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: “It is deeply disappointing and frankly shameful that the Tories, Lib Dems and Reform are undermining the Government’s efforts to deliver a new deal for workers through the historic Employment Rights Bill. They are seeking to give employees free rein to unfairly dismiss workers, cancel shifts without notice and exploit workers on a zero- or short-hours contract. That would be a charter for rogue employers, who use 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. The number of workers on insecure contracts has risen by one million since 2011, meaning that now one in eight workers are in precarious employment. Living standards have fallen and the impact on our members is significant. 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 disaster coalition days, but it is no surprise that the Tories continue their anti-worker and anti-union prejudice.
“We urge the Government to defend the Bill from these unwarranted attacks by rejecting the Lords’ amendments when it comes back to the House of Commons. Making work 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, Lib Dems and Reform to go against the expressed will of the people. Labour is delivering the change we voted for.”
Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister, said: “Tory and Lib Dem peers, cheered on by Reform, are doing everything they can to block the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. They want to undermine our new rights for millions of workers, and we won’t let them. The Government was elected with a clear manifesto commitment to Make Work Pay and that is exactly what we will do. That’s why our landmark Employment Rights Bill will deliver these new rights for more than 15 million workers in the UK as part of our Plan for Change.”
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