Latest News
Committee warns against “unnecessary” British Bill of Rights
09 May 2016
The House of Lords’ EU Justice Committee today (09 May 2016) published a report on its inquiry into the government’s plans for a British Bill of Rights, warning that there is little justification for the change and that it poses a risk to the British constitution.
France fights neoliberalism as another half million take to the streets
04 May 2016
Millions of people have taken to the streets of French cities and towns to demonstrate against proposed laws that aim to decentralise collective bargaining, thus weakening trade union rights and dragging France into a pattern of increasing neoliberalism seen across the EU.
Lords accept weakened concessions on the Trade Union Bill
04 May 2016
The House of Lords yesterday accepted the government's amendments to the Trade Union Bill, allowing the Tory proposals to reach Royal Assent today.
How does TTIP leak square with government “mythbuster” on the deal?
03 May 2016
On 25 April 2016, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) released a TTIP "mythbuster" after a Freedom of Information request by Global Justice Now revealed the government's only risk assessment had warned that the risks of "investor protection" as part of the deal outweighed the benefits. However, a leak of the TTIP documents today by Greenpeace does not seem to square with the government's claims.
Blacklisted workers finally see some justice
03 May 2016
Workers blacklisted by construction firms for being members of trade unions finally saw some justice on Friday (29 April 2016), as major industry players were forced to fork over £250 million in compensation.
Commons weakens Lords concessions on Trade Union Bill
28 April 2016
The Trade Union Bill was returned to the House of Commons yesterday, where MPs voted on Conservative amendments to the Bill, which had been softened by the Lords.
Govt intends to reverse progress made in Lords on Trade Union Bill
26 April 2016
The Conservative Party has today released amendments to the Trade Union Bill that intend to reverse changes made by the Lords, including reintroducing a clause that would allow the Secretary of State to centrally control facility time in the public sector.
TTIP investor courts come with almost no benefit but a huge cost, says govt’s only risk assessment
25 April 2016
A Freedom of Information Access (FOIA) request by Global Justice Now has revealed the UK only secured one risk assessment with regards to the introduction of special investor courts as part of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and it found there was far more risk than benefit to the move.
CETA ‘would provide VIP service for investors while leaving workers out in the cold’
22 April 2016
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and European Trade Union Congress (ETUC) have released a joint statement calling for further amendments to be made to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) – a trade agreement between Canada and the EU – and have announced they will ask elected officials to reject the agreement if it is not opened for further debate.
Trade Union Bill Report Stage: how the Bill has changed
21 April 2016
Report Stage for the Trade Union Bill continued in the Lords yesterday (20 April 2016), at which the government agreed to retain check-off processes for members of public sector unions, representing a u-turn on their plans.
Today we provide a summary of other significant changes that have been made to the Trade Union Bill so far:
Check-off to stay after Lords win
20 April 2016
The check-off process of deducting trade union subscriptions from the wages of public sector members will not be scrapped in the Trade Union Bill as first proposed.
National ‘Living’ wage?
15 April 2016
The Conservative government's controversial "National living wage" came into effect on the 1st of April 2016. This changed the minimum wage from the previous £6.70, to the new rate of £7.20 an hour for workers over 25 years old. This is predicted by the Tory government to rise to £9.00 by 2020.
