It’s been years in the making, but today the Employment Right Bill received Royal Assent, became law and is now the Employment Rights Act. From the start, it’s been a partnership between affiliated unions and the Labour Party, and there’s much to be proud of. Contracts that reflect the hours people actually work, Statutory Sick Pay from day one, fairer rules so unions can give workers a real voice at work to bargain for better pay and conditions, and the repeal of draconian Tory laws designed to tie unions up in knots.

Together, these changes help rebalance the world of work, and put power where it belongs, in the hands of working people.

The Employment Rights Act is historic, and today is a day to celebrate, but it is not the end of the story. We must get the details right so the measures in the Act deliver on the promises made at the election. The New Deal goes further, and there’s more groundbreaking policies to come, on equal pay, health and safety, surveillance and tech at work and more. Labour Unions will be there every step of the way until the New Deal for Working People is delivered in full.

This great news is no thanks to the LibDems or the Tories.

The Tories opposed the improvements at every stage and the LibDems in the Lords spent weeks holding up the Bill because they wanted employers to retain the right to sack new recruits unfairly.

Joanne Thomas, Chair of Labour Unions comments here:

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