Liberal-Conservative Government Attacks on Workers NewsNovember 2011
The Liberal-Conservative government is undertaking the most radical and wide ranging attack on workers, their families, the welfare state and the NHS seen in the last century. It is a work in progress and WorkRep will keep a regular record of this government's attacks as they develop. We have already seen manifold attacks, on benefits, on social services, on students and directly against working people in the workplace.
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| The emasculation of the employment tribunal system is the next stage on the road to a fundamental undermining of workers' rights and protections in Britain | 25/11/11 | |
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"the RCN says it has found evidence that 8% of qualified nursing jobs will be jettisoned under the trusts' plans and that patients' lives will be put at risk. "Dr Peter Carter, the union's chief executive and general secretary, said: "These figures reveal the deeply worrying acceleration in NHS post losses in recent months. It is only 18 months ago that we were concerned about losing around 5,000 NHS jobs.Now it is more than 10 times that figure. Cutting staff numbers by up to a quarter and axing a third of nursing posts will undoubtedly have a deep and potentially dangerous impact on patient care." The government denies these figures are accurate. |
20/11/2011 | |
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The Government intends to take the power to issue sick notes away from doctors. " As usual this attack on the weak is given a fig leaf by way of an 'independent review'. The review couches this in terms of 'helping' the sick back to work before they 'lose the will to work', i.e. as soon as possible and whatever the cost to their health. 'independent assessors' will be responsible for getting the sick back to work. |
20/11/11 | |
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Employers will often reveal to workers in unguarded moments the real reasons for their behaviour and then deny having made them in an employment tribunal. Sometimes a worker has recorded the comments and is able to thus prove his case. This evidence will soon be excluded from a judge's perusal (after a case is brought any admissions by employers are already excluded). The prime minister David Cameron has summed up for the radical Liberal Democrat - Conservative government the attacks on workers already envisaged.: "And when it comes to making it easier to employ people, we are going to get to grips with some of the rules and regulations designed to protect employees, but which are actually stopping people getting jobs in the first place."But if employers are so concerned about the prospect of being taken to tribunal that they don’t feel they can have frank conversations with their employees many companies just won’t feel able to create those jobs in the first place. "So we will be consulting on the introduction of protected conversations, so a boss and an employee feel able to sit down together and have a frank conversation – at either’s request. And we’re going to help address employers’ fears of a tribunal by increasing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from one year to two years from next April. "This means anyone taking on a new employee can now be confident that they have two years to get the relationship right, rather than just one. And if things aren’t working out then they can end the relationship without being sued for unfair dismissal. "We’re also proposing to introduce fees for individuals who want to bring cases to employment tribunals, meaning that potential claimants are much less likely to pursue this option unless the employer has a genuine case to answer. |
16/11/11 | |
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