'This sleight of hand—one that Ministers hoped no one would notice—shows exactly why we can’t trust this Government when it comes to our rights at work,' GMB General Secretary Tim Roache said.
One of Britain's biggest trade unions has accused Prime Minister Theresa May's government of trying to quietly"water down" its commitment to protecting workers' rights in its Brexit withdrawal agreement with the European Union.
"The language was modified substantially from, 'continued adherence to the ECHR' to 'continued commitment to respect the framework of the ECHR' ." "That commitment to rights in the draft was watered down in [May's] final Political Declaration on 22 November to 'continued commitment to respect the framework of the ECHR'."
Specifically, the sub-committee asked:"What accounts for these drafting changes and what do they mean in practice? Does the Government intend to bring forward plans to break the formal link between the UK courts and the European Court of Human Rights after Brexit?" "Currently, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights provides an internationally binding backstop on human and workers' rights that is enforceable at the European Court of Justice, an avenue of redress that has proved effective for trade unions and civil society campaigns," GMB said."The Prime Minister is proposing to trade an internationally binding backstop for a paper-thin commitment that could be repealed by a future Parliament.
The assessment, drafted by Aidan O'Neill QC, an expert in European law, warns that May's plan offers no commitment to ensuring that the UK matches future EU standards and that MPs cannot force future parliaments to deliver such a promise. "Workers, and in particular the precarious workers the IWGB represents, need the full protection of the EU employment law," he said."The PM's half-hearted proposals don't come anywhere near that protection."
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