Through the passage of the Bill in the Lords, Tory and Lib Dem Peers voted to water down some of the key protections in the Employment Rights Bill, creating loopholes like:
• Turning a legal requirement for employers to offer guaranteed-hours contracts into a much weaker ‘right to request’.
• Letting employers off the hook for paying compensation for cancelled shifts, if just two days’ notice is given.
• Scrapping the new day-one right to protection from unfair dismissal.
Reform UK MPs have voted against the Bill at every turn, attempting to block:
• Protections against fire and rehire.
• A crackdown on exploitative zero-hours contracts.
• Flexible working and family-friendly rights.
• A new enforcement agency to crack down on bad employers.
• More say at work so unions can raise pay and improve conditions.
Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “Today the Tories and Lib Dems should end their opposition to the Government delivering a new deal for workers through the historic Employment Rights Bill, which seeks to stop rogue employers using poor employment practices to undercut those who treat their staff properly. Across the UK economy, insecure work is a major issue and there is clearly a need to legislate.
“During last year’s election, people voted for a clear plan to improve workers’ rights and all politicians must respect the outcome of that vote. The Reform mask has slipped to show they are no friend of working people, it is shocking that the Lib Dems are slipping back to the disastrous coalition days, but it is no surprise that the Tories continue their anti-worker and anti-union prejudice.”
Yesterday, an Usdaw member and supermarket worker from London presented an open letter to the Prime Minister, organised by the TUC and signed by tens of thousands of workers, which calls for Labour to ensure the Employment Rights Bill is passed in full. Finnola says: “This Bill is so important to me. A few years ago, I was verbally abused by a customer when I asked if he needed assistance. He started shouting racist remarks at me and he threatened to go after my children. I felt so scared, my legs were shaking. The next day I wanted to stay at home, my mental health was in a terrible place, but as a single parent reliant on Statutory Sick Pay, I couldn’t afford to lose a day of pay. This is why the Employment Rights Bill is so important. It will increase the responsibility for employers to protect workers like me from harassment and it will mean all workers will have access to sick pay from day one.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion