As the 31st of October 2019 looms ever nearer, Boris Johnson should be focusing more on the rights of workers in the UK than whether the UK exit the EU with a deal in the opinion of the Trade Union Congress (TUS). We are all aware of the possibility of a no deal and the TUC believe that his attention and focus should be more about delivering these rights than concentrating on a no-deal scenario.
Frances O’Grady, TUC general secretary, said:
Boris Johnson needs to stop threatening a no-deal Brexit – which would be a disaster for workers’ rights – and get on with enhancing labour protections now. We already have an insecure work crisis in Britain. Crashing out of Europe would make things far worse.
A good start would be to ban zero-hours contracts and give low-paid workers the right to speak to a union in their workplace. It’s not right that millions of workers still don’t know how much they’ll earn from one week to the next. And that so many are being denied even the most basic workplace rights.
Statistics released by the TUC show there is not an insignificant number of the UK workforce who are currently in “precarious” jobs. In fact the figures show that the ratio is “one in nine” that find themselves in this situation.
What is also of concern by the TUC is the significant number of workers who are still paid below the national minimum rate along with the self-employed who also find themselves in low-paid roles. Under the current legislation self-employed are not entitled to the respective national minimum wage. Not only that, but numerous other workers find themselves working in jobs that have no security, they are casual / zero-hours, seasonal and agency workers.
These workers all lack the security and benefits that are enjoyed by those who are in deemed ‘secure’ employment. For those in ‘secure’ employment there is a right to annual leave, statutory leave and sick pay.
The TUC has expressed a very serious concern about the guarantee of workplace protection when and if the UK leave the EU without a deal. There is a belief that workers will have a greater sense of insecurity should that happen.
What the TUC would like Boris Johnson to do is set out new rules that will in essence:
Do away with zero-hours contracts, see a clamp down on self-employment. The latter possibly an anathema to the current government, for as long as it can be remembered the mantra has been that entrepreneurs and self-employed are needed, they drive the UK economy!
Every worker should be given the basic right to family-friendly rights and redundancy pay along with, where wanted, the right to protection of a union in all workplaces.
All we can do is wait and see what the outcome brings.
