Employment Rights Bill passed by House of Commons

Employment Rights Bill has been passed at all its stages in the House of Commons and will now be considered in the House of Lords.

The landmark legislation seeks to end unfair employment practices and make work more secure.

The Employment Rights Bill will ban exploitative zero-hours contract and provide a right to a regular hours contract and make Statutory Sick Pay available from day one of absence and to all workers, regardless of income.

Day-one access to employment rights, including challenging an unfair dismissal, will be granted while the bill require employers to protect staff from customer harassment.

The bill also give trade unions the right to access workplaces, to recruit and organise workers, simplify the trade union recognition process to give workers a voice and introduce statutory rights for workplace equalities representatives.

The bill will limit the use of fire and rehire and create a fair work agency to put enforcement of employment rights into a single body.

The Bill will now proceed to the House of Lords.

Although it may be a few months before we have the final version, and much of the detail will in any event remain to be set out in regulations, employers may wish to start considering how the new rights will impact their business.

Commenting on the progression of the bill, Paddy Lillis – Usdaw general secretary says,“Usdaw has long campaigned for a new deal for workers and the Employment Rights Bill delivers on that.

"This landmark legislation will contribute to Labour’s mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities.

"The Bill also builds on the action already taken by Labour in Government to significantly increase minimum wage rates from April, with the Low Pay Commission for the first time required to take into account the cost of living and make progress towards ending rip-off youth rates.

“Labour won the last election on the promise of change and because the Conservatives failed to grow our economy, didn’t protect workers in the cost of living crisis and repeatedly attacked workers’ rights and trade unions.

"It is disappointing that Tory MPs were whipped into opposing the Employment Rights Bill, which only demonstrates that they’ve not listened to voters or learnt the lessons of 14 years of failure.

“It was no surprise that Reform leader Nigel Farage voted against the Bill. It is clear that Reform is no friend of working people. They continue to seek to divide workers, rather than supporting critical measures to improve their working lives.

"Recent polling shows that voters in every constituency overwhelmingly support key measures in the Bill. We will be asking Members of the House of Lords to give their full backing to this crucial legislation and ensure that it is delivered in full.”

“This historic legislation will help end years of low-paid, insecure employment, which failed our economy, businesses and working people. The Employment Rights Bill will help secure economic growth by improving productivity after years of stagnation.

"It will help stop rogue employers undercutting those who treat their staff properly, while giving workers security, respect and the decency of an income they can live on.”