Union leaders will press Keir Starmer to protect its workers’ rights reforms as a new poll shows even Tory voters back the plans.
Labour’s union backers will hold crunch talks with party chiefs on Tuesday over the “New Deal for Working People” amid fears the plan could be scaled back. The deal, first unveiled in 2021, promised to give all workers employment rights from their first day in a job and impose a ban on zero-hours contracts.
Research by Savanta found that Conservative voters backed key elements of the plan, including ‘the right to switch off’ (73%), increasing the national living wage (62%), ending fire and rehire (68%) and banning exploitative zero-hours contracts (65%). The survey of more than 2,000 UK adults found that a majority (55%) would choose better worker protections even if it slows down economic growth.
The ‘right to switch off’ outside of working hours is most popular among the wider public, backed by seven in ten voters (69%). Increasing the living wage was also well received (65%), followed by ending fire and hire (62%) and banning exploitative zero hours contracts (60%).
Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta, said: “Simply put, our research suggests the public really likes many of the policies underpinning Labour’s New Deal for Working People. It’s unsurprising that Labour supporters back better workers’ rights, but the fact that Conservative voters do as well suggests a level of near universal support for the New Deal.”
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It emerged last week that some workers would be able to stay on zero-hours contracts if they want, which critics have described as a loophole in the plans.
But Mr Hopkins said the figures show the public were realistic about the prospect of a catch-all ban on zero-hours contracts, and were more likely to support outlawing exploitative agreements. “Our research implies the public thinks there is a balance to be struck between flexibility for workers and employers, and stopping bad practice,” he said.
Almost all of Labour’s trade union backers endorsed the deal last year, and several general secretaries have spoken out in recent weeks to insist it must be delivered. Labour insiders insist that the reforms will be brought in as promised, in a way that works for businesses and workers. But a new version, handed to unions last week, was branded “unrecognisable” by Unite’s Sharon Graham, who has been a vocal critic of Keir Starmer.
A union source told the Mirror: “The New Deal for working people is incredibly important. Voters love it, Keir’s committed to it and said he’s going to strengthen it. We’re here to make that happen.”
Mr Starmer insisted there would be “no watering down” of the plans. “I’m absolutely committed to our new deal for working people,” he said after a meeting with Labour’s metro mayors in Wolverhampton. “This will be the biggest levelling up of workers’ rights in a generation, so there will be no watering down.”
:: Savanta interviewed 2,148 UK adults aged 18+ online on 26-28 April.