Employment Rights Bill clears final parliamentary hurdle and set to become law

"This is a major victory for working people in every part of the country,"

"We have just introduced the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation. Today our plans passed through parliament, and will soon become law."

"The bill has already been watered down far too much, not least the failure to ban fire and rehire and zero-hours contracts,"

Labour's Employment Rights Bill cleared its final parliamentary stage in the House of Lords after a Conservative peer withdrew a last-minute amendment, removing the last obstacle to passage. The bill will apply to England, Scotland and Wales and is expected to receive royal assent later this week, with most measures needing secondary legislation before coming into force. Workers will gain statutory sick pay and paternity leave from their first day in a job, and pregnant women and new mothers receive strengthened protections. Enhanced unfair dismissal protections will apply after six months of employment. Trade unions welcomed passage but warned against further dilution.

Read at Business Matters