TUC general secretary ‘confident not complacent’ over Employment Rights Bill

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak has said he is “confident but not complacent” that the Employment Rights Bill will be passed in full, despite several architects of the bill leaving the government.

Following Angela Rayner’s resignation on Friday, Justin Madders was removed as employment rights minister in Starmer’s first government reshuffle, prompting speculation that the government may move to water down elements of the bill before Royal Assent.

In a press conference ahead of the opening of TUC Congress in Brighton, Nowak said: “I’m never complacent but I am confident that the government will deliver the bill and deliver it in full.

“Earlier this week at our parliamentary reception, the Prime Minister looked me in the eye and talked about delivering the Employment Rights Bill and improvements in employment law, which he said would have an impact for generations to come.

“I see no evidence that the bill is going to be watered down, but we will certainly be campaigning hard to make sure that it has the impact that it needs.”

Nowak stressed that the bill not only strengthens the rights of millions of workers, but also features a variety of measures that are popular among the public – including an end to “exploitative” zero hours contracts and protection from unfair dismissal.

While he acknowledged that Unite still maintain concerns around provisions on fire and rehire practices in the bill, Nowak said that the Employment Rights Bill is an important step forward in improving conditions for millions of workers.

“Do I think that the Employment Rights Bill represents the endpoint in terms of improvements in the lives of working people in this country? Absolutely not. As a trade unionist, we always want more for our members.

“My job isn’t to get the Employment Rights Bill over the line in the next few weeks for us to say ‘there’s no more need for improvement in employment rights’. There’s certainly more that can be done, but the priority at the moment is getting this bill over the line and getting it through in full and watertight.”

One measure Nowak suggested unions could push the government to improve included corporate governance: “I think there have been far too often decisions taken in boardrooms that are too short-term and don’t take into account the long-term interest of workers, customers or the wider community.”

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While the TUC itself is not affiliated to the Labour Party, Nowak said that the next deputy leader of the party must demonstrate that they are “on the side of working people”.

“A candidate who prioritises delivering the Employment Rights Bill and is prepared to stand up for working people – that’s my priority.”

When asked whether Keir Starmer was the best leader Labour could have right now, Nowak said: “I’m not interested in playing Cabinet Top Trumps or who should be in a position. What I’m really interested in is a government that delivers on the policies that matter to working people.

“We know that the government has been going through a difficult period. The key thing is now they get on with that phase two and deliver the change that people voted for last year.”

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