FBU general secretary Steve Wright gives an update on the passing of landmark workers' rights legislation.
On 16 December, the Employment Rights Bill finally passed through the Westminster parliament. The Bill is the biggest advancement in workers’ rights in decades.
For months, unelected Tory peers blocked the Bill. Now, they have finally stepped aside. The Bill will now receive royal assent and become law.
None of this would be happening without the work of the FBU and other unions. We fought for this Bill to exist, and we fought to get it through. This shows what can be done when the labour movement comes together.
What does the Employment Rights Bill mean?
The UK has some of the worst workers’ rights and anti-union laws in the western world. This is the result of political choices: governments wanted to keep workers weak, and pay low, to benefit the super-rich.
Now, for the first time since the 1980s, anti-union laws have been scrapped and union rights extended:
- The Minimum Service Levels Act, which was a de-facto ban on effective strike action in the fire and rescue service, and in other parts of the public sector, is gone
- The undemocratic threshold on strike ballots (50% on turnout, and 40% voting in favour for key sectors) is on its way out, though it will be up to the government when exactly it goes
- There will be a moves to allow unions to hold ballots of members online (at the moment, the law says we have to do it by post)
- Equalities officers from trade unions will now be entitled to facilities time for union business in line with their union colleagues.
- Unions will have the right to access workplaces to organise.
And for every worker, there will be benefits:
- Day-one rights to sick pay and parental leave
- While there will be no day-one protection from unfair dismissal, workers will get it after six months, rather than two years (which is the case now)
- Anyone on a zero-hours contract will have the right to guaranteed hours and must be given reasonable notice of shift changes
- It will now be much more difficult to ‘fire and rehire’ workers
- Flexible working will be the default
- There will be a right to bereavement leave, including for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, such as miscarriage
- Protections will be increased for pregnant women, whistleblowers, and victims of sexual harassment.
What’s next?
Royal Assent is not the end of the battle for improvements to workers’ rights. The trade union movement must now ensure the Bill is enforced in full to ensure workers feel the benefits as soon as possible.
As an affiliated union, we can and will use our influence to ensure there are no loopholes for bad bosses to exploit.
We are also, alongside other unions, fighting for an ‘Employment Rights Bill 2’ to deliver all Labour’s promises on workers’ rights, including a complete ban on fire and rehire practices, mandatory sectoral collective bargaining, and a single status of workers so all workers are protected regardless of visa status.
We will continue to work alongside other unions to hold the Westminster government to account and ensure this historic Bill is delivered in full and at speed.
