European Union, Brexit – the future of workers’ rights

European Conference

The Programme (download PDF-file)

09h30 – 10h00 Opening:

•              ELDH/Haldane: Prof. Bill Bowring, ELDH President
•              Unite: N.N.

10h00 – 11h45

1.       The Future of Trade Union Rights, social rights (collective labour law, for a social Europe instead of a “social pillar):

  • Esther Lynch, Confederal Secretary of ETUC, Brussels: For a Pillar of enforceable and universal social rights
  • John Hendy QC, barrister, London (IER): The dilemma for trade union rights in Britain: caught between the EU and Free Trade Agreements
  • Lorenzo Fassina, Rome (Head of the legal office of CGIL): CGIL’s strategy for defending and increasing individual and collective rights in Italy
  • Marthe Corpet, CGT, Confederation Policy Advisor – International Department, Paris: Trade union rights in France under attack – CGT strategy

11h45 – 12h00 Coffee break

12h00 – 13h30

2.       How to create more security for workers  (concepts on national and European level for individual labour law for domestic and migrant workers)

  • Klaus Lörcher, Germany, former ETUC legal advisor, former Legal Secretary of the Civil Service Tribunal of the European Union: The role of the European Social Charter for the protection of (migrant) workers’ rights, in particular after Brexit
  • Ms. Dr Sanja Cukut Krilic, Research Fellow, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia: Insecurities and vulnerabilities of migrant and posted workers: the need for information provision
  • Sergey Saurin, Centre for Social and Labour Rights (CSLR), lawyer, Moscow: The impact of European labour standards on Russian labour law and enforcement practice

13h30 – 14h15 Lunch

14h15 – 16h00

3.       How to defend the rights of refugees and migrants. The impact of Brexit and EU policy.

  • Frances Webber, Institute of Race Relations: Brexit, refugees and the hostile environment
  • Lionel Crusoé, lawyer, Paris: The effect of Brexit on refugees and forced migrants
  • Karl Kopp, Director of European Affairs, PRO ASYL, Frankfurt/Main: Perspectives for the defence of Human Rights for Refugees in Europe. The impact of Brexit.
  • Alison Harvey, barrister, London: The trafficked and the new undocumented post Brexit

16h00 – 16h15 Coffee break

16h15 – 18h00

4.       European Democracy and human rights – between (Br)Exit and the rule of exception (How to develop European Democracy, how to fight non-democratic developments in EU states;):

  • Prof. Andreas Fisahn, Bielefeld: : The lack of democracy and the future of the union
  • Prof. Steve Peers, Essex
  • Dr. Marco Inglese, Faculty of Law, University of Fribourg, Switzerland: The European Citizens’ Initiative: an effective tool to boost democratic participation?
  • Julian Bild, Solicitor: Anti-trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit (speaking in a personal capacity): The EU: A help or hindrance?

18h00 – 18h30 Closing: Thomas Schmidt ELDH Secretary General

***

Accommodation, try:

https://www.imperialhotels.co.uk/en/

Hotels within walking distance of venue:

  • Premier Inn 1 Dukes Road WC1H 9PJ
  • Holiday Inn, Coram St WC1N 1HT
  • Best Western 6 Queen Square WC1N 3AT

Other information: The Conference Centre is close to Holborn Tube station(central line) and many buses

Registration: Dowload the registration form (PDF form)

with full name, address, email, profession

Registration fee:

50 GBP in cash – or 55 EURO to be transfered to the ELDH bank account

(free for trade union members, students, pensioners, jobless)

FREE LUNCH

Free Palestinian/Lebanese lunch included. Each person will have an individual meal, based on what they specified when registering. Please indicate by email before 6 November 2017. Please indicate by email on the registration form before 6th November which option you would like from the following:

  • Vegan
  • Chicken
  • Lamb
  • Vegetarian
  • and if you need a non-gluten meal or have any other food intolerance.

If you don’t specify you will be given a vegetarian meal.

Please transfer to the ELDH bank account (see below) or in cash at the conference

  • Beneficiary: EJDM e.V.,
  • Bank: Postbank AG, Dortmund, Germany
  • IBAN: DE78 4401 0046 0334 6974 62
  • BIC: PBNKDEFF440