On 28th March 2017 ROTA held its second seminar on employment rights. This was particularly poignant as Article 50 to exit the EU was triggered the next day. This government has done little, if anything at all to instil confidence that it will protect the rights of workers i.e. labour as opposed to protecting the interests of employers, in particular the rights of BAMER and migrant workers who are often the most vulnerable. In this context the seminar focused on raising awareness amongst voluntary and community sector organisations working with BAMER and migrant communities about existing employment / labour rights; how much of these rights are underpinned by EU law; are we at risk of losing hard fought for rights; and finally how to work in collaboration to ensure we protect and strengthen existing rights as well as working collectively to enforce them.
Guest Speakers included:
- Michael Reed – Principal Legal Officer, Employment (The Free Representation Unit)
- Nigel Mackay – Solicitor (Leigh Day Solicitors)
- Rosa Crawford – Policy Officer (Trades Union Congress)
- Hanna Reed- Employment Rights Policy Officer – (Trades Union Congress)
- Wilf Sullivan – Race Equality Officer (Trades Union Congress)
Speaker presentations available here: