Labour's Angela Rayner to Push for Expedited Worker Rights Bill Amid Frustration with Peers' Holdups
Deputy prime minister-turned-backbencher Angela Rayner is set to propose an amendment to the contentious workers' rights bill, aiming to speed up its passage through Parliament. The move comes as several Labour MPs expressed "considerable anger" over the government's compromise on day-one rights against unfair dismissal, which has watered down the initial provisions.
The original legislation had proposed reducing the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from two years to six months, but a last-minute deal with Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers in the Lords pushed this timeline back to 2027. Rayner is now determined to change this, arguing that the new shorter period does not require extensive consultation and can therefore be implemented faster.
With trade unions largely accepting the compromise, the focus is on pushing forward with stronger measures to protect workers' rights. The proposed amendment will also introduce fines for employers who deny unions the right to talk with workers, as well as ensure that zero-hours and variable contract workers are not left out of new protections.
Labour MPs have vowed not to let the bill stall further, with some warning that a more aggressive push for reform could be in order if necessary. "We're drawing a line in the sand," said one Labour MP. Rayner is expected to lead the charge, having worked closely with former employment minister Justin Madders on the amendment.
The move has sparked hope among MPs and trade unionists, who believe that faster implementation of the bill could bring greater benefits for working people. "Reducing the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from 24 months to six would benefit millions of working people with greater security at work," said one Labour MP backing the proposals. With Rayner's amendment set to be tabled in Parliament, all eyes are on whether the government will accept or reject the faster timeline.
Deputy prime minister-turned-backbencher Angela Rayner is set to propose an amendment to the contentious workers' rights bill, aiming to speed up its passage through Parliament. The move comes as several Labour MPs expressed "considerable anger" over the government's compromise on day-one rights against unfair dismissal, which has watered down the initial provisions.
The original legislation had proposed reducing the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from two years to six months, but a last-minute deal with Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers in the Lords pushed this timeline back to 2027. Rayner is now determined to change this, arguing that the new shorter period does not require extensive consultation and can therefore be implemented faster.
With trade unions largely accepting the compromise, the focus is on pushing forward with stronger measures to protect workers' rights. The proposed amendment will also introduce fines for employers who deny unions the right to talk with workers, as well as ensure that zero-hours and variable contract workers are not left out of new protections.
Labour MPs have vowed not to let the bill stall further, with some warning that a more aggressive push for reform could be in order if necessary. "We're drawing a line in the sand," said one Labour MP. Rayner is expected to lead the charge, having worked closely with former employment minister Justin Madders on the amendment.
The move has sparked hope among MPs and trade unionists, who believe that faster implementation of the bill could bring greater benefits for working people. "Reducing the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from 24 months to six would benefit millions of working people with greater security at work," said one Labour MP backing the proposals. With Rayner's amendment set to be tabled in Parliament, all eyes are on whether the government will accept or reject the faster timeline.
angela rayner is taking control here and i love it 
she's not messing around either with these proposed amendments 
i mean who needs lengthy consultation when you can just get things done 
especially with zero-hours and variable contracts, those workers have been getting screwed for too long 
so yeah i'm all for this push for expedited passage 
now let's see if the gov actually listens 
. 
with a magic wand 
! She wants to cut the red tape and make the bigger circle move faster 
. I think that's a good idea 
.
. Labour MPs are like, "Hey, let's not mess around!" 
And I'm like, "Yaaas, make it happen!" 
so labour is proposing a change to the bill to speed up its passage through parliament and i think thats a good idea 
I'm so hyped about Angela Rayner pushing for that worker rights bill! Like seriously, 6 months instead of 2 years is a HUGE win for workers 
. I love that Rayner is not giving up, she's fighting for change and I'm SO here for it 
. The fines for employers who deny unions rights are a genius idea 
and I'm glad the trade unions are on board too! This is gonna be so lit 
when it passes through Parliament! 
️
grown-ups should be doing that too! And can we please just speed up this process already? I mean, 2027? That's like, forever! 
I don't get why we need so many meetings and talks before anything gets done. It feels like a lot of people are just trying to slow things down. 
I think it's a good idea to speed things up, maybe that way more people can benefit from the protection against unfair dismissal sooner rather than later. 
Those who don't want unions to talk to workers should be fined, period! 
.