Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has robustly defended the government's contentious decision to abandon its pledge to grant workers protection from unfair dismissal from their very first day in a new job.
A Significant Concession
The government has axed a key proposal from its flagship Employment Rights Bill, which was to reduce the qualifying period for making an unfair dismissal claim from 24 months to day one. Instead, ministers now intend to introduce this right after an employee has completed six months of service.
This significant concession, announced on Thursday, was made in an effort to break a parliamentary stand-off and get the legislation through Parliament. However, Ms Phillipson insisted this did not represent a U-turn or a breach of Labour's manifesto promises.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she stated, "I don't accept that characterisation, I'm afraid. The Employment Rights Bill represents the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation." She reiterated this position to Sky News, denying it was a broken promise.
Manifesto Promises and Political Fallout
The move has sparked immediate backlash from within the Labour Party and trade unions. The party's manifesto had explicitly promised to introduce basic rights from day one to parental leave, sick pay, and protection from unfair dismissal.
Labour MP for Poole, Neil Duncan-Jordan, expressed his dismay, telling PA news agency, "There has been no discussion with the PLP about this. The Lords don't have primacy over a manifesto commitment, so why have we capitulated?"
Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, added, "Employers have nothing to fear from day-one rights, but workers have everything to fear from an employer who doesn't want day-one rights."
Former employment minister Justin Madders directly contradicted Business Secretary Peter Kyle's claim that the move did not breach the manifesto, calling it "a manifesto breach," even if it was a necessary compromise.
Mixed Reactions from Unions and Business
The Unite union's leader, Sharon Graham, declared that the Bill had become "a shell of its former self." In contrast, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak struck a more pragmatic tone, stating the "absolute priority" was to get the legislation onto the statute books.
Business groups welcomed the government's climbdown. They argued that the new six-month qualifying period was crucial for business confidence in hiring, though they warned that firms still had concerns about other measures in the Bill, including the ban on zero-hours contracts.
Meanwhile, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch seized on the controversy, describing it as "another humiliating U-turn" for Labour.
Despite the change on unfair dismissal, other day-one rights to parental leave and sick pay are still set to go ahead and are scheduled to come into effect in April 2026.
