Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says: “Today, we welcome the first House of Lords debate on historic legislation that will help bring to an end to years of low-paid and insecure employment which failed our economy, businesses and working people. The Employment Rights Bill will help secure economic growth by improving productivity after years of stagnation and stop rogue employers undercutting those who treat their staff properly, while giving workers security, respect and the decency of an income they can live on.
“Labour won the last election on the promise of change, after the Conservatives failed to grow our economy, didn’t protect workers in the cost of living crisis, and repeatedly attacked workers’ rights and trade unions. Today, we hope that Tory Peers do not follow their party’s MPs by voting against the Bill, clearly demonstrating that they haven’t heard the voters’ verdict on them. Surely, no Peer can possibly oppose the general principles of making work pay?
“Usdaw has long campaigned for a new deal for workers, and the Employment Rights Bill delivers on that. The Bill also builds on the action already taken by Labour in Government to change the remit of the Low Pay Commission, who are now required to take account of the cost of living when setting wage rates, and make progress towards ending rip-off youth rates. For the first time ever, there is the opportunity to have a genuine living wage for all adult workers that is legally enforceable.
“We will continue to engage with the Government as the Bill progresses, to make sure it delivers the much-needed change that our members and all workers need.”
The Employment Rights Bill includes measures that will:
- Ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and provide a right to a regular-hours contract.
- Make Statutory Sick Pay available from day one of absence and to all workers, regardless of income.
- Give day-one access to employment rights, including challenging an unfair dismissal.
- Require employers to protect staff from customer harassment.
- Give trade unions the right to access workplaces, to recruit and organise workers.
- Simplify the trade union recognition process to give workers a voice.
- Introduce statutory rights for workplace equalities representatives.
- Limit the use of fire and rehire.
- Create a fair-work agency to put enforcement of employment rights into a single body.
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
Employment Rights Bill: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3737
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion