The Institute of Employment Rights

10/06/2026

We’ve been at Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union - BFAWU conference in Staffordshire this week & it was great to be joined by our Chair, Lord John Hendy KC remotely, to talk to delegates about some of the gaps in the Employment Rights Act & what’s needed to plug them.

08/06/2026

New research suggests a 4-day (32 hour) work week with no loss of pay would improve health, wellbeing and long-term employment sustainability for disabled workers.

New research suggests a 4-day work week would result in a significant improvement to disabled peoples’ inclusion at work Switching to a 32-hour working week with no loss of pay would improve health, wellbeing and long-term employment sustainability for disabled workers. 8 Jun 2026| News Photo cred...

08/06/2026

Up bright and early for day one of the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union - BFAWU annual conference in Yarnfield! As usual, our latest research and briefings are here for browsing between sessions. We are looking forward to meeting many of you over the course of the conference

03/06/2026

Unions want commitments on jobs, pay & outsourcing, as train companies transfer to public ownership.

GTR – which includes Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express, transferred into public ownership as of Sunday 31st May:

Unions want commitments on jobs, pay & outsourcing, as train companies transfer to public ownership GTR – which includes Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express, transferred into public ownership as of Sunday 31st May. 1 Jun 2026| News Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR) which includ...

01/06/2026

National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) calls for insourcing of all railway staff following GTR nationalisation

Rail union demands all Govia Thameslink Railway staff be brought into direct employment. General secretary Eddie Dempsey said:

“We want to see all our members on the railway receive the same benefits of public ownership and this includes outsourced workers.

The Labour government needs to follow through on its commitment to undertake a mass wave of insourcing.

Railway workers in outsourced companies work just as hard and contribute just as much to public transport as those directly employed.

Across our union, thousands of outsourced workers are growing increasingly frustrated at having poorer wages, no sick pay and being treated as if they are a second-class workforce.

RMT will industrially and politically maintain pressure on the government until it fulfils its obligations to our members.”

RMT calls for insourcing of all railway staff following GTR nationalisation Rail union demands all Govia Thameslink Railway staff be brought into direct employment 1 Jun 2026| News Rail union RMT, demands all Govia Thameslink Railway staff be brought into direct employment after the train company be...

01/06/2026

PCS Union calls on the NI Executive to move forward with the Bill. At the power-sharing Executive meeting on last Thurs, the DUP blocked the bill, preventing it from going to the floor of the NI Assembly as an agreed Executive Bill, for debate:

PCS calls on the NI Executive to move forward with the Good Jobs Bill The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) blocked the bill, preventing it from going to the floor of the NI Assembly as an agreed Executive Bill, for debate 29 May 2026| News PCS has called on the Northern Ireland Executive to move forw...

29/05/2026

UK trade union membership rises to 6.6m - an increase of 192,000 in 2025. Although a far cry from 1979, when membership peaked at 13.2m, this modest increase will be seen as a sign of renewed interest in trade unions in difficult economic times.

UK Trade union membership rises to 6.6 million Union membership numbers rise by 192,000 in 2025 29 May 2026| News Union membership rose by 192,000 to 6.6 million in 2025. Union membership among public sector workers is at its highest level in 15 years. The number of public sector worker belonging to...

22/05/2026

The Zero Hours Provisions of the Employment Rights Act: Diversionary Tactics?

The provisions do not - and do not even purport to - guarantee workers a reasonable working schedule argues Zoe Adams of King's College, Cambridge:

The Zero Hours Provisions of the Employment Rights Act: Diversionary Tactics? The provisions do not - and do not even purport to - guarantee workers a reasonable working schedule. 22 May 2026|Comment Zoe Adams Official Fellow in Law and Admissions Tutor, King's College, Cambridge In 2015, the first....

21/05/2026

Unfair dismissal claims face five-year delay as tribunal backlog grows:

Unprecedented employment tribunal service delays in England and Wales mean people bringing unfair dismissal claims are waiting up to five years for their case to be heard: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp9pj2pk2j7o

On Tuesday, the Work Rights Centre published a brand new report, ‘Employment Tribunals in crisis: The blind spot in the ‘New Deal for Working People’. Our Chair, John Hendy KC, spoke at the launch. Please have a read of this comprehensive & important document: https://www.workrightscentre.org/publications/2026/employment-tribunals-in-crisis-the-blind-spot-in-the-new-deal-for-working-people/