Unions Make Work Pay
More than four million people are in precarious employment. Over one million are employed on zero hours contracts. Millions don’t have access to proper sick pay schemes. Rogue employers like P&O Ferries sacked hundreds of staff on the spot without facing any consequences. Amazon used every dirty trick in the book to stop its workers from organising in a trade union. And wage growth during the Conservative-led government was worse than for any other period since the 1920s.
Working people need change
Unions have been campaigning for years to push the government to deliver higher pay and stronger workers’ rights. And we’re closer than ever to delivering transformative change for working people.
The government is introducing new workers' rights laws through the Employment Rights Bill, which is currently being debated in parliament. The plan to make work pay was developed with unions and would be the biggest upgrade of workers’ rights in a generation.
The government’s Make Work Pay agenda is essential for improving living standards, putting more money into people’s pockets and placing the UK economy on a sustainable footing to growth.
The Employment Rights Bill will help deliver a much-needed economic reset, and a departure from the “low growth, low rights” model which characterised fourteen years of Conservative government.
The business lobby is attacking the plan to make work pay - just like it did 25 years ago, against the National Minimum Wage. We beat them then and we can beat them again.
The low-pay, low-rights employment model of the last 14 years has failed. It’s time for change.
Sign the petition: Pass the Employment Rights Bill in full
We need to show Lords and MPs from every party how many of us back this Bill and demand they pass it without watering it down. Add your name now. The more of us who sign, the louder our voice.
What will the Employment Rights Bill mean for workers rights in the UK?
If delivered in full, the bill is set to benefit over 10 million workers – including many on low incomes. Change can't come soon enough. The plan to make work pay will cover:
Zero hours contracts:
Currently, employers can keep workers on exploitative zero hours contracts. The Bill will give workers the right to a contract that reflects their regular hours of work, eliminating the worst zero hours practices.
Fire and rehire:
The Bill will end the practice of "fire and rehire" – where workers are dismissed and then re-employed on worse terms and conditions.
Sick pay:
The Bill will strengthen sick pay provisions and ensure that every worker has access to sick pay from the first day of illness. At present, statutory sick pay is not paid until the fourth day of absence and is not available to workers earning below a certain threshold.
Protection from unfair dismissal:
The Bill will provide workers with protection from unfair dismissal from their first day on the job. Currently, workers can be dismissed without reason during their first two years of employment.
Parental leave:
The Bill will grant workers the right to parental leave from their first day at work. In addition, there will be a full review of the parental leave system in the future.
Bereavement leave:
There is currently no statutory right to bereavement leave following a death. The Bill will introduce a right to bereavement leave, including for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, such as miscarriage.
Flexible work:
The Bill proposes to make flexible working the default. While employees currently have the right to request flexible working from their first day, employers often deny these requests without valid reasons. The Bill will ensure that any refusal must be reasonable, and employers will be required to provide a written explanation.
Union access:
The Bill will give trade unions the right to access workplaces to meet, support, recruit, and organise workers. At present, employers often block unions from entering the workplace to engage with staff.
Protection from harassment:
The Bill will increase employers’ responsibilities to protect workers from harassment by third parties (e.g. patients, customers, or members of the public encountered through work).
Gender pay gaps:
The Bill will require large employers (those with over 250 employees) to develop action plans to address gender pay gaps. Separate legislation is planned to require reporting on ethnicity and disability pay gaps.
Protections for pregnant workers:
The Bill will strengthen protections for pregnant workers, ensuring they are protected from redundancy from the moment they inform their employer of their pregnancy until six months after returning to work. Currently, these protections only last until the end of maternity leave.