[IER] Couriers in 'physical danger', vulnerable adults left unwashed, and rich men paying for silence

[Sarah Glenister]

IER News Brief 26/10/18Follow us on Twitter  
news brief
Friday 26th October 2018
As the subject of our email suggests, this week's news has made stark the gulf between the experiences of the rich versus the poor in the UK today.

While motorcycle couriers at The Doctors' Laboratory express fears for their physical safety following a high number of road accidents by staff working for as long as 10 hours a day, and a shocking new report finds that over a quarter of care workers are not allotted enough time to ensure service users are bathed, one of the country's richest men spent much of this week successfully barring the press from reporting on the alleged abuse of his staff.

Philip Green, Chairman of the Arcadia Group of retailers - which includes high street names like Topshop, Evans, Wallis and Miss Selfridge - faces claims from dozens of employees of racial and sexual harassment as well as a wider habit of bullying his staff.

The businessman's behaviour was investigated by The Telegraph for six months, but on Tuesday they were blocked from printing his name after he sought an injunction against them. This may come as no surprise to his alleged victims, who were also silenced, this time with non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and out-of-court settlements.

Yesterday, Labour's Lord Peter Hain used Parliamentary privilege to name Green, while Theresa May vowed to bring forward a consultation on the abuse of NDAs.

Elsewhere, more evidence of inequality - this time based on gender. An estimated 8,000 women went on strike in Glasgow on Tuesday and Wednesday to fight for equal pay. Watch Professor Ruth Dukes explain the law as it stands and how it should change; and read Jane Carolan's feature that goes into further detail on the issue.

It is clear that the UK remains a deeply unequal nation and that there is urgent need for reform. We believe that our recommendations for a new framework of labour law - authored by 26 leading lawyers and academics - are vital for providing a level playing field and for stamping down on the excesses of the rich, as well as their exploitation of the poor.

Through the re-establishment of a Ministry of Labour, the reinstatement of sectoral collective bargaining, and the abolition of systems and laws that seek to divide workers - such as the Trade Union Act 2016 and the separation of 'workers' from 'employees' in terms of who is eligible for which workers' rights - we must strengthen the voices of workers across the UK and rectify the imbalance of power that leads to such inequality in our society. 

Scroll down for even more news and comment from the IER, your chance to show your support for our Manifesto proposals, and information on forthcoming events and new publications. 
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 News and commentSupport the IER in its 30th Anniversary year 
This year we are celebrating our forthcoming 30th Anniversary 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. 
> click here to read full story Medical couriers 'in physical danger' due to poor working conditions 
Medical couriers report that poor working conditions are leaving them in serious danger on the road and injured workers are returning to duties too quickly because they cannot afford the time off. 
> click here to read full story NDA consultation to be brought forward after "leading businessman" covers up allegations of abuse 
Prime Minister Theresa May has told the House of Commons that her government will bring forward a consultation into non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and their use by employers after the Telegraph reported that a "leading businessman" had paid off employees accusing him of sexual and racial harassment in return for their silence. 
> click here to read full story One in four care workers have no time to bathe service users, shocking new research finds 
Over a quarter of care workers are not able to provide for the basic needs of service users because they are not given the time to do so, devastating new research has revealed. 
> click here to read full story Labour vows to help asylum seekers avoid modern slavery by allowing them to work legally 
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott has pledged to allow asylum seekers to work legally in the UK in order to help them avoid black economy abuses like modern slavery. 
> click here to read full story Police to take govt to court over pay 
The Police Federation has begun legal proceedings against the Home Office after the department failed to deliver the pay rise recommended by an independent body the set up to set wages for two years in a row. 
> click here to read full story COMMENT: Bellman – more on vicarious liability 
Paul Scholey and Tony Rippon of Morrish Solicitors give an update on the case law surroundig vicarious liability after an employer was held liable for a managing director punching an employee at a Christmas party. 
> click here to read full story COMMENT: Glasgow women’s strike: Why we need to change the law to tackle inequality 
Jane Carolan, former Chair of Unison NEC, explains equal pay for equal work laws and how they should change. 
> click here to read full story 
WATCH: Ruth Dukes on Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value  Events Liverpool: Employment Law Update 2018 
15 November 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
Unite the Union, Liverpool 
At this popular annual conference, leading lawyers, academics and trade unionists will discuss how employment law has developed over the year so far, how it can be expected to change in the future, and how workers can best be protected.
Speakers include Ian Hodson, Paul Scholey, Prof Alan Bogg, Neill Todd, Prof David Whyte, Catherine Hobby 
> 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 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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