manifesto Against Blacklisting

Read more about our Manifesto for Labour Law
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 News and commentLast chance to apply for National Assistant vacancy
Deadline is Monday 26 March

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.
> Click here for job and person specifications and an application formSupport the IER in its 30th Anniversary year
This year we are celebrating our forthcoming 30th Anniversar and we're appealing for your support. We hope to raise £30,000 to celebrate our 30 years and with these funds we will modernise our website and communications; promote our ideas through meetings, education packs, videos and animations; and establish a reserve to avoid repeat fundraising.
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The Public Accounts Committee has warned that the government's privatised probation service programme - run by so-called Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) - could be approaching a "contracting catastrophe" with an impact reminiscent of the collapse of Carillion. 
> click here to read full storyBlacklisted workers need a change in the law as well as a public inquiry 
After the Metropolitan Police today admitted a role in the conspiracy to blacklist thousands of workers in the construction industry, leading labour law think tank the Institute of Employment Rights (IER) supports calls for a public inquiry into the scandal, and reiterates our recommendation for legislative reforms, including criminal sanctions for those who blacklist. 
> click here to read full storyUnions hold govt to account over NHS pay 
Unions this week held the government to account over NHS pay, offering their members a settlement that could mean a 29% rise for some workers. 
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 Featured publication 
In his thoughtful account of the blacklisting scandal, which incorporates the first-hand experiences of blacklisted workers and their families, Dave Smith of the Blacklist Support Group leads readers through the multitude of obstacles faced by the victims. The book concludes with a call for a public inquiry that forces those involved to publically account for their actions; and a detailed Manifesto Against Blacklisting drafed by Alex Just, one of the barristers who represented the victims in their High Court case.

Click here to read more and purchase your copy, or access your free download if you subscribe  Job vacancies 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.
> Click here for job and person specifications and an application formPHD Studentship: Employment Rights and the Shareholder: Workers Rights vs ‘Owners’ Rights
Three years, full-time, Liverpool or Manchester

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.
> Click here for job and person specifications and an application form
  PublicationsLabour Law Highlights 2017: £8
Edited by Rebecca Tuck
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.
> click here to read more and purchaseEurope, 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 purchaseThe 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 purchase8 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 copyTo unsubscribe, please contact sarah at ier.org.uk. 
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