6 Articles by:
Katie Barnes-Monaghan is an assistant editor at Thomson Reuters Practical Law.
On International Workers’ Memorial Day, we remember those at the frontline who lost their lives to the pandemic – and the protective measures, from liveable sick pay to PPE, which could have saved them.
Two-thirds of Britain’s 100,000 Covid-19 deaths have been disabled people – and it’s no surprise: left out of government guidance and denied liveable sick pay, disabled workers have been forced to face the pandemic alone.
Yesterday’s debate on the EU Working Time Directive confirmed the Tories’ hostility to even the most basic of workers’ rights – but it also proved that the Left needs to demand something better than the status quo.
The coronavirus has exposed Britain’s disgraceful lack of sick pay and employment rights. The government has been forced to act – but its measures are woefully insufficient and will leave millions forced to work even if they fall sick.
Britain’s workers now work longer than any others in the EU, as a century’s worth of progress on working hours unravels. The only way to reverse the trend is to strengthen workers’ rights.
Sexual harassment is widespread in British workplaces – but too few women feel they have avenues to fight back. Worker democracy could offer a way forward.