The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has filed a claim for judicial review challenging the decision by the Central Arbitration Committee to not hear an application for trade union recognition for the purposes of collective bargaining on behalf of some of the University of London’s outsourced workers. Cordant Security provide the workers, but the IWGB claim that the University is in effect the employer because it “calls the shots” on pay, and terms and conditions. The IWGB argues that denying the outsourced workers the right to collectively bargain with the university, which is their de-facto employer, is a breach of article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. IWGB state that if successful, the test case would open the doors for workers throughout the UK to collectively bargain with their de-facto employer as well as their direct employer [the contractor], introducing the concept of a joint-employer to UK law.

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