Usdaw warns the Government not to weaken the Employment Rights Act and deliver it in full

Addressing delegates, Joanne Thomas - Usdaw general secretary said: “The Employment Rights Act is not job done and the New Deal for Working People needs to be implemented in full and it must not be the end of our ambition when it comes to bringing power back to workers. That message is so important and it’s one that we all need to keep in mind, but let me start with some positives, because the Employment Rights Act really is a watershed moment for our movement.

“It shows why our links with the Party we created are so important and how it can be a force for good. Despite the worst efforts of Reform and the Tories, as well as the Lib Dems in the Lords, the Employment Rights Act made it through Parliament. It has already started making a difference, with Statutory Sick Pay from day one of absence, paternity and parental leave from day one and a decisive break from the hostile environment facing trade unions and workers by strengthening our right to strike.

“We knew there would be pushback from the right-wing media and from employers on these policies, of course there would be, but all too often the Government has failed to stand by its Plan to Make Work Pay and to make the case for it. It’s not difficult to make the case for it either, better productivity, more money in people’s pockets, improving the health and wellbeing of working people, making our society fairer for everyone. This is basic, common-sense stuff.

“The Government needs to stand strong against the scaremongering, stand by its policies and stand up for workers. Our new Labour leadership has brought new hope, something that we all needed so badly, but now we need to see that turned into action. So, let’s keep working together, let’s keep celebrating what we’ve achieved and most importantly, let’s keep pushing for bigger, better and bolder employment rights policy, and for a Labour Government that truly lives up to its name.”