Jessica O'ConnorThe Employment Rights Bill has completed its passage through Parliament after finally clearing the House of Lords, ending months of parliamentary deadlock and paving the way for the legislation to receive Royal Assent and become law.
The Government’s flagship workers’ rights Bill had been held up in the Lords, with Conservative peers repeatedly blocking its progress.
That opposition has now fallen away, allowing the Bill to pass and move swiftly towards enactment.
The Bill introduces a series of reforms including a ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts, day one sick pay, and stronger protections against harassment, alongside wider changes aimed at tackling insecure work.
One in nine workers are currently in insecure work, with around one million people on zero-hours contracts.
According to the TUC, the Bill will not only improve job security and dignity at work, but also deliver wider economic benefits, as analysis estimates a £10.4bn boost compared with projected costs of between £0.9bn and £5bn.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “This is an historic day and early Christmas present for working people across the country, and the trade unions who represent them.
“Banning exploitative zero-hours contracts, sick pay for all, expanding parental and bereavement leave, strengthening protections for pregnant women, whistleblowers and victims of sexual harassment, repealing Tory anti-union laws, ensuring union access to workplaces, establishing a social care fair pay agreement – these are just some of the watershed measures this Bill will now deliver.
“Unions and workers have long campaigned for these vital rights. Together, we have broken a decades long economic status quo defined by insecurity, weak rights and poor pay.
“Finally, working people will enjoy more security, better pay and dignity at work thanks to this Bill.
“It’s now vital that workers start feeling the benefits of this legislation in their lives as soon as possible. That means the legislation must be implemented in full, and at speed – with watertight secondary legislation to ensure there are no loopholes for bad bosses to exploit.”
With the Bill now through Parliament, unions are calling for full and rapid implementation.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Finally the Employment Rights Bill has been passed. It now must be implemented without any further dilution or delay.
“Labour needs now to stop being embarrassed by these new laws for workers. The bill had already been watered down far too much, not least the failure to ban fire and rehire and zero hours contracts. This will come as a surprise to workers.
“The UK has the weakest employment rights in Europe, and the new act will barely reset the playing field. Ministers must enact the ERB’s measures in their entirety without any further interruptions.”
