News Brief 26 / 07 / 13
In the news this week … This week has been a busy one for trade unions, unfortunately due to the potentially negative impacts of two important pieces of news.
First, the government has published its Transparency in Lobbying, Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill, which barely touches the rich individual lobbyists and donors suspected of swaying Conservative Party opinion on controversial issues, but hits trade unions hard.
Second, the decision on landmark TUPE case Alemo-Herron vs. Parkwood Leisure was announced yesterday, finding in favour of the employer- a disappointing and unexpected judgement for unions.
Elsewhere, bad news keeps rolling in on the wider economy and the impact of the Coalition ' s policies.
The TUC reported that Britain is currently facing its longest wages squeeze since the 1870s and The Fawcett Society warned of the government ' s assault on equality law in the run-up to the publication of the government ' s muchcriticised Public Sector Equality Duty review.
In a bizarre hope to gain the support of the working classes,
Conservative MP David Skelton – leader of new Tory group Renewal and former Deputy Director of hardline think-tank Policy Exchange – showed up at the Durham Miners ' Gala at the weekend, and waxed lyrical about the old mining town destroyed under Tory rule.
What have we learned from the Coalition Timeline so far?
Trade union rights
New Tory group aims at working classes( 16 / 07 / 13)
New Bill to hit trade unions hard( 17 / 07 / 13)
Click to see the timeline
Increasing vulnerability in the workplace
New Tory group aims at working classes( 16 / 07 / 13)