Latest news with #workersRights
National Post
9 hours ago
- National Post
As Federal anti-scab legislation comes into force, Ontario workers are left out to dry
Article content TORONTO — The long awaited federal anti-scab legislation comes into force today, making it illegal for federally regulated employers to employ replacement workers, also known as scabs during a strike or lock out. While this milestone is a great step in the right direction for workers in Canada, it is cold comfort for the 25 striking members of CUPE 5525 at Villa Columbo in Toronto's West End. Article content Faced with poverty wages and poor working conditions, these workers took to the picket lines after two years of collective bargaining fell apart four weeks ago. Their employer, Villa Columbo, has completely disengaged from bargaining since the strike began after employing scab labour to try and replace the striking workers. Article content Article content The replacement workers come in late and lack the deep relationships and care that the residents of Villa Columbo have developed with their usual caretakers. Despite the reduction in quality of care, the employer is content to leave these workers on the picket line without a fair deal. Villa Charities boasts about their staff training at Villa Columbo in their 2023 annual report yet leave that talent and investment, unrecognized in their choice to hire scabs. Article content Striking workers continue to walk the picket line outside Villa Columbo Toronto. Villa Charities claim to value 'Compassion, Integrity, Transparency, Collaboration, Excellence, Respect and Diversity' on their website. So long as scabs fill the role of these brave workers at Villa Columbo, those will remain just words. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For more information, please contact: Article content Article content Article content
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Rayner's ‘jobs police' could intimidate political enemies, Lords warn
Angela Rayner's workers' rights overhaul risks creating an employment police force capable of intimidating political enemies, peers have warned. Lord Carter of Haslemere, a former general counsel to the Prime Minister, has claimed that new powers designed to give ministers the ability to search and arrest people for labour market offences could be abused. He said: 'Effectively, the Secretary of State will, through his or her enforcement officers, have his or her own employment rights police force to direct operationally in whatever way he or she chooses. 'This is in contrast, for example, to our regular police forces and the National Crime Agency, which are both operationally independent of the Home Secretary.' He is demanding that the so-called 'jobs police', which will be introduced as part of the Employment Rights Bill, 'enjoy complete operational independence from ministers and their advisers' to avoid politicians abusing their new powers. Lord Carter said: 'It is not impossible to imagine an unscrupulous Secretary of State requiring them to operate in a way that is not in the public interest and might even constitute an abuse of power, to target an unfriendly media organisation for political purposes or for some other wholly inappropriate purpose.' 'Real teeth' The former government lawyer is among a growing number of peers to have raised concerns about the planned strengthening of workers' rights in recent months as the House of Lords examines individual parts of Ms Rayner's Bill. The latest focus has been on the Fair Work Agency, which is set to become a new super regulator that will fold in several existing units. Current plans will see the new body have 'real teeth' to punish companies that treat staff badly or fall foul of the new rules. This means the agency will have the ability to inspect workplaces, levy fines or bring proceedings in the employment tribunal on a worker's behalf. While supporters argue that it will make the system less fragmented by combining several units into one, critics have raised fears that the new body could spook small business owners who don't have large legal teams. The package of reforms, spearheaded by Ms Rayner, includes handing staff full employment rights from the first day in a job and strengthening the power of unions in the workplace. Businesses could, for example, face thousands of pounds in penalties if they fail to tell staff in writing that they have a right to join a union. Addressing fears about the new enforcement body, Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, the business minister, argued that 'while the Secretary of State will set the overarching direction and priorities of the fair work agency through its enforcement strategies, they will not direct the day-to-day operation of staff'.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Rayner's workers' rights to ‘flood broken courts with spurious claims'
Britain's 'broken' employment tribunal system will be plunged into chaos by Angela Rayner's workers' rights plan as the courts struggle to clear a mounting backlog, business groups have warned. Official statistics show the logjam of employment tribunal claims brought by individual claimants jumped by 32pc in the year to March to 45,000 – as the number of new claims far outstripped those being settled. The Ministry of Justice also said an increasing number of tribunals were now being settled as claims continue to flood in. Craig Beaumont, executive director from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said the Deputy Prime Minister's pledge to strengthen worker and unions rights risked triggering an avalanche of additional tribunal claims. Labour's Employment Rights Bill will hand staff the right to take employers to tribunal for unfair dismissal from day one, instead of needing two years of employment before qualifying. In addition, tribunal claims can now also be brought without charge, after fees were scrapped following a 2017 Supreme Court ruling. Mr Beaumont said: 'The employment tribunal system was already swamped before this sustained surge in the backlog. 'With no extra resources allocated at the spending review, a broken system could be opened up by the Employment Rights Bill funnelling in spurious claims from day one of unfair dismissal. 'Facing a two-year wait, small employers will be pressured to settle to get rid of a vexatious claim even though they have done absolutely nothing wrong. Small businesses costs and stress are rising.' Mounting backlog It came as the FSB revealed that its legal advice line took a record 13,529 calls from bosses in the first three months of the year, up 10pc from 12,261 in the previous quarter. He noted that while Rachel Reeves had allocated £450m for the Courts service – including the Crown Court and the Criminal Courts – no money had been allocated to tribunal courts. The mounting backlog comes despite a pledge from ministers to review the current system to ensure it 'works better'. Employment tribunals are meant to be a last resort, but claims have surged over the past couple of years. At the same time, worries are mounting about the broader impact of the bill on growth and jobs at a time when they are already grappling with higher taxes that kicked in from April. Increases in employers' National Insurance (NI) contributions and the lowering of the threshold at which they are paid has already caused some companies – particularly in sectors such as retail and hospitality – to reduce hiring and investment, while some have cut swathes of jobs already. More than seven in 10 chiefs believe Ms Rayner's bill will have a negative impact on the British economy, a recent survey carried out by the Institute of Directors found. More than half said they would be less likely to hire new staff. Last month Rupert Soames, the president of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said it would make companies less willing to recruit people with 'spotty' CVs and those receiving benefits. A Government spokesman said: 'Through our Plan for Change, this Government is delivering the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation, which will improve workplace relations and reduce the need for tribunals and strike action. 'Under the previous government, strike action alone lost billions of pounds for the economy and saw more lost days of work than any year since the 1980s. 'We are working hard to reduce the outstanding Employment Tribunal caseload and improve productivity, including by diverting some cases away from tribunals and recruiting additional Judges.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pride organisers condemn political activity at event
Pride organisers have criticised political campaigning at an event where party activists were urged not to attend. Oxford's parade on 7 June was one of several UK Pride events that banned parties in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on gender. Organisers said they were particularly upset that Oxford Socialist Party illegally collected money for striking Birmingham bin workers. The party said it wanted to "raise the need for unity between the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the fight for workers' rights". In a statement, Oxford Pride said it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision of two political parties to attend. It said Oxford Socialist Party collected money without a council licence. It added that activists from the party reportedly made false claims that the money was for Pride. Oxford City Council confirmed it was investigating an official complaint. Oxford Socialist Party did not comment on the allegation of false claims when approached by the BBC. In a statement, it said: "Now is the time LGBTQ+ workers and young people need to deepen ties with other workers' struggles. "The extremely positive response to our presence and the solidarity shown by those attending the event towards the Birmingham bin workers shows that attempting to keep politics out of Pride does not represent the views of most of the LGBTQ+ community." In a Facebook post, the party said the bin strike collection raised £162.58. Oxford Pride said a second group, the Socialist Workers Party, handed out literature at the event. The party commented: "On the Saturday of the Oxford Pride march we continued [our] tradition of public engagement with a stall in Bonn Square which was supported by the passing public who stopped to sign our petitions against the Supreme Court ruling and another against more austerity cuts. "Two of our members were handing out flyers for a protest against planned attacks on disabled people. "At a time when the LGBT+ community is facing the most serious of political attacks from the far right we do not think silence is an option." Oxford Pride said it had wanted to create a "safe and non-partisan space" at the event. Other Pride events, in Birmingham, Brighton, London and Manchester, have previously said political parties would not be welcome until they demonstrated a "tangible commitment to trans rights". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Pride events ban political parties from attending UK Pride groups suspend involvement of political parties Birmingham Pride in political parties parade ban Oxford Pride
BBC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Oxford Pride organisers condemn political activity at event
Pride organisers have criticised political campaigning at an event where party activists were urged not to parade on 7 June was one of several UK Pride events that banned parties in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on said they were particularly upset that Oxford Socialist Party illegally collected money for striking Birmingham bin party said it wanted to "raise the need for unity between the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the fight for workers' rights". In a statement, Oxford Pride said it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision of two political parties to said Oxford Socialist Party collected money without a council added that activists from the party reportedly made false claims that the money was for City Council confirmed it was investigating an official Socialist Party did not comment on the allegation of false claims when approached by the a statement, it said: "Now is the time LGBTQ+ workers and young people need to deepen ties with other workers' struggles."The extremely positive response to our presence and the solidarity shown by those attending the event towards the Birmingham bin workers shows that attempting to keep politics out of Pride does not represent the views of most of the LGBTQ+ community."In a Facebook post, the party said the bin strike collection raised £162.58. Oxford Pride said a second group, the Socialist Workers Party, handed out literature at the party commented: "On the Saturday of the Oxford Pride march we continued [our] tradition of public engagement with a stall in Bonn Square which was supported by the passing public who stopped to sign our petitions against the Supreme Court ruling and another against more austerity cuts. "Two of our members were handing out flyers for a protest against planned attacks on disabled people. "At a time when the LGBT+ community is facing the most serious of political attacks from the far right we do not think silence is an option."Oxford Pride said it had wanted to create a "safe and non-partisan space" at the Pride events, in Birmingham, Brighton, London and Manchester, have previously said political parties would not be welcome until they demonstrated a "tangible commitment to trans rights". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
