Last week I was very proud to support the passage of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Commons.
This landmark legislation provides the biggest boost to workers rights in this country in a generation. It introduces new rights and stronger protections for thousands of working people in West Cumbria and fulfils a key manifesto promise.
Shamefully, Conservative and Reform MPs voted against the Bill.
The Conservatives oversaw more than a decade of stagnant wages – leaving many people worse off now than they were in 2010 – weakened protections for working people and fuelled hostility and confrontation leading to the worst period in industrial relations since the 1980s.
Labour was elected to end the Tory chaos and deliver for working people and that’s exactly what we are doing. Step one was to end the strikes and disruption and we did that quickly. Step two was the biggest cash boost we’ve ever seen to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, lifting the wages of thousands of the lowest paid working people in West Cumbria. Step three is this significant upgrade to the UK’s outdated employment laws. Together, the Government’s actions turn the page on an economy blighted by insecurity, poor productivity and low pay.
The Bill provides ‘Day 1 rights’ of employment, including protection from Unfair Dismissal, entitlement to Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave. Previously employees had to wait two years for these rights. An additional 1.5 million parents will benefit from making Unpaid Parental Leave a Day 1 right.
The Bill also bans exploitative zero hours contracts. Over 1 million people on zero hours contracts will benefit from the guaranteed hours policy, and up to 2.4 million workers overall could benefit from the new rights. These protections could help save workers in insecure work up to £600 a year, giving working people more money to spend in the local economy.
And I’m delighted to inform those who wrote to me about this that we are strengthening Statutory Sick Pay so that 1.3 million people on low wages who find themselves ill will receive sick pay for the first time.
The Bill also improves pay and conditions through Fair Pay Agreements, establishes Bereavement Leave and increases protection from sexual harassment, to name just a few of over 30 reforms!
Importantly, we’ve worked in partnership with business and trade unions to strike the right balance and make sure this is a plan that works for employees and businesses of all sizes.
With this Bill, the Government is calling a time on the Tories’ scorched earth approach to industrial relations. A new partnership of co-operation between trade unions, employers and government will ensure we benefit from more co-operation and less disruption.
Josh MacAlister MP 