[IER] MPs accuse govt of dragging its feet on workers' rights

Fri Apr 20 15:03:34 BST 2018

IER News Brief 20/04/18Follow us on Twitter 
news brief
Friday 20th April 2018
For all its talk of being the new 'party for workers', the Conservative government stands accused of failing to act to improve matters for our 31 million-strong workforce.

MPs have criticised the Tories for a lack of motiviation to close the Gender Pay Gap or to improve circumstances for the substantial proportion of workers who are currently misclassified as 'self-employed'.

In the Commons earlier this week, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs pressed Women's Minister Victoria Atkins on how the government plans to proceed following the first Gender Pay Gap Reporting exercise.

It was highlighted in the debate that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has faced substantial cuts to its funding and may struggle to apply sanctions to the 10% of firms that failed to comply with a new law requiring them to report on their Gender Pay Gap by April 09.

Further, the MPs pointed out that an audit of the problem was not enough. The government must now compel employers to find solutions.

Elsewhere, the Chairs of two parliamentary select committees have spoken out against the government's slowness to take action on the problem of bogus self-employment. Rachel Reeves, Chair of the Business Committee, told the Guardian: "People in the everyday economy, from delivery drivers and warehouse workers to carers and retail staff, too often find themselves subject to levels of control and injustice from businesses who reap the benefits of this ultra-flexible business model without taking proper responsibility as employers.

"The government’s response to our committees’ work and the Taylor review is far too slow and ministers need to turn words into action and bring forward legislation urgently".

In our Manifesto for Labour Law, the Institute of Employment Rights recommends abolishing the three-tiered employment status system that separates the workforce into 'employee', 'worker' and 'self-employed', and replace it with a universal status of 'worker' that provides all those in employment with equal rights.

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 News and commentSupport the IER in its 30th Anniversary year
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> click here to read full storyVACANCY: PhD Studentship: Employment Rights and the Shareholder: Workers Rights vs ‘Owners’ Rights 
Applications are invited to undertake a full time three year PhD studentship starting in October 2018. Work with the IER, University of Liverpool and University of Manchester on an important new research project that explores the relationship between corporate law and labour law. 
> click here to read full storyMPs accuse government of dragging its feet on bogus self-employment 
The Chairs of the Work and Pensions (DWP) Select Committee and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee have criticised the lack of government action on bogus self-employment. 
> click here to read full storyInstitute of Employment Rights to launch in Scotland 
Labour movement think tank the Institute for Employment Rights (IER) is to open a Scotland division. 
> click here to read full storyMPs urge govt to take action on gender pay gap 
MPs have urged the government to take action on the gender pay gap after one in ten employers failed to comply with reporting rules. 
> click here to read full storyNearly 40% of 'apprenticeships' are bogus, analysis finds 
Employers are rebadging pre-existing low-paid jobs and training course as apprenticeships, thereby shifting the cost of upskilling to the government and dodging the minimum wage. 
> click here to read full storyWhere to find the IER this conference season 
If you're planning to attend your union conference this summer, be sure to look out for the Institute of Employment Rights and come and say hello! 
> click here to read full story
 IER Tineline 
Have you been keeping up with the IER's timeline? Use our interactive resource to take a tour through the reforms the Conservative government have made to trade union and employment rights; and the comments they let slip on their attitude to our rights at work. Click here to see the timeline   Events Liverpool: The Future of Labour Law: Progressive rights under a progressive government
10 May 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
Unite the Union, Liverpool
At this conference, key authors from our Manifesto for Labour Law team will guide delegates through our proposed reforms, the evidence behind them, and the benefits for workers, employers and the economy of reform.
Speakers include Prof Nicola Countouris, Prof David Whyte, Dr Aristea Koukiadaki, Prof Sonia McKay & John Hendy QC.
> click here to read more and book your placeLondon: The Future of Labour Law: Progressive rights under a progressive government
14 June 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
Unite the Union, London
At this conference, key authors from our Manifesto for Labour Law team will guide delegates through our proposed reforms, the evidence behind them, and the benefits for workers, employers and the economy of reform.
Speakers include Prof Nicola Countouris, Prof David Whyte, Dr Aristea Koukiadaki & John Hendy QC.
> click here to read more and book your place
  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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