Jessica O'ConnorMore than two million workers could be left without protection from unfair dismissal if peers in the House of Lords succeed in adding a six-month qualifying period to the Employment Rights Bill, the TUC has warned.
The landmark bill, which moves one step closer to Royal Assent as it is debated in the Lords, would give employees protection from unfair dismissal from their first day on the job and ban exploitative zero-hours contracts.
But proposed amendments from Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers would delay these protections and introduce loopholes, allowing some employers to avoid offering guaranteed hours contracts.
New TUC analysis showed that 2,010,946 workers would lose access to day-one protection if a six-month qualifying period were introduced.
The union body accused opponents of the reform of “wilfully misrepresenting” what unfair dismissal protection means, stressing that employers could still use probation periods but would no longer be able to sack staff “unfairly, at will, for no good reason.”
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “The UK has some of the weakest unfair dismissal protections in the developed world – leaving workers to shoulder all the risk while bad bosses get a free pass.
“The statutory protection period will do exactly what it says – protect workers from being sacked unfairly. This is just old fashioned common sense.
“Employers can still have probation periods for new staff – they just won’t be able fire them unfairly, at will, for no good reason.”
He added: “No one will be surprised that Tory Peers are voting against the best interests of working people. But Peers across the opposition benches should be wary of looking out of touch.
“The Lords’ amendment gives bad employers the licence to dismiss people unfairly – that is simply wrong and unjust.
“It’s time for Tory and Lib Dem Peers to step aside and stop blocking stronger rights for millions of workers.”
