In the Lords third reading debate, the Tories showed their true colours by describing measures set to improve workers’ rights as a “terrible bill” and, along with the Lib Dems, stuck by their attempts to water down some of the key protections by 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.
Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “It was deeply disappointing that the Lib Dems and Tories combined in seeking to undermine the Government’s efforts to deliver a new deal for workers through the historic Employment Rights Bill. We welcome Bridget Phillipson, speaking for the Government at last week’s Trades Union Congress, committing to defend the Bill from these unwarranted attacks by rejecting the amendments when it comes back to the House of Commons.
“Making work pay and more secure was clearly a key part of Labour’s manifesto, which was overwhelmingly supported by voters in last year’s landslide general election win. It ill becomes the Tories and Lib Dems to go against the expressed will of the people.
“Across the UK economy, insecure work is a major issue and there is clearly a need to legislate. One in eight workers are in precarious employment and that has risen by one million since 2011. Living standards have fallen quite significantly and the impact on our members is significant.
“We hope that Lib Dem MPs, along with all MPs and Lords, will listen to our members’ concerns, do the right thing and stop undermining the vital changes in the Bill that will help bring fairness and security for workers, particularly for those currently on zero and short hours contracts.”
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
Employment Rights Bill: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3737
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion