Southern rail operator appeals to supreme court to block drivers’ strikes – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2017 in appeals, EC law, industrial action, news, railways, Supreme Court, trade unions, transport by tracey

‘Govia Thameslink Railway is taking a legal case against drivers’ union Aslef to the supreme court over its industrial action on Southern rail.’

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The Guardian, 11th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court rejects bid to halt Southern train drivers’ industrial action – The Guardian

Posted December 9th, 2016 in EC law, industrial action, news, railways, trade unions by sally

‘The high court has rejected an attempt by the owners of Southern rail to prevent train drivers from taking industrial action.’

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The Guardian, 8th December 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Care workers sue council contractor in minimum wage battle – BBC News

Posted September 14th, 2016 in care workers, employment tribunals, local government, minimum wage, news, trade unions by tracey

‘Seventeen care workers are alleging failure to be paid the minimum wage in the sector’s biggest ever legal claim.’

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BBC News, 14th September 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Workers’ rights must not be bartered away in Brexit negotiations – The Guardian

Posted July 27th, 2016 in brexit, EC law, employment, news, referendums, statistics, trade unions by sally

‘Unions warned workers might pay the price for leaving the EU. The government must not invoke article 50 until it has negotiated a secure future for them ‘

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The Guardian, 26th July 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Cavanagh and others v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions – WLR Daily

Cavanagh and others v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2016] EWHC 1136 (QB)

The first and second claimant employees were, it was assumed for present purposes, employed by the defendant employer under civil service terms and conditions and various collective agreements. Under “check-off arrangements” in the employer’s deductions from pay policy, the employees had opted for their subscriptions to the third claimant trade union to be paid by deduction from their salary and paid by the employer to the union. Latterly the check-off arrangements had been included in the employer’s salary policy published on the staff intranet. When the employer ended the check-off arrangements, the claimants brought a claim against it, contending that the employees had a contractual right to insist that the employer continue with the arrangement enforceable by the trade union under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

WLR Daily, 13th May 2016

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Filling the void: the Brexit effect on employment law – OUP Blog

‘Having been cast as unnecessary “red tape”, a burden on business, inflexible, uncompetitive and inefficient, it is widely assumed that a sizeable number of domestic employment laws derived from European Law will be in the firing line in the event of a Brexit. In a well-publicised written opinion produced for the TUC, the leading labour law barrister, Michael Ford QC, has provided some support for this assumption. He noted the vulnerability of these EU-derived employment rights and labour laws, and divided and categorised them according to whether a future UK government would be likely to repeal, dilute or preserve them. In this blog, I will probe what might fill any void created by the removal of employment rights rooted in EU law. Surprisingly, the common law would appear to have as significant a role to play as domestic legislation in this context. The potential involvement of the common law is somewhat paradoxical, particularly in light of its perceived ‘undemocratic’ credentials, it being a source of law crafted incrementally by unelected judges.’

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OUP Blog, 7th June 2016

Source: www.blog.oup.com

Theresa May agrees to review of snooper’s charter powers – The Guardian

‘Labour has edged closer to supporting the “snooper’s charter” after the home secretary, Theresa May, agreed to order an independent review of proposed state surveillance powers.’

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The Guardian, 24th May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Construction firms apologise in court over blacklist – The Guardian

Posted May 12th, 2016 in compensation, construction industry, damages, employment, news, trade unions by sally

‘Leading construction firms have formally apologised to hundreds of trade unionists for putting them on an illegal blacklist and denying them work.’

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The Guardian, 11th May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Blacklisted workers win £10m payout from construction firms – The Guardian

‘About £10m will be paid in compensation to more than 250 building workers who were “blacklisted” by some of Britain’s biggest construction firms under a settlement to be announced on Monday.’

