UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Sunday 20 May 2012

Con Dem Blitzkrieg on Employment Rights

The Sunday Telegraph reports that the Beecroft Report on ‘workplace deregulation’ - commissioned last year by Prime Minister David Cameron - will be published next week. The Tory donor and venture capitalist will make five key recommendations (see below) to his political masters:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/
jobs/9277441/David-Cameron-pushes-for-workplace-shake-up.html


- reducing the consultation period on large scale collective redundancies from 90 days to 30 days

- ­allowing employers to use economic reasons to impose redundancies in 5 days!

- weakening TUPE regulations to allow employers to harmonise workers’ employment rights after one year

- putting a cap on loss of earnings payments in Employment Tribunal remedies in the event of proven unfair dismissal etc

- changing the Equality Act to block third party harassment claims – removing liability from employers who have failed to protect workers from abuse

The draconian recommendations will evolve into an Employment Bill in the near future and, unless successfully challenged by the trade union and labour movement, will mark the first major rolling back of employment rights in the UK since the 1993 Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act:
http://www.ier.org.uk/resources/chronology-labour-law-1979-2008