CTUF Regional Tour on Labour Law and Trade Union Freedoms under Attack
First Stop…. LIVERPOOL
Defeating the Politics of Austerity and attacks on Trade Union Rights organised and supported by IER, CLASS, CTUF, People’s Assembly, Morning Star
25th March 2015
6pm – 8pm, Free Rally
Adelphi Hotel
Liverpool
Speakers include Lynn Collins (NWTUC), John Hendy QC (IER/CTUF), Carolyn Jones (IER), Len McCluskey (UNITE), Tim Roach (CLASS), Matt Wrack (FBU),
plus a short You Tube Clip of John Hendy and Keith Ewing on the role of collective bargaining in ending austerity’s inequality,
which can be found here http://www.ier.org.uk/news/new-you-tube-clip-ewing-hendy
SCOTLAND
Defeating the Politics of Austerity and attacks on Trade Union Rights, organised and supported by People’s Assembly, Morning Star, Scottish Left Review, CTUF, IER, UNITE Scotland, RMT
OTLAND
STUC 118th Annual Congress
20th–22nd April 2015
Congress Fringe Meeting 2015
Tuesday 21st April, 12.30pm – 2pm
Ayr Race Course, Venue: Red Rum Roomf
e thics of Austerity /acks on our Trade Union Rights
Speakers: Mark Serwotka – General Secretary, PCS/CTUF Lilian Macer – Convenor, UNISON (Scotland)Rozanne Foyer – Regional Organiser, Unite (Scotland) Ben Chacko – Editor, Morning Star Chair: Phil McGarry (RMT) – Chair, People’s Assembly
* MORE REGIONAL MEETINGS TO FOLLOW………
SUPPORT THE RIGHT TO STRIKE
18 February 2015 was Global Day of Action for the Right to Strike – a right which is not enshrined in UK law.
The European Committee of Social Rights has stated that the UK is not in conformity with the Articles of the European Social Charter 1961 (which it has ratified) to a very significant extent in relation to the right to organise, the right to bargain collectively, the right to just conditions of work and the right to fair pay, amongst others.
Furthermore, the UK was the first country to ratify the International Labour Organisation Convention 87 but remains in breach in relation to the absence of the right to strike.
Virtually every country in the world recognises that workers have the right to take strike action. Unlike the UK, some 90 countries have it enshrined in their national constitution
Since June 2012, employers have been challenging the existence of an international right to strike and the authority of the United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO) and its supervisory mechanism. The increasing use of ILO jurisprudence at national and regional level, as well as in codes of conduct on business and human rights, shows the relevance and importance of ILO standards and the need for an effective ILO supervisory mechanism. This crisis is also intended to prevent national and regional courts from deriving a right to strike from international law.
In March 2015, the ILO Governing Body has to take a decision on the resolution of this conflict that has had a chilling effect on the ILO supervisory mechanism since 2012. If no agreement can be reached, workers demand a referral to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the matter, as foreseen in the ILO Constitution. Many governments support the demand of the labour movement to respect the ILO Constitution and to bring the case before the ICJ. But some are procrastinating. These governments and all groups of employers have to held accountable for their disrespect of international law and the crucial role of the ILO.
Not only is the right to strike under attack at an international level, but the UK faces a further threat from Tory plans to further restrict the ability of UK workers to go on strike.