[IER] UK poverty is result of "social re-engineering", UN human rights expert says

Fri Nov 16 17:12:40 GMT 2018

IER News Brief 16/11/18Follow us on Twitter  
news brief
Friday 16th November 2018
Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur for Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, today published a scathing report that describes government policy as “social re-engineering” that has brought “great misery” to people across the UK.

The evidence suggests that austerity, and in particular reforms to the welfare state, were not driven by the stated goal of saving money but by a deliberate programme of "social re-engineering", he said, noting that austerity measures have in fact increased outgoings in many areas due to increased reliance on emergency services, mental health services and other responders to the crisis.

One in five people now live in poverty in the UK and 60% of these are in work, with one in six food bank users also in employment. Alston rejected the government's emphasis on high levels of employment as missing the point. ”Low wages, insecure jobs, and zero hour contracts mean that even at record unemployment there are still 14 million people in poverty,” he said, adding that “being in employment does not magically overcome poverty”.

The only bit of "good news" Alston was able to deliver was that he considers the root causes of the crisis to be "readily" solveable so long as there is the political will. He recommended that Brexit be used as an "opportunity" to "reimagine" the UK's social contract and build a fairer system than today's "punitive, mean-spirited, and often callous approach".

Indeed, the Institute of Employment Rights has long proposed that any break from the EU should be used to reform the framework of labour law that is keeping people on poverty wages.

In our Manifesto for Labour Law, 25 leading lawyers and academics recommend a shift in focus from individual rights to collective ones, based on strong evidence supporting the effectiveness of this approach across comparative economies.

Key proposals include estabslishing a Ministry of Labour, reinstating sectoral collective bargaining across the economy, introducing a universal status of 'worker' that provides all people in employment with the full suite of rights from day one, and replacing the National Minimum/Living Wages with a Real Living Wage that is guaranteed to cover basic living costs.

Together, these proposals - many of which have been adopted by the Labour Party - raise wages for those on the lowest incomes and provide workers with a democratic voice at work and in the economy at large.

Further, the Institute of Employment Rights is set to examine the UK's compliance with its international obligations, set by the United Nations' International Labour Organization (ILO).

As has been reported by successive UN Special Rapporteurs, the UK is not fulfilling its commitments, and is falling far short on the human rights principles it has ratified. 

This December, we will host a panel of leading experts at our London conference to celebrate 100 years of the ILO, and will use this occasion to analyse and debate the UK's commitments and how they can be met.

Bookings are now open for the event, but please note our recent conferences have become quickly oversubscribed so make sure to register before this one has sold out.

Read more about our recommendations for reform in the Manifesto for Labour Law 

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> click here to read full story UN human rights expert blasts UK govt for “social re-engineering” that has imposed “great misery” on British people 
Concluding his two-week visit to the UK, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Philip Alston, has published a scathing report that describes government policy as “social re-engineering” that has brought “great misery” to people across the UK. 
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VIDEO: GMB General Secretary Tim Roache sends the IER a Happy Birthday message on our 30th anniversary year  Events London: Celebrating ILO standards: how does Britain compare? 
05 December 2018 - 09:30 - 15:00
GMB, London 
At this conference, lawyers, academics and leading trade unionists will discuss and debate how we can ensure that the core fundamental principles for workers' rights, adopted by 187 member states 100 years ago, once again form the bedrock of a new, fair and progressive labour law agenda for a post-Brexit UK.
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> 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 
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> click here to read more and purchase 8 Good Reasons Why Adult Social Care Needs Sectoral Collective Bargaining: £8 
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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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