A Twelve Point Plan for Labour, and A Manifesto for Labour Law

Abstract

This short article sets out A Twelve Point Plan for Labour, after a review of the pathbreaking Manifesto for Labour Law, written by a host of the most distinguished labour lawyers from Britain, Europe and the Commonwealth. The essence, which became official policy at the Labour Party Conference of 2016, is a call for sectoral collective bargaining, a matching right to collective action, a meaningful floor of rights fully enforced, a renewed Ministry of Labour and an autonomous appellate Labour Court. Building on this, 'A Twelve Point Plan', with aims increasingly shared across the international labour movement, is set forth. Ten (save F and L) can be won through collective bargaining right now, to renew democracy and social justice.

1. Automatic enrolment and all-out recruitment to trade unions. 2. Board representation by votes at work. 3. Councils at work elected with binding rights. 4. Dismissals must be deferrable by work councils. 5. Extension of collective agreements. 6. Full employment through fiscal, monetary and trade policy. 7. Gender and general equality. 8. Holidays progressively raised to half the year. 9. Investment funds for income insurance. 10. Jobholders must have all rights. 11. Knowledge economics: a right to education at work. 12. Labour Courts, Labour Ministry and Legislature reform.

Keywords: Manifesto, Labour Law, Democracy, Social Justice, Inequality, Codetermination, Work Councils, Full Employment, Institutional Investment

JEL Classification: E24, E22, F16, F66, J00, J16, J20, J26, J40, J50, J60, J70, J80, K11, K12, K22, K31, K33, K37, L12