Bryan HaySharon Graham, leader of the union Unite, has sharply criticized the Labour Party’s latest draft of the New Deal for Workers, describing it as “totally unrecognisable” from the original proposals developed in collaboration with unions. The revised document, which was issued to trade unions on Monday, represents a significant departure from earlier pledges, according to Graham.
“It looks like all the warnings Unite made earlier about the dangers of Labour rowing back on its pledges for the New Deal for Workers have been proved right,” said Graham. “This new Labour document on the New Deal, issued to the unions on Monday, is a row back on a row back. It is totally unrecognisable from the original proposals produced with the unions. Unrecognisable. Workers will see through this and mark this retreat after retreat as a betrayal.”
Graham further criticised the document for not taking a firm stance against controversial employment practices such as fire and rehire tactics, and for watering down the promise to legislate against zero-hour contracts. She views the current draft as favoring consultations with big business over concrete legislative action.
“This new document is turning what was a real new deal for workers into a charter for bad bosses,” Graham added. “Labour don’t want a law against fire and rehire and they are effectively ripping up the promise of legislation on a new deal for workers in its first 100 days. Instead, we have codes of conduct and pledges of consultation with big business. Likewise, the proposal to legislate against zero hours contracts is watered down to almost nothing.”
Concluding her remarks, Graham called for a unified response from all unions: “In truth this new document is not worthy of discussion. All unions must now demand that Labour changes course and puts the original New Deal for Workers back on the table.”
