NW: Human rights at work – Can the European convention protect our rights?

Wednesday 1 February 2012

A one day conference
Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool
9.30am

Following the Conference

Despite the smaller than usual number of delegates, the conference offered plenty to think about. There was good interaction between speakers and audience,and plenty of opportunities for debate and discussion. David Whyte from Liverpool University opened the day with a look at corporate accountability and Human Rights including Ruggie. He was followed by Paul Draycott of Doughty Street Chambers who talked about successful cases where the Human Rights Act has been used to protect people’s rights, for example in unfair dismissal cases.

After the break, John Hendy QC spoke about how recent rulings at the European Court of Human Rights have helped to protect British workers’ right to take industrial action. He was followed by Mike Schwarz a leading solicitor on human rights and the right to protest. He gave some striking examples of how the Human Rights Act is being breached in relation to the right to privacy and the right to protest. After lunch Francesca West of Public Concern at Work gave a useful step by step guide to whistleblowing procedures and how to use the Public Interest Disclosure Act to protect whistelblowers and those people they are seeking to protect. The day was rounded off by Catrin Lewis from Garden Court Chambers who spoke about the use of the Human Rights Act in terms of protecting people against discrimination.

Available papers and presentations are shown below.

Speakers

John Hendy QC, Old Square Chambers
Industrial Action and Human Rights

David Whyte, University of Liverpool
International Developments in Human Rights and Corporate Responsibility

Paul Draycott, Doughty Street Chambers
Unfair Dismissal and the Human Rights Act: Cases and Precedents

Catrin Lewis, Garden Court Chambers
Challenging Discrimination

Mike Schwarz, Bindmans Solicitors
Latest Themes on Protest Law

Francesca West, Public Concern at Work
Whistleblowing – a right or a safeguard for the rights of others?

Prof Keith Ewing, Kings College London
Where Next for Human Rights?

Click here to download the full programme flyer