legal
Welsh conspiracy trial 1993 - European Counter Network
Article looking at the conviction of a Welsh nationalist over a letter-bombing campaign, following MI5 surveillance.
At the end of the a two month trial in Caernarfon, Wales, two men were acquitted of charges of conspiracy to cause explosions while a third, Sion Roberts was jailed for 12 years for possessing explosives and sending letter bombs. The Gwynedd 3 conspiracy trial was the outcome of the latest unsuccessful attempt by the British state to catch members of the Welsh nationalist Meibion Glyndwr.
After the Guildford Four - The Red Menace
Article examining the case of the Guildford 4 following their release in October 1989, and placing it in a broader context of state repression.
"Wrongfully convicted prisoners should stay in jail rather than be freed and risk a loss of public confidence in the law." (Lord Denning, 21/2/88)
"Prison is a killer- everything about it is designed to kill and destroy the human being." (Johnny Walker, one of the Birmingham 6)
Home Depot and the Farce of the "Manager" Title
A group of former Home Depot employees filed a class-action lawsuit against the company to win overtime pay.
It is common practice for companies to misclassify employees in order to be exempt from paying overtime. Employers are required to pay time-and-a-half to employees who work over 40 hours per week. However, those employees classified as "managers" are exempt from the overtime pay.
Visteon union convener not charged
It has been reported that Enfield Visteon plant Unite union convenor, who had to appear at the High Court today has not been charged with an offence.
A post on the Visteon support e-mail list stated:
France: transport workers protest against proposed minimum service law
The plan to introduce obliging workers to maintain a minimum service during public transport strikes has been taken as an attack on the right to strike by workers and unions.
There have also been strong indications that if the government can establish a minimum service law for the transport sector then it will be introduced for other public and private services. François Fillon, has stated that if the law works it should be altered to include: "other public services, notably education"
Sweden: European Court sets precedent on foreign workers
The European Advocate General, Paolo Mengozzi advised the European Court of Justice that companies should respect local pay and conditions when hiring foreign workers.
The case began in 2004 when a Lithuanian company, Laval, entered the building trade, winning a string of contracts in Sweden. The company, then best known for producing cake, based its strategy on the importation of cheap Latvian labour. Laval argued that as Sweden does not have a legal minimum wage this was entirely legal.
US labor law reform moves forward in Congress
The main labor law reform being pushed currently by the unions in the USA has just been approved by a vote of the US House of Representatives but Bush threatens to veto it.
The US House of Representatives passed 241 to 185 the "card check" bill that would amend the main labor law in the USA, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA is the main labor law covering most of the private sector but excluding railways, airlines, agriculture, domestic service, and the public sector.
Your rights at work
A detailed, clearly-written guide to your key rights in the workplace, and important employment laws in the UK.
Pay
National Minimum Wage
The National Minimum Wage applies to almost all people in employment over the age of 16. It is graduated according to age:
- 16-17 year olds: £3.30 per hour
- 18-21 year olds (and some trainees): £4.45 per hour
- 21 years and over: £5.35 per hour
Exceptions
The National Minimum Wage does not apply to:
- Those under the age of 16.
Court staff dispute escalates as solicitors strike
Court staff are refusing to work over the Christmas and New Year holidays as pressure builds for strike action over pay. Meanwhile wildcat strikes of solicitors have swept the country against reforms of the legal aid system.
David Hencke and Clare Dyer reported in The Guardian that festive rowdies could face being locked up in police cells for longer than they might wish over Christmas and new year following a decision by court ushers and security staff to refuse to work over the holiday period because of a pay claim.
France: Leaflet on 35 hour week, 2005 - Mouvement Communiste
Leaflet from Mouvement Communiste in which they argue that the new "Aubry" 35 hour working week law was not in fact a victory for workers but served above all to submit the work force even more to the imperatives of capital, and at lower costs.
