The TUC has today (Monday) told Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers in the House of Lords to ‘stop trying to block’ stronger rights for millions of workers.
The union body is urging the government to “stand firm” in the face of what it calls “cynical” attacks on the Employment Rights Bill, with the Bill set for further scrutiny after peers voted to replace day-one unfair dismissal rights with a six-month qualifying period in the Lords last week.
The day-one right to make a claim for unfair dismissal was one of the key pledges in Labour’s pre-election manifesto published last year.
Unfair dismissal rights
House of Lords votes against day-one dismissal rights
Early drafts of the legislation referred to an “initial period of employment” when employers could dismiss staff for a certain number of reasons, but this period was not specified.
The Lords have now voted to remove this initial period entirely, and have amended the Bill to reduce the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from the current two years to six months.
The TUC said the Tories and Lib Dems are “doing the bidding of bad bosses by voting to allow employers six months to sack workers unfairly”.
The union body is also concerned that the ban on zero-hour contracts will be weakened after further votes.
The Bill will return to the House of Commons in September for MPs to consider the Lords’ amendments.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “It’s time for Tory and Lib Dem Peers to get out of the way and stop trying to block stronger rights for millions of workers.
“They are doing the bidding of bad bosses by voting to keep workers on zero-hour contracts, allowing bosses to sack workers unfairly and attacking teaching assistants’ pay.
“The sight of hereditary peers voting to block stronger workers’ rights belongs in another century. It’s plain wrong.
“Banning zero-hours contracts and protecting workers from unfair dismissal are common-sense protections that the vast majority of the people, including Tory and Lib Dem voters, want to see become law.
“These peers are not just out of touch, they are actively defying their own voters – and the public at large. The government must stand firm in the face of cynical attacks and deliver the Employment Rights Bill in full.”
The changes to unfair dismissal regulations are timetabled to come into force in 2027, according to a roadmap published by the government at the start of July.
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