Unite Union, Labour, and Zero Hour Contracts

It is certainly not a new tactic: when a politic party makes a proposal with which the other parties are not too enamored they adopt a guilt by association posture. And so it was last week, fresh from the Labour Party launching its Business manifesto cracking down on zero hour contracts, the Tory cheerleaders at … Continue reading Unite Union, Labour, and Zero Hour Contracts →

Indirect Discrimination and Fixed Term Workers

A few weeks ago I made reference to the preamble of European Council Directive 1999/70/EC on fixed term appointments which states that the "parties to this agreement recognise that contracts of an indefinite duration are, and will continue to be, the general form of employment relationship between employers and workers." Likewise, the Civil Service Management … Continue reading Indirect Discrimination and Fixed Term Workers →

Trade Unions and Fixed Term Workers

The Fixed Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations are, undoubtedly, an important protection against unscrupulous employers.But a reading of the preamble to the Council Directive 1999/70/EC, the European Directive the UK regulations implement make clear that fixed term employment should not be seen as the norm. The parties to this agreement recognise that … Continue reading Trade Unions and Fixed Term Workers →

Civil Service Recruitment and Agency Worker Regulations

I have just been made aware of an interesting first tier tribunal decision that is becoming more and more of an issue for union members who are agency workers on long term contracts. Paragraph 13 of the Agency Worker Regulations 2010 states that 13.—(1) An agency worker has during an assignment the right to be … Continue reading Civil Service Recruitment and Agency Worker Regulations →