Labour may be about to unveil the biggest overhaul of workers’ rights in a generation, but Jonathan Reynolds insists it is not returning to the past.
“We’re not dependent on the unions,” he says. “They’re always a part of the Labour movement and a welcome one. But to try and present this as some sort of 1970s paradigm is a bit clichéd and out of touch to be honest.”
Labour’s employment rights package is one of the most radical pieces of legislation on the new government’s agenda.
The scope is wide — day-one rights including protection from unfair dismissal, a right to “disconnect” out of hours, a right to flexible working by “default”, a ban on “exploitative” zero-hours contracts and the repeal of Tory anti-strike legislation.
Given the scale of the changes businesses are already raising significant concerns, both in terms of the potential cost and whether they will lead to a surge in the number of employees taking their employers to tribunals.
The cultural shift from the Tories to Labour is undeniable. Under the Tories the emphasis was on getting people to return to offices, with Boris Johnson launching a drive to force civil servants back to Whitehall.
Reynolds, speaking about workers’ rights from Riyadh, where the UK is attempting to seal a trade agreement, rejects this approach outright. “I think it’s important to stress that good employers understand that workforce, to keep them motivated and resilient, they do need to judge people on outcomes and not a culture of...
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