News brief - 09/10/20 View this email in your browser
Unions rail against “disaster” of hospitality scheme
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced an expansion of the Job Support Scheme following calls to save the ailing hospitality sector, where half of the workforce remain on furlough and nearly one in four businesses fear collapse in the next three months.
The deal has been announced ahead of a statement by Boris Johnson on Monday (12 October 2020), in which the Prime Minister is expected to announce pub and restaurant closures in high-infection areas.
Sunak offered businesses that are legally required to close their doors - a large proportion of which are in the hospitality sector - cash grants of up to £3,000 per month to cover fixed costs and furlough their workers. Staff will receive 67% of their wages, which in the hospitality sector average at £8.84 per hour.
Unite the Union described the scheme as a “disaster”, pointing out that it does not solve any of the problems unions and employers have been pointing out for months. The TUC said it does nothing to support businesses in local lockdown areas that do not need to close but are still hit by a fall in trade.
Both Unite and the TUC agreed targeted, sector-specific schemes are urgently needed to protect vulnerable industries.
Unite put forth its own “rescue package” for the hospitality sector, calling on the government to retain workers on 80% of their wages whether they are furloughed or working shorter hours, and require employers to meet certains conditions in order to qualify for the scheme. These conditions include giving workers contracts that provide minimum and maximum hours of work and demonstratiing that public money has not been used to pay shareholders.
Read full report
COMMENT: Firing and Rehiring: An agenda for reform
As the Labour Party looks to outlaw the exploitative practice of 'firing and rehiring', Professor Alan Bogg suggests how best this can be achieved.
Read full report
Last chance to book for equality webinars
Equality at work update 2020: Part 1
13th October 2020 - 7pm-8pm
Leading lawyers and campaigners discuss the racial inequalities at work, which have been deepened and brought to light by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Register your place
Equality at work update 2020: Part 2
15th October 2020 - 7pm-8pm
Leading lawyers and campaigners discuss the gender pay gap and consider what reforms should be made to resolve this issue once and for all.
Register your place
Employment Law Update 2020: Part 1
24th November 2020 - 7pm-8pm
Leading lawyers and campaigners take a closer look at some of the dirtiest tactics of the pandemic, including fire and rehire, redundancies, and health and safety .
Register your place
Employment Law Update 2020: Part 2
26th November 2020 - 7pm-8pm
Leading lawyers, academics and campaigners update delegates as to the most significant cases going through the tribunal system and their wider impact on the protection of workers.
Register your place
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.
Copyright © 2020 Institute of Employment Rights, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website or signed up at an IER event.
Our mailing address is:
Institute of Employment Rights4th Floor Jack Jones House1 IslingtonLiverpool, Merseyside L3 8EG United KingdomAdd us to your address book
Unsubscribe using the instructions at the bottom of this email or in the .txt document attached. If you cannot find the instructions, please email sarah at ier.org.uk
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mailman.gn.apc.org/pipermail/ier-elist/attachments/20201009/3214779a/attachment-0001.html>