Prime Minister hails gains from the Employment Rights Act – Usdaw welcomes the new deal for workers

Lee Barron MP asked: “For too long, many of my constituents in Corby and East Northamptonshire have not had access to good, secure, well-paid jobs. We made a commitment in our manifesto that we would change that. You cannot grow an economy based on insecure work when, from one week to the next, somebody doesn't know how many hours they’re going to work or how much money they'll be paid. Would the Prime Minister agree with me that all workers should have the hours that they actually work reflected in their contract? So that we can give all working people the security to plan their finances, the security to plan their lives and the security to build a future for themselves and their family.”

Keir Starmer responded: “I’m proud of this Labour Government delivering the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation. We are ending exploitative zero-hours contracts, ending unscrupulous fire and rehire practices, plus improving parental leave and sick pay. Workers will benefit from those rights in April, and they should never forget that Reform and the Tories opposed every single one of them.”

Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “It cannot be overstated how big a leap forward the Employment Rights Act will be for working people. This would not have happened without a Labour Government, but it absolutely would not have happened without the collective voice of working people that unions bring to the heart of the Labour Party. There’s so much in the Employment Rights Act that our movement can be proud of. The right for everyone to have a contract that reflects the hours they actually work, access to Statutory Sick Pay from the first day of illness and fairness for unions to give workers an effective voice in their workplace so we can negotiate and bargain for better pay and conditions for workers.
 
“As Lee Barron says, you cannot build a growing economy on insecure work. It's not just about banning zero-hours contracts, but taking action on short-hours contracts too. Too many workers in retail regularly work many more hours than they are contracted for, but without the security of a contract. That cannot be right. The Government needs to make sure that the new rights in the Act extend to every worker.

“The Employment Rights Act is not the end of the New Deal for Working People. There is vital work still to be done on implementation, and there are more groundbreaking policies to come, on equal pay, health and safety, surveillance and tech at work, and more – and we will be working hard to make sure those are delivered in full. The new deal is the union and Labour link in action. Labour campaigned on it, working people voted for it and together the movement delivered it. That’s a message of change we can take to the doorsteps with pride.”