[IER] Policing Bill "oppressive and wrong"

[Sarah Glenister]

                            News brief - 02/07/21                                                                           View this email in your browser
                        


                            Policing Bill "oppressive and wrong"



        

                            The House of Commons' Joint Committee on Human Rights has called the government's Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Bill "oppressive and wrong".
Proposals made in the draft legislation include severe penalties, including 10 years in prison, for protestors caught "intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance". 
It gives new powers to police to restrict peaceful demonstrations, including the ability to interfere with their location, duration, size and noise levels.
The Commitee pointed out these proposals would disproportionately impact protests with the highest levels of public support.
"The government has served up confusion where clarity and precision is essential,” Committee Chair, Harriet Harman, said.
“Noisy protests are the exercises of the lungs of a healthy democracy. They should not be treated as an inconvenience by those in power. We are calling for the right to protest peacefully to be given explicit statutory protection.”
Meanwhile, a poll commissioned by human rights group Liberty found that two-thirds of the public would be concerned about any laws that restricted peaceful protest.Read full reportWATCH: Automation - negotiating a fair deal when technological improvements are made


            

            

        Featured publication


            

            

        Our Labour Law Highlights publication takes a stroll through the main judicial and statutory highlights of the previous year. In this case, the year under review will be for ever remembered as the Covid year.
The public health crisis and the ensuing lockdowns go someway to explaining the relative brevity of this year’s report: politicians were focused on the pandemic and keeping the economy turning, while the number of court cases was substantially reduced as courts – like many workplaces – adjusted to working on-line.
Covid-19 also helped expose some of the fundamental weaknesses in the UK’s employment law and our authors turn their legal eyes to a range of these issues including industrial action, redundancy, TUPE, whistleblowing and equalities.
Of particular interest this year is the question of the employment status of workers in the gig economy. Issues reflected upon include the exclusion of gig workers from the job retention scheme (furlough), whether gig workers should be covered by health and safety protections and, in a case that went all the way up to the Supreme Court, how the definition of ‘worker’ should be determined, the outcome of which decides who is entitled to the minimum wage, paid holidays and rest breaks.Read more
                                        
                                    

                            Low-cost advertising with the IERThe IER is proud to launch a programme of low-cost advertising to trade unions and the organisations that wish to reach them as a means of supporting our charitable aims.
For just £50, you can have your image in our newsletter, with a link to your website, campaign, event or service, and a coloured box of text - just like this - all about you.Read more



                    Probation renationalised, but that’s not enough to fix past mistakes, govt warnedThe national watchdog for probation has criticised Chris Grayling's ill-advised privatisation experiment and urged the government to fix it.Read full storyEVENT: Trade Unions, unemployment and workers’ rights



         7th July 2021 – 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
FREE
About this eventSuccessive governments have created and/or maintained a reserve army of unemployed workers. This economic manipulation is ideological in nature and seeks to hold down pay and conditions for workers. This is underpinned by duplicitous economic arguments about supply and demand, so that business owners and shareholders can award themselves more money. Workers suffer as a result, and the unemployed descend into destitution. This is bad for the economy, bad for workers and bad for public health.Join us at the next IER and Campaign for Trade Union Freedom joint event to discuss what can be done.SpeakersMartin Cavanagh, Deputy President of PCS and President of PCS DWP group, discussing Social Security – the need for a safety net and meaningful employment.Brett Sparkes, Unite the Union, talking on Community branch support and organising the community.Helen O’Connor, The People’s Assembly, speaking about the need for a People’s march for jobs.Tony Burke, CTUF, will discuss the present case for reducing working time for workers, with no loss of pay, to help prevent mass unemployment after the Covid-19 pandemic.Chaired by Carolyn Jones, IER DirectorBook your placeEVENT: Human rights and employment rights



         21 July 2021 – 7:00pm
FREE
About this eventHuman rights at work and the right to privacy are rising to the forefront of workers' concerns, with employers often taking advantage of weak laws to intrude further in to the personal lives of their staff. The employer intends to squeeze more out of its workforce and artificially boost productivity, but little or no thought is given to whether this is sustainable for the worker, their lifestyle, or their mental health.
This situation has been worsened by the increasing ubiquity of social media, with posts made by workers used as ammunition against them by bad employers both during recruitment, disciplinaries and dismissals.
Despite a human right to privacy within one's home, employers have been monitoring staff working remotely during the pandemic using technologies such as keystroke logging software, instant messaging applications, and webcams.
Other more broad implications for human rights arise out of potential infringements on human rights through exploitative clauses in trade deals.Join us to discuss these problems and potential solutions.SpeakersDr Philippa Collins, University of Bristol will be discussing The Human Right to privacy and the future of work.Professor Keith Ewing, IER President will be talking on Trade & Cooperation agreement & future of labour law.Josie Irwin, UNISON National Womens Officer is going to talk on Women, equality and working from home: Bargaining for the best homeworking arrangements.Chaired by Carolyn Jones, IER DirectorBook your placeEVENT: In Conversation: 'The Shadow of the Mine'



         29 July 2021 – 6:00 pm
FREE
About this eventNo one personified the age of industry more than the miners. A new book tells the story of King Coal in its heyday – and what happened to mining communities after the last pits closed. British politics now revolves around the coalfield constituencies that have lent their votes to the Conservatives. What will the future bring?
Come and join the conversation between the author and two giants of the labour movement.SpeakersProfessor Huw Beynon, Cardiff University and author of The Shadow of the MineProfessor Keith Ewing, IER PresidentLord John Hendy QC, IER Chair
Chaired by Carolyn Jones, IER DirectorBook your placeIER and Covid-19Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease and the need to keep our staff, supporters and speakers safe, IER is holding all events online until further notice.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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