Labour Abandons Key Workers' Rights Pledge
Sir Keir Starmer's government is confronting significant internal rebellion after performing a dramatic U-turn on a flagship workers' rights commitment. Ministers have abandoned their manifesto promise to provide employees with protection from unfair dismissal from their first day in a new job.
The controversial decision, confirmed on Thursday night, represents a major dilution of the government's much-vaunted Employment Rights Bill. Instead of implementing day-one protection, the legislation will now introduce this right after six months of service - still a significant reduction from the current two-year qualifying period, but falling short of the party's election pledge.
Backbench Fury and Union Condemnation
The concession has ignited immediate anger among Labour backbenchers and trade unions. Former employment minister Justin Madders stated unequivocally that the move constituted a manifesto breach, while other parliamentarians described the Prime Minister as appearing "weak" in the face of business pressure.
Labour MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, Andy McDonald, branded the climbdown a "complete betrayal" and vowed to campaign for its reversal. He emphasised that backbenchers "cannot support that halfway measure" and declared the move "wrong-headed".
Unite union leader Sharon Graham delivered a particularly scathing assessment, stating that the bill had become "a shell of its former self" following the concession to business concerns about potential recruitment challenges and costs.
Government Defends Consultation Process
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson mounted a robust defence of the government's position, denying that the change represented a broken promise. She pointed to the manifesto's commitment to consultation with businesses, workers, and civil society before implementing the legislation.
"In the manifesto, what we said was that we would work with trade unions, with business, with civil society, in consulting on those protections that we'd be bringing forward," Phillipson stated, highlighting that the consultation process had revealed significant business apprehension about the day-one proposal.
The bill had been caught in a parliamentary stand-off between the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the original plan. The government's compromise position aims to break this deadlock while still delivering substantial improvements to workers' rights compared to the previous system.
Despite the controversy, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak struck a more pragmatic note, suggesting that the "absolute priority" remained getting the legislation onto the statute books to secure other important protections for workers.
