News brief - 22/05/20 View this email in your browser
WATCH: Four experts on health and safety and equality during Covid-19
As part of an ongoing series of webinars hosted and supported by the Institute of Employment Rights during the lockdown, we have launched two new recordings of events held this week.
Many thanks to the hundreds of delegates who attended the sessions and keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook feeds for updates as to when the next free event will be held.
Below, we publish the recordings in full alongside additional information in feature articles authored by the speakers and their associates.
See all the IER's Coronavirus analysis in one place
Lord John Hendy QC: Govt has not told employers what their legal duties are during Covid-19
Speaking on a webinar hosted by the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom and supported by the institute of Employment Rights, IER Chair Lord John Hendy QC details the weaknesses of the government's approach to loosening the Covid-19 lockdown. The webinar - When is it right to stop the job - was held on Monday 18 May 2020.
No safety without the unions
In this article coauthored with Professor Keith Ewing, Lord Hendy warns that the government's weak approach to workers' rights now bodes poorly for a post-Brexit UK.
Read the full report
When is it right to stop the job?
Carolyn Jones, Director of the IER, argues that although statutory laws exist to protect workers, enforcement is weak, and it is trade unions who will best uphold health and safety rights.
Read the full report
Equality - it's a class issue
This webinar, held on 20 May 2020 by the independent think tank The Institute of Employment Rights, asks how we can build a more equal society from the lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Professor Lydia Hayes of the University of Kent discusses her team's research into the disadvantages faced by care workers and the intrinsic link between care quality and employment rights.
Dr Faiza Shaheen from Class think tank talks about her team's research into the fears working people have over their futures during Covid-19, with one fifth of workers saying they may face unemployment in the coming months due to a lack of long-term planning for the labour market after furlough. She also discusses the importance of recognising the working class as a multi-ethnic group following the emphasis on the 'white working class' during the 2019 election.
Roger McKenzie, Unison, discusses the hypocrisy of clapping for NHS workers while simultaneously rushing through an immigration bill that puts many of them at a significant disadvantage, as well as addressing the inequalities faced by black workers both before and during the pandemic.
Victory on government funding of sick pay for care workers: Some background and implications
Lydia Hayes says the government's promise to fund sick pay for care workers is a step towards recognising the intrinsic link between care quality and workers' rights.
Read the full report
Professor Hayes' report on sectoral collective bargaining in the care sector
Read more and get your copy
In case you missed it: Last week's seminar 'Health and Safety at Work - Stay Safe!'
IER and Covid-19
Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease and the need to keep our staff, supporters and speakers safe, IER have decided to postpone all forthcoming IER events and meetings until further notice, including both Health and safety at work after Brexit conferences in Liverpool and London, the IER Executive Committee, IER AGM and our joint event with the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom on 6th June.
IER staff will continue to work, but remotely from home. We will answer emails, produce publications and circulate our weekly News Briefs and other on-line information. However, phone calls to the office or mail sent by post will not receive immediate attention.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused and wish you all best wishes during this difficult time.
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