IWGB takes rights claim to European court

Workers at the University of London submitted a claim to the European Court of Human Rights yesterday, arguing Britain’s trade union laws violate the Human Rights Convention.

University porter Henry Chango Lopez and the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) believe a flaw in the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 prevents some workers from bargaining with their employers.

The IWGB identified five institutions where the union is blocked from representing its members because only TUC-affiliated unions are recognised.

Among them are the Royal College of Art, the Royal College of Music and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The workers’ barrister John Hendy QC said: “This application highlights both the inadequacy of the statutory recognition procedure in the UK and the UK’s ongoing failure to fulfil its obligations under international treaties it has ratified.”