Employment Rights Bill gets the green light from MPs

The ‘ayes’ had it on Monday night as the government’s ambitious Employment Rights Bill secured a majority vote at its second reading in the House of Commons.

Some of the key provisions of the bill include:

  • the right to sick pay from the first day you’re ill
  • family friendly rights, such as parental and bereavement leave from day one, and flexible working as default
  • better protection from unfair dismissal
  • scrapping exploitative zero-hours contracts
  • new collective bargaining bodies for care workers and school support staff
  • lifting restrictions on trade unions.

Yesterday gave the first opportunity for MPs to debate the main principles in the proposed legislation, highlight any areas of contention and signal to constituents that they want a better life at work for everyone in Britain.

Monday’s debate was also an important chance to set out a robust defence of these important new rights and help prevent them from being watered down by business interests as they make their way through the parliamentary process.

In the days leading up to the vote, over 13,000 UNISON members emailed their MPs, asking them to back the bill at second reading, and commit to fight for the best possible version of the law at every stage over the next six months or more.

Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, introduced the second reading of the bill as “a lifelong, proud trade union member”.

In the debate that followed, a host of MPs with links to the union spoke about the impact that these new rights would have on the public service workers who keep our country running.

Labour MP Mark Ferguson, formerly the head of UNISON’s Labour Link, said: “The care workers and teaching assistants I was proud to represent while working for UNISON deserve pay and conditions that match the task of looking after us when we grow up and grow old.”

Former teaching assistant, UNISON member and Labour MP Jayne Kirkham agreed that the bill would be a “game changer” for low-paid women. “It will mean that pay, terms and conditions for care workers and school support staff are negotiated nationally, and that a minimum is set across the country,” she said.

Another Labour MP, Laurence Turner, hailed the contribution of privately contracted public service workers – “the invisible workforce who keep our hospitals running and our nation secure”. And he welcomed the return of the principle that “outsourced workers should not be placed at detriment” through the reintroduction of the two-tier code.

Labour MP Becky Gittins welcomed the fact that the bill would “modernise employment laws, with much of the Trade Union Act 2016 dismantled and, quite rightly, thrown in the bin.”

So what happens next?

The Employment Rights Bill will now go to committee stage, where it will be examined in detail. Four specific topics are also subject to six-week formal consultations, which will close in early December. These consultations will inform government amendments to be added to the bill early next year:

UNISON’s technical and legal experts will be working with elected lay reps to respond, aiming to deliver workable routes for members and reps to exercise their new rights.

You can read UNISON’s expert policy briefing here:

Employment Rights Bill – briefing 1

And you can read the full report of all MPs who spoke in the debate here:

Hansard report, 21 October 2024

The article Employment Rights Bill gets the green light from MPs first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Employment Rights Bill gets the green light from MPs

The ‘ayes’ had it on Monday night as the government’s ambitious Employment Rights Bill secured a majority vote at its second reading in the House of Commons.

Some of the key provisions of the bill include:

  • the right to sick pay from the first day you’re ill
  • family friendly rights, such as parental and bereavement leave from day one, and flexible working as default
  • better protection from unfair dismissal
  • scrapping exploitative zero-hours contracts
  • new collective bargaining bodies for care workers and school support staff
  • lifting restrictions on trade unions.

Yesterday gave the first opportunity for MPs to debate the main principles in the proposed legislation, highlight any areas of contention and signal to constituents that they want a better life at work for everyone in Britain.

Monday’s debate was also an important chance to set out a robust defence of these important new rights and help prevent them from being watered down by business interests as they make their way through the parliamentary process.

In the days leading up to the vote, over 13,000 UNISON members emailed their MPs, asking them to back the bill at second reading, and commit to fight for the best possible version of the law at every stage over the next six months or more.

Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, introduced the second reading of the bill as “a lifelong, proud trade union member”.

In the debate that followed, a host of MPs with links to the union spoke about the impact that these new rights would have on the public service workers who keep our country running.

Labour MP Mark Ferguson, formerly the head of UNISON’s Labour Link, said: “The care workers and teaching assistants I was proud to represent while working for UNISON deserve pay and conditions that match the task of looking after us when we grow up and grow old.”

Former teaching assistant, UNISON member and Labour MP Jayne Kirkham agreed that the bill would be a “game changer” for low-paid women. “It will mean that pay, terms and conditions for care workers and school support staff are negotiated nationally, and that a minimum is set across the country,” she said.

Another Labour MP, Laurence Turner, hailed the contribution of privately contracted public service workers – “the invisible workforce who keep our hospitals running and our nation secure”. And he welcomed the return of the principle that “outsourced workers should not be placed at detriment” through the reintroduction of the two-tier code.

Labour MP Becky Gittins welcomed the fact that the bill would “modernise employment laws, with much of the Trade Union Act 2016 dismantled and, quite rightly, thrown in the bin.”

So what happens next?

The Employment Rights Bill will now go to committee stage, where it will be examined in detail. Four specific topics are also subject to six-week formal consultations, which will close in early December. These consultations will inform government amendments to be added to the bill early next year:

UNISON’s technical and legal experts will be working with elected lay reps to respond, aiming to deliver workable routes for members and reps to exercise their new rights.

You can read UNISON’s expert policy briefing here:

Employment Rights Bill – briefing 1

And you can read the full report of all MPs who spoke in the debate here:

Hansard report, 21 October 2024

The article Employment Rights Bill gets the green light from MPs first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Sick pay and employment-relations reforms will benefit all

Commenting ahead of the second reading of the employment rights bill and the launch of a series of consultation documents today (Monday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“This bill is an opportunity to turn the tide on insecure employment and deliver the biggest boost to UK workplaces in a generation.

“Care staff, those working for private contractors delivering public services and others in precarious work must currently jump through hoops to get financial support when they fall ill.

“People are having to go in to work, infecting their colleagues and those they care for, instead of staying at home to recover. Sick pay for all at a proper rate will ensure no one has to live a hand-to-mouth existence.

“Guaranteed contracts provide extra security that benefits other aspects of workers’ lives. Rental agreements and mortgages are then easier to come by.

“No one wants to be on a picket line or face days of disruption. But more strikes took place under the Conservatives’ anti-union laws than before.

“Allowing workers to have their say electronically will at last allow union votes to enter the digital age. The hope is these long-overdue reforms will usher in a new era of more positive industrial relations.

“When employers and their staff have better relationships, workplaces are more productive, the economy grows and everyone benefits.

“Finding an effective way to boost pay and conditions for social care workers is vital to kickstart the reform of this essential service. The bill sets out a route to delivering and enforcing minimum rates of pay in care.

“Until wages rise, the care sector will never be able to recruit and retain the numbers of staff needed to meet the growing demands of an ageing population.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M:07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Sick pay and employment-relations reforms will benefit all first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Sick pay and employment-relations reforms will benefit all

Commenting ahead of the second reading of the employment rights bill and the launch of a series of consultation documents today (Monday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“This bill is an opportunity to turn the tide on insecure employment and deliver the biggest boost to UK workplaces in a generation.

“Care staff, those working for private contractors delivering public services and others in precarious work must currently jump through hoops to get financial support when they fall ill.

“People are having to go in to work, infecting their colleagues and those they care for, instead of staying at home to recover. Sick pay for all at a proper rate will ensure no one has to live a hand-to-mouth existence.

“Guaranteed contracts provide extra security that benefits other aspects of workers’ lives. Rental agreements and mortgages are then easier to come by.

“No one wants to be on a picket line or face days of disruption. But more strikes took place under the Conservatives’ anti-union laws than before.

“Allowing workers to have their say electronically will at last allow union votes to enter the digital age. The hope is these long-overdue reforms will usher in a new era of more positive industrial relations.

“When employers and their staff have better relationships, workplaces are more productive, the economy grows and everyone benefits.

“Finding an effective way to boost pay and conditions for social care workers is vital to kickstart the reform of this essential service. The bill sets out a route to delivering and enforcing minimum rates of pay in care.

“Until wages rise, the care sector will never be able to recruit and retain the numbers of staff needed to meet the growing demands of an ageing population.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M:07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Sick pay and employment-relations reforms will benefit all first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NEC hears Christina McAnea welcome Employment Rights Bill

In UNISON’s first national executive council (NEC) meeting since the general election, general secretary Christina McAnea yesterday welcomed the Labour government’s new deal – via the Employment Rights Bill – as “the start of the process” that will have a huge impact on the union and activists, and therefore on members.

She also told the meeting that the union has seen a net growth of over 36,000 members this year – including over 4,000 new activists – which is double the aimed for 1% growth.

Ms McAnea noted how well the union’s Year of LGBT+ Workers has been going, with every region being involved, plus the success of the union’s campaign to win the ballot to keep the political fund, with 96.7% of those who voted backing retention.

She also stressed the importance of trade unions in combatting the far right – particularly in the wake of the riots in the summer and in advance of the Stand Up to Racism national demo to Stop Tommy Robinson, Stop the far right in London on 26 October, which UNISON is supporting.

Speaking of the union’s international work, the general secretary spoke of her visit to Palestine in May, and also how UNISON co-ordinated a meeting of the Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO) general secretaries with the Palestinian ambassador at the TUC conference. Ms McAnea also highlighted the under-reported catastrophe of the civil war in Sudan, where sexual violence and rape are being used as weapons, and more than half the country is facing famine.

Assistant general secretary Liz Snape reflected on “the highly successful [general] election campaign” that the union ran, with evidence showing that, in constituencies that the union specifically targeted, that work had increased the Labour vote.

The meeting also received a briefing on the Labour government’s Employment Rights Bill from UNISON’s director of political strategy Maggi Ferncombe.

Stressing the role of UNISON in getting this bill, she explained that it is “a mix of individual rights and collective rights” and includes some of the “big ticket items” that the union has been campaigning on, with many elements directly affecting women at work, including the repeal and replacement of trade union laws on industrial action, an end to exploitative zero-hours contracts and the introduction of day-one sick pay, maternity pay and flexible working.

While UNISON is concerned at gaps in the bill, it does also provide many things to celebrate, also including improvements around facility time and access to workplaces for organisers and reps, while digital balloting is on the table.

The presidential team’s report emphasised the union’s fight against fascism and the far right – and the meeting had a dedicated period in which to discuss mobilising for the Stand Up to Racism demo and for wider work into combating racism and fascism.

The NEC received an organising report, which noted that recruitment was doing particularly well in the care sector, and that the new Organising Framework has been launched. Members of the committee lauded the success of the organising to win strategy, which has provided major dividends for the union – not least among health support workers.

The meeting also:

  • heard a report on pay across the service groups
  • received the latest financial report
  • heard a report on a year of green activism
  • discussed future NEC elections and by-elections.

The article NEC hears Christina McAnea welcome Employment Rights Bill first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NEC hears Christina McAnea welcome Employment Rights Bill

In UNISON’s first national executive council (NEC) meeting since the general election, general secretary Christina McAnea yesterday welcomed the Labour government’s new deal – via the Employment Rights Bill – as “the start of the process” that will have a huge impact on the union and activists, and therefore on members.

She also told the meeting that the union has seen a net growth of over 36,000 members this year – including over 4,000 new activists – which is double the aimed for 1% growth.

Ms McAnea noted how well the union’s Year of LGBT+ Workers has been going, with every region being involved, plus the success of the union’s campaign to win the ballot to keep the political fund, with 96.7% of those who voted backing retention.

She also stressed the importance of trade unions in combatting the far right – particularly in the wake of the riots in the summer and in advance of the Stand Up to Racism national demo to Stop Tommy Robinson, Stop the far right in London on 26 October, which UNISON is supporting.

Speaking of the union’s international work, the general secretary spoke of her visit to Palestine in May, and also how UNISON co-ordinated a meeting of the Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO) general secretaries with the Palestinian ambassador at the TUC conference. Ms McAnea also highlighted the under-reported catastrophe of the civil war in Sudan, where sexual violence and rape are being used as weapons, and more than half the country is facing famine.

Assistant general secretary Liz Snape reflected on “the highly successful [general] election campaign” that the union ran, with evidence showing that, in constituencies that the union specifically targeted, that work had increased the Labour vote.

The meeting also received a briefing on the Labour government’s Employment Rights Bill from UNISON’s director of political strategy Maggi Ferncombe.

Stressing the role of UNISON in getting this bill, she explained that it is “a mix of individual rights and collective rights” and includes some of the “big ticket items” that the union has been campaigning on, with many elements directly affecting women at work, including the repeal and replacement of trade union laws on industrial action, an end to exploitative zero-hours contracts and the introduction of day-one sick pay, maternity pay and flexible working.

While UNISON is concerned at gaps in the bill, it does also provide many things to celebrate, also including improvements around facility time and access to workplaces for organisers and reps, while digital balloting is on the table.

The presidential team’s report emphasised the union’s fight against fascism and the far right – and the meeting had a dedicated period in which to discuss mobilising for the Stand Up to Racism demo and for wider work into combating racism and fascism.

The NEC received an organising report, which noted that recruitment was doing particularly well in the care sector, and that the new Organising Framework has been launched. Members of the committee lauded the success of the organising to win strategy, which has provided major dividends for the union – not least among health support workers.

The meeting also:

  • heard a report on pay across the service groups
  • received the latest financial report
  • heard a report on a year of green activism
  • discussed future NEC elections and by-elections.

The article NEC hears Christina McAnea welcome Employment Rights Bill first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Bill will make game-changing improvements to working life, says UNISON

Commenting on the publication of the employment rights bill today (Thursday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“At last the lives of millions of employees across the UK look set to change for the better. The bill lays the groundwork for a brighter future for everyone at work.

“There’ll be improved protection from the first day in a job and more family-friendly roles. Bad bosses won’t be able to exploit at whim using dodgy ‘fire and rehire’ tactics, and it’ll be easier for unions to offer support to all employees.

“The means to create a fair pay agreement to increase wages for care workers in England is game-changing. It’s an historic first step towards transforming a sector that’s been neglected and ignored for far too long. The result will make a world of difference to people who need care and to their families too.

“The two-tier workforce will be no more, with penny-pinching employers no longer able to treat outsourced workers less favourably than everyone else.

“A new body to negotiate pay for school support staff will bring a much-needed boost for the low-paid, mostly female workforce and attract recruits into currently hard-to-fill roles.

“The bill marks a sea-change in industrial relations after years of worsening workers’ rights and unnecessary hostility towards unions. It’ll stop employees being penalised for going on strike* and bring union ballots into the digital age.

“All this can only help the economy thrive and improve services to the public. Good employers have absolutely nothing to fear, but the bad ones won’t like it one bit.

“This is a complex programme of legislation, and the details will need to be fine-tuned. There’s still much work to do. But the government has stuck to its pledge to overhaul working life, a huge achievement in less than100 days.”

Notes to editors:
– *UNISON won a landmark Supreme Court case earlier this year on behalf of care worker Fiona Mercer. This found that employers should not discipline staff for taking part in legal strikes. The bill will enshrine this in legislation.
– The bill applies to Great Britain and does not cover Northern Ireland. Some measures – the social fair pay agreement, the school support staff negotiating body and a code relating to a two-tier workforce in public procurement – apply only to England.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Bill will make game-changing improvements to working life, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Bill will make game-changing improvements to working life, says UNISON

Commenting on the publication of the employment rights bill today (Thursday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“At last the lives of millions of employees across the UK look set to change for the better. The bill lays the groundwork for a brighter future for everyone at work.

“There’ll be improved protection from the first day in a job and more family-friendly roles. Bad bosses won’t be able to exploit at whim using dodgy ‘fire and rehire’ tactics, and it’ll be easier for unions to offer support to all employees.

“The means to create a fair pay agreement to increase wages for care workers in England is game-changing. It’s an historic first step towards transforming a sector that’s been neglected and ignored for far too long. The result will make a world of difference to people who need care and to their families too.

“The two-tier workforce will be no more, with penny-pinching employers no longer able to treat outsourced workers less favourably than everyone else.

“A new body to negotiate pay for school support staff will bring a much-needed boost for the low-paid, mostly female workforce and attract recruits into currently hard-to-fill roles.

“The bill marks a sea-change in industrial relations after years of worsening workers’ rights and unnecessary hostility towards unions. It’ll stop employees being penalised for going on strike* and bring union ballots into the digital age.

“All this can only help the economy thrive and improve services to the public. Good employers have absolutely nothing to fear, but the bad ones won’t like it one bit.

“This is a complex programme of legislation, and the details will need to be fine-tuned. There’s still much work to do. But the government has stuck to its pledge to overhaul working life, a huge achievement in less than100 days.”

Notes to editors:
– *UNISON won a landmark Supreme Court case earlier this year on behalf of care worker Fiona Mercer. This found that employers should not discipline staff for taking part in legal strikes. The bill will enshrine this in legislation.
– The bill applies to Great Britain and does not cover Northern Ireland. Some measures – the social fair pay agreement, the school support staff negotiating body and a code relating to a two-tier workforce in public procurement – apply only to England.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

The article Bill will make game-changing improvements to working life, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Overhaul of working lives is welcome and long overdue

Commenting ahead of the publication of the government’s employment rights bill later today (Thursday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“Shifting the balance to give workers greater rights is long overdue.

“Expectations are high for this bill, which should bring once-in-a-generation changes to the workplace.

“For too long employees have had to suffer poverty wages, intolerable working conditions and discrimination.

“Social care staff, school workers, cleaners and many others do skilled jobs, but have been undervalued and ignored. They deserve so much more.

“Day-one rights, job flexibility, an end to exploitative work practices and measures to ensure unions can be a force for good are what millions of people desperately need.

“This bill will transform workers’ lives for the better.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M:07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Overhaul of working lives is welcome and long overdue first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Overhaul of working lives is welcome and long overdue

Commenting ahead of the publication of the government’s employment rights bill later today (Thursday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“Shifting the balance to give workers greater rights is long overdue.

“Expectations are high for this bill, which should bring once-in-a-generation changes to the workplace.

“For too long employees have had to suffer poverty wages, intolerable working conditions and discrimination.

“Social care staff, school workers, cleaners and many others do skilled jobs, but have been undervalued and ignored. They deserve so much more.

“Day-one rights, job flexibility, an end to exploitative work practices and measures to ensure unions can be a force for good are what millions of people desperately need.

“This bill will transform workers’ lives for the better.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M:07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk

The article Overhaul of working lives is welcome and long overdue first appeared on the UNISON National site.