The Employment Rights Bill will soon receive royal assent and become law. It represents, very nearly, a promise fulfilled – a welcome change for a government that has too often disappointed.
The Labour manifesto last year promised that new legislation would mean “banning exploitative zero-hours contracts; ending fire and rehire; and introducing basic rights from day one to parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal”. All of those elements are in the bill – and yet the trade unions and some within the Labour Party sound nervous. They should not, though it is easy to see why they are getting twitchy.
