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Yes to a Referendum? A Labour View by Bill Wedderburn

Few will have read the many pages of text contained in the declarations, protocols, annexes, commentary, official Foreign Office publications or House of Lords European Committee Reports relating to the Lisbon Treaty. Still fewer will have had an opportunity to compare the Lisbon Treaty texts with those of the draft Constitution rejected by the citizens of France and the Netherlands in 2005.

One person who has - Lord Wedderburn of Charlton, an ex-President of the Institute and author of many legal books and articles - sets out his informed opinion of the Lisbon Treaty and its likely constitutional effect on the UK in a timely new publication from the Institute.

Following the Irish No vote on the Lisbon Treaty, this publication and the authors arguments for a UK referendum are even more relevant.

Focusing specifically on issues likely to impact on UK workers, Wedderburn places the debate in the context of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the right to bargain and strike and the UK's so called "red lines".

He looks at the future role of the EU Court of Justice as extended under the Lisbon Treaty, with particular reference to the direction of the Court as reflected in the cases of Viking and Laval.

Purchase the book or read the press release

Seminar & Conference Papers

Since 2007 IER's seminar and conference papers have been made available via our website. This should make it easier for supporters to keep informed of developments in labour law. This section of the site will be updated regularly. Click here for a full list of papers available.

The Institute is governed by its members who meet once a year at the Annual General Meeting. The day to day affairs of the Institute are managed by the Officers and the Executive Committee who are elected at the AGM.

The Annual Report provides the AGM with an overview of the work undertaken in the previous 12 months. It highlights the publications produced, the events organised and the projects undertaken as well as providing a set of accounts for the year.

The Institute is happy to make its network of experts available to assist individual organisations with particular research projects.

Commissions undertaken in the past include:

• UCATT: To analyse the impact of bogus self-employment in the construction industry and its impact - both on the economy and on workers' rights. To suggest how the law could be improved.

• ASLEF: How to reintroduce an integrated system of industrial relations on the railways. Link

New Book

The Right to Strike: from the Trade Disputes Act 1906 to a Trade Union Freedom Bill 2007

What they said:

"This book is very timely as it marks the centenary of the Trade Disputes Act. Trade unionists need to continue to campaign for stronger union rights to protect and defend today’s workers."
Brendan Barber, General Secretary TUC

Labour Migration and Employment Rights

Labour Migration and Employment Rights edited by Bernard Ryan

Migrant workers often enter the UK in the hope of finding a better life – the truth is often far from that. Migrant workers are denied social benefits and are offered very little protection in terms of employment rights while the destitution faced by unemployed migrants makes them more vulnerable to unscrupulous employers.

The list of Trade Union Freedom Bill Sponsors continues to grow.

Below is the full list of Sponsors to date.

Trade Unions and Organisations

• Amicus Bracknell Branch
• Amicus London United Craft Branch
• Amicus Cambridgeshire Medical Branch
• Amicus Eastern Regional Council
• ASLEF
• ASLEF Head Office
• ASLEF Sheffield Midland Branch
• ASLEF Waterloo/Nine Elms Branch
• ATL The Education Union
• CWU Head Office
• CWU Darlington Branch
• CWU Eastern No 4 Branch
• CWU Essex Amalgamated Branch
• CWU S W No 1 Branch

IER Publications

The Institute publishes 6 books a year and two copies of the Journal, Federation News. Each publication is automatically circulated to our subscribers. Individuals can also purchase copies of the books.

As anyone who buys legal text books will know, all IER publications are priced at a very reasonable rate. Written by experts in the field, our publications provide top quality reading at affordable prices. Our aim is to disseminate our ideas throughout the labour movement.

pricing policy

Project description

This project examined public policy concerning labour migration from an employment rights perspective. the aim was to develop policy recommendations which recognise the legitimacy of labour migration. In addition it developed proposals to secure the effective application of labour rights and standards in a context of labour migration.