Corbyn pledges to scrap Blair union laws in favour of collective bargaining – and an end to zero-hours contracts
Jeremy Corbyn addresses a Labour leadership campaign rally in Hull. It was a miracle photographer Danny Lawson (for PA) could get close to him…
These promises are a clear response to Owen Smith’s policies on pay negotiation and zero-hours contracts.
Is the collective bargaining plan any good? This Writer doesn’t know. If any experts on employment law are among our readership, feel free to debate the proposal – and Owen Smith’s alternatives – here.
His plan to eradicate zero-hours contracts seems streets ahead of Mr Smith’s ‘single-hour contracts’ idea, though.
![... This was the size of the crowd Mr Corbyn was addressing. [Image: From Twitter].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/160731-Corbyn-in-Hull.jpg)
… This was the size of the crowd Mr Corbyn was addressing. [Image: From Twitter].
Jeremy Corbyn would require companies with more than 250 employees to accept new industrial laws under which they would have to recognise a specific union with which to bargain over pay.
Aides to the Labour leader said a Corbyn government would “repeal” 1999 union legislation that was passed by a Labour government to introduce a new French-style framework of union rights.
Writing in the Observer, Corbyn said change was made urgent by the corporate governance scandals involving Mike Ashley at Sports Direct and Philip Green at BHS, and the row over the decision by the Byron hamburger chain to help immigration officials arrest 35 of its staff who were working illegally in the country. “Even Theresa May understands she has to pay lip service to change in the workplace and the boardroom …,” writes Corbyn.
“But the best way to guarantee fair pay is through strengthening unions’ ability to bargain collectively – giving employees the right to organise through a union and negotiate their pay, terms and conditions at work,” he writes.
“That’s why it should be mandatory for all large employers, with over 250 staff, to bargain collectively with recognised trade unions.”
Currently a union seeking recognition must show that 10% of employees are members and 50% want them to lead on pay bargaining. If that is not the case, a secret ballot is held and union recognition requires a majority of those voting and at least 40% of those eligible to vote to support recognition.
Corbyn also proposes that all employees be given guaranteed hours which must be specified and written into a contract – bringing an end to zero-hour contracts. If an employer wants workers to work beyond those hours, they must specify the length of additional work along with a reason for asking.
An employer will also have to give reasonable compensation, akin to an “on-call” payment to an employee, for agreeing to make themselves available for additional work, whether they are ultimately asked to do so or not.
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I have friends in Denmark, and if I understood their version of ZHC if an employee is asked to make themselves available for work, they must be paid 4 hours, as a minimum even if they are then not required to do anything. The four hours seems like a reasonable amount, especially if travel to the workplace has been required.
The Banks, Hedge Fund Managers, Vulture Capitalists, Murdoch, and all other members of The Screw The Poor Elite Clique which includes T Blair, H Harman, T Jowell, E Cooper ( Balls) A Eagle T Watson O Smith C Umanna and the rest of their Conservative Party Mates will now make the attacks and character assassination of The Man of The People to Date look like playful ribbing Jeremy will go down in History as a Great Humanitarian and Leader and if the above brainwash bully and threaten their way to a win Jeremy will be the Greatest Prime Minister Britain Never Had. “Things are getting scary Mike”
Corbyn will never get anywhere as if they can’t throw him out, the MPs will split the party. And does he want to go back to the 1970s with everything paralysed by strikes?
Employers will squeal all the way home from their banks.
A little social responsibility from them would be a very good thing for ‘hardworking families’.
I think Jeremy is the better choice because he’s real, he’s positive and seemingly genuine. With those qualities he’s the winner, plus he even looks real.
The Corporates and companies like B & Q will fight it all the way. They require big profit margins, salary hikes for their executives, even larger tax free bonuses, shareholder profits and then and only then, what, if anything is left in the pot can go towards all the staff members who worked to make these profits. It is a fair way of trading but this country is a corporatised and low waged country and that will not be allowed to change anytime soon. The right wing hollow suits will fight – Tory and Labour.
Ooh, the red tories in labour won’t like that, they’ll try to scupper it, just you watch!