Trade unions are generally strongly in favour of the employment rights bill, but Unite, Britain’s largest private sector union, has repeatedly complained about Labour not doing more. In her statement about the bill, Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said that it was an important step forward, but that in some respects it contained “more holes than Swiss cheese”. She said: This bill is without doubt a significant step forward for workers but stops short of making work pay.
The end to draconian laws like minimum service levels and the introduction of new individual rights, for example on bereavement leave, will be beneficial. But the bill still ties itself up in knots trying to avoid what was promised. Failure to end fire and rehire and zero hours contracts once and for all will leave more holes than Swiss cheese that hostile employers will use.