Europe and your rights at work

Stephen Hughes and David Lea, TUC publications, paperback, 53 pages, £5 (hard copy) or free from www.tuc.org.uk/extras/europerights.pdf

Offering a robust argument in favour of the European Union (EU), this pamphlet is likely to provoke a debate within the trade union movement.

The authors believe that many advances in workplace rights would not have become law in the UK if it were not for the EU. They highlight 12 key rights emanating from Europe, including laws on sex discrimination, transfers of undertakings (TUPE), health and safety, equal treatment for part-time workers and limits on working time.

They go on to argue that the best defence against the negative effects of globalisation come from being part of a social Europe. Not everyone in the labour movement will agree with the book's conclusions, but it provides the arguments for a necessary debate.