The Tory Bill for workers’ rights – just another Boris Johnson lie?
The Tory two-fingered salute: this time it’s for working people across the UK who thought the lying Boris Johnson was ever going to offer them a fair deal.
Simple answer: it’s what they do.
Unions and industry groups were incensed earlier this week when they discovered that the Tory government has not included an Employment Bill to protect workers’ rights in plans for the new Parliamentary session.
Why were they so upset?
Because the Tories had promised it, that’s why!
Boris Johnson had responded to concerns that workers’ rights could be watered down after the UK left the EU, and worries about treatment of employees in the gig economy with a pledge to enshrine rights in law. That was in 2019.
Since then, nothing.
According to the BBC,
When first announced, the bill had promised:
- the creation of a single enforcement body, offering greater protections for workers
- making sure that tips left for workers go to them in full
- all workers would have the right to ask for a more predictable contract
- redundancy protections would be extended to prevent pregnancy and maternity discrimination
- parents allowed to take extended leave for neonatal care
- entitlement to one week’s leave for unpaid carers
- subject to consultation, the bill also proposed making flexible working the default unless employers have good reason not to.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said the lack of the Employment Bill in Tuesday’s Queen’s Speech meant “vital rights that ministers had promised – like default flexible working, fair tips and protection from pregnancy discrimination – risk being ditched for good”.
She claimed ministers had “sent a signal that they are happy for rogue employers to ride roughshod over workers’ rights,” adding it would see “bad bosses celebrating”.
She’s not wrong!
But then, working people and their representatives were wrong ever to believe that Boris Johnson and his gang of asset-strippers and exploiters would ever legislate to ensure proper treatment for them.
In short, it seems clear that the promise of an Employment Bill was another Boris Johnson lie. We should have treated it as such from the start.
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No one in their right mind can believe ,or trust anything that the tories say or do….The same goes for Starmer and his front bench either! We are really screwed!
Convict fascist dictator duck johnson and his criminal cohorts never had any intention of passing legislation according worker rights so I’m very surprised trade union representatives are incensed. They must have known the fascist tories are only interested in protecting greedy bosses and ensuring workers continue to have no rights whatsoever!
Time for trade union members to engage in protest action because this is the only way to force the fascist tories to even listen. Oh but protest action is now illegal!