MPs are furious at attempts by unelected Tory and Lib Dem peers to block the flagship Employment Rights Bill, which risks delaying vital protections for millions of workers
Angela Rayner is leading a backbench push to speed up workers rights reforms after fury at attempts by unelected peers to block the bill.
The Government watered down its manifesto commitment to provide day one protections from unfair dismissal last week amid fears the Employment Rights Bill wouldn’t pass before Christmas. The qualifying period will now kick in after six months – down from the existing two-years – after negotiations between unions and business leaders.
The former Deputy Prime Minister, who spearheaded the bill, is expected to lay an amendment so the new qualifying period comes into force next year, rather than in 2027.
It will also include measures to ensure workers on zero hours contracts or variable hours contracts are not locked out of new rights, and would introduce fines for employers who illegally deny unions the opportunity to talk with workers.
READ MORE: Minister defends watering down Angela Rayner’s flagship Bill amid backlashREAD MORE: Government waters down landmark workers’ rights bill in U-turn
Ms Rayner has been working with former Employment Minister Justin Madders and other MPs to shore up the bill amid anger over stalling by Tory and Lib Dem peers. One Labour MP involved in the discussions said: “This can’t be the thin of the wedge and we won’t let it be.
“Not only can there be no more watering down, but there is now growing appetite on the Labour benches to go further and faster in delivering tangible rights at work that people can feel in their day-to-day lives. We’re drawing a line in the sand.”
Another MP said: “Even with last week’s changes, reducing the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from 24 months to 6 would benefit millions of working people with greater security at work.
“Why should they have to wait until 2027 for better protections? There’s nothing now stopping the government from delivering at pace.”
Union leaders have been pragmatic, and are prioritising getting the legislation on the statue books so rights can kick in from April as promised. But some Labour MPs have expressed anger about the changes.
Last week, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson warned there had been a “very real prospect” the reforms would not be in place by April as promised without the U-turn.
She insisted it was not a breach of Labour’s manifesto, saying: “In the manifesto, what we said was that we would work with trade unions, with business, with civil society, in consulting on those protections that we’d be bringing forward.”