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The Guardian, 9th May 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New Acts – legislation.gov.uk

Posted May 6th, 2016 in banking, financial regulation, legislation, trade unions by tracey

Trade Union Act 2016

Bank of England and Financial Services Act 2016

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

An absence of fairness: the Trade Union Bill – OUP Blog

Posted April 5th, 2016 in bills, industrial action, news, reports, trade unions, United Nations by sally

‘According to Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Trade Union Bill currently before Parliament is “not a ban on strike action. This is about ensuring that our rules are modern and right and fit for today’s workplace”. As the Bill progresses through the House of Lords, Mr Javid’s rosy view has been challenged by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN supervisory body responsible for scrutiny of compliance with international labour standards.’

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OUP Blog, 5th April 2016

Source: http://blog.oup.com

Peers defeat trade union funding reforms – BBC News

Posted March 17th, 2016 in bills, news, parliament, political parties, trade unions by tracey

‘The government has been heavily defeated in the House of Lords over trade union reforms Labour fears will cost it millions of pounds in funding. Ministers want to require Labour-affiliated union members to “opt in” to paying a levy to the party. But peers voted by 320 to 172 to apply the changes to new members only and with a 12-month transition period.’

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BBC News, 16th March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government seeks High Court ban on sixth-form strike plan – BBC News

Posted March 14th, 2016 in budgets, education, industrial action, news, statistics, teachers, trade unions by sally

‘Strike plans by sixth-form college teachers are “unlawful”, the government will argue in the High Court later.’

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BBC News, 14th March 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

TTIP deal poses ‘real and serious risk’ to NHS, says leading QC – The Guardian

Posted February 22nd, 2016 in contracting out, doctors, hospitals, news, public interest, trade unions by sally

‘The controversial transatlantic trade deal set to be agreed this year would mean that privatisation of elements of the NHS could be made irreversible for future governments wanting to restore services to public hands, according to a new legal analysis.’

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The Guardian, 22nd February 2016

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The dirty tricks of the Shrewsbury trials expose the dark heart of the radical 1970s – The Guardian

Posted December 8th, 2015 in conspiracy, construction industry, intimidation, media, news, trade unions, trials by sally

‘The trials of 24 trade unionists, including Ricky Tomlinson, seem to have been unduly influenced by Edward Heath. The more we learn about that decade, the more its injustices will haunt us.’

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The Guardian, 7th December 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Employment tribunal fees ‘may put off claimants’ – BBC News

‘The father of three sisters who brought employment claims against an award-winning chef has said tribunal fees could put people off filing a dispute.’

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BBC News, 9th November 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Solicitor expelled from profession for lying about ‘progress’ of cases that had actually been struck out – Legal Futures

‘A solicitor who deceived his firm and his clients for 13 months into thinking that he was pursuing their group employment tribunal (ET) claims, when in fact they had been struck out because of his inactivity, has been removed from the profession.’

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Legal Futures, 14th October 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

NUS begins legal action to prevent government scrapping maintenance grants – The Guardian

Posted September 25th, 2015 in budgets, education, equality, loans, news, trade unions, universities by sally

‘The National Union of Students has begun legal action to prevent the government scrapping maintenance grants.’

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The Guardian, 23rd September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Unison) v Lord Chancellor, (Equality and Human Rights Commission intervening) (Nos 1 and 2) – WLR Daily

Regina (Unison) v Lord Chancellor, (Equality and Human Rights Commission intervening)(Nos 1 and 2)[2015] EWCA Civ 935; [2015] WLR (D) 370

‘The Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal Fees Order 2013 whereby fees were payable by a claimant or appellant on the commencement of a claim or an appeal and also in advance of the final hearing unless they were entitled to a remission on account of limited means was lawful and not discriminatory.’

WLR Daily, 26th August 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Striking workers may have to identify themselves to police, carry a letter of authorisation and wear an armband under proposed reforms – The Independent

‘Every worker wanting to join a strike picket could be forced to identify themselves to police, carry a letter of authorisation and wear an armband, under proposed reforms to trade union laws that could be in breach of international agreements, human rights groups have warned.’

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The Independent, 6th September 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk