Labour Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner promised to repeal anti-worker Tory laws and introduce new legislation benefiting workers within 100 days of taking power. However, behind closed doors, figuring out the details of the policy has proven difficult. While unions welcome the repeal of Conservative laws on minimum turnouts in strike ballots and minimum service levels during industrial action, they don’t all agree on the details of Labour’s new laws. Some differences are yet to be reconciled and at least three unions believe the self-imposed 100-day timescale for introducing new legislation, while eye-catching, is unrealistic.
Recent reports that a six-month probation period agreement had been reached were dismissed as “jumping the gun” by a source close to the talks. You would expect businesses to be pushing for a longer probation period, or to push back on “day one,” but at least one union is concerned that a short probation period could make employers more reluctant to hire new staff, and cut jobs. Then there is the question of banning “exploitative” zero hours contracts. At least one union believes that this caveat is actually a get-out clause, and is still seeking clarification on what rights employers will have to refuse regular contracts, and to refuse requests for flexible working or compressed hours.
Sources suggest that the Treasury is running its rule over not just the issue of the delivery of equal pay but also across the whole workers’ rights agenda. And that there are really three Rs involved in deciding how Labour’s new deal for workers will be delivered, which are Reynolds and Rayner, who are fronting the talks, and Reeves, who is determined that the party’s pledge to be “pro-business” as well as “pro-worker” will be honored. Whatever emerges in legislation, it will be a step forward for the rights of employees and those with job insecurity, even if some unions would prefer a giant leap.
Cabinet minister Lucy Powell has told the BBC that the government is “working at pace” to deliver its promises. Still, if ministers are to complete their work on time, they may have to breach existing working time directives
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