
THE “lamentable” state of workplace rights in Britain is directly responsible for the devastating impact of Covid-19, panellists warned at a TUC fringe meeting on Monday night.
Professor Keith Ewing told the Institute of Employment Rights/Campaign for Trade Union Freedom meeting: “It is no coincidence that we have one of the worst health outcomes in the developed world and one of the most highly deregulated labour law systems.”
He said that coronavirus had exposed the failure of government to guarantee secure incomes, safe working or even the inspection and enforcement of what rights do exist, leading to “wage theft on an industrial scale” in the Leicester garment industry which also became a virus hotspot.

Morning Star editor BEN CHACKO reports from the start of Kunming’s Belt and Road media forum, where 200 journalists from 71 countries celebrated a new openness and optimism, forged by China’s enormous contribution to global development

Morning Star editor BEN CHACKO reports on TUC Congress discussions on how to confront the far right and rebuild the left’s appeal to workers