Haldane Calls International Conference on Legal Rights for Women

With the requirement to pay a fee in order to lodge a claim at employment Tribunal, and the cuts to Legal Aid which formerly helped the poorest and most vulnerable in society seek justice through the court system, access to justice has been moved beyond the grasp of many, and women in particular are suffering. 

The Haldane Society of Lawyers has organised an international conference called Women Fighting Back. It will take place on Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th November 2015, at London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE10AA.

The conference will be relevant to both lawyers and those who are not legal practitioners, aiming to bring together those with common cause on questions of womens' rights.

The Society notes that in the UK the gender pay gap stands at 17%, with women on average earning £5000 less a year than male workers. The gap exceeds 20% where the woman is from a racial minority or if she has a disability.  The gender pay gap is even greater in part-time jobs, reaching a 42% difference in pay. Women workers are found mainly in precarious, low-paid and low-status jobs. 70% of those on the minimum wage are women and more women than men live in poverty, and cuts to benefits disproportionately affect women as benefits typically make up a fifth of women’s incomes, as opposed to a tenth of men’s incomes.

The conference will discuss strategies for fighting back to secure greater justice for women in the workplace and beyond.

For more information, email secretary@haldane.org, or visit the Haldane website.