TUC slams Tories and Reform for voting against Employment Rights Bill

Commenting after Monday night’s vote on the Employment Rights Bill – which saw both Conservative and Reform MPs vote against the legislation – TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“The Conservatives and Reform have shown their true colours.

“Instead of voting to make work pay – they have voted to deny working people vital protections and rights at work.

“At a time when millions are trapped in low-paid and insecure work – the Tories and Reform have chosen to stand on the side of exploitative working practices like zero-hours contracts and fire and rehire.

“Their anti-worker agendas have no place in modern Britain – and are completely out of touch with the public mood.

“Everyone deserves a decent, secure job they can build a life on.

“The Employment Rights Bill is an opportunity to give working people essential rights that will boost health, productivity and living standards.

“It’s vital the Bill passes through parliament quickly and is delivered in full.”

TUC polling published in July revealed a clear majority of 2024 voters – including those who voted Tory and Reform – support key policies in the government’s Employment Rights Bill.

This includes:

Unfair dismissal: Nearly 2 in 3 (64%) of all 2024 election voters support the day one right to protection from unfair dismissal – including 8 in 10 (81%) Labour voters, large numbers of Green (79%) and Lib Dem voters (70%), and a majority of Conservative (55%) and Reform (57%) voters.

Sick pay: Nearly 7 in 10 voters (69%) back Labour’s plan to make statutory sick pay available from the first day of sickness – a number that rises to around 8 in 10 for Labour (80%), Lib Dem (79%) and Green (79%) voters with clear majority support from 2024 Conservative (60%) and Reform (69%) voters as well.

Ban on fire and rehire: Two-thirds (66%) of voters support a ban on fire and rehire with large backing from 2024 Labour (78%), Conservative (63%), Reform (62%), Green (72%) and Liberal Dem (69%) voters.

Ban on zero hours contracts: Nearly 7 in 10 (67%) voters support banning zero-hours contracts by offering all workers a contract that reflects their normal hours of work and compensation for cancelled shifts. This policy enjoys clear majority support among 2024 Labour voters (76%), Conservative voters (67%), Reform voters (72%), Green voters (71%) and Liberal Democrat voters (69%).