I started my working life as a care worker on casual terms, not knowing if there would be a pay cheque from month to month. It was a good, unionised job, with decent conditions, that changed my life, and the lives of the workers I would go on to represent as a trade unionist.
From my travels around the country as an MP, I have heard from so many people who are in the same position I was in. They want change, they want fairness, and they want respect at work. That’s why the Labour party promised to upgrade workers’ rights in our manifesto for the last election. In government, we are determined to see this through, ushering in what we promised: a new deal for working people.
The employment rights bill is back in the House of Commons today. If it remains intact and passes into law, it will ensure that ordinary people are better off – with basic rights from day one, turning the tide on precariousness and exploitation.
This gamechanging package of measures includes protection from unfair dismissal, strengthened sick pay, bereavement leave, action against sexual harassment at work, a ban on zero-hours contracts, an end to fire and rehire, and a genuine living wage. It means family rights such as flexible working and parental leave from day one, stronger protections for pregnant women, and steps to tackle the gender pay gap. It also includes an historic fair pay agreement in social care – a new, legally binding pledge that will set minimum pay and employment terms for care workers in England and improve the standard of care.
