TUC urges government to deliver Employment Rights Bill ‘in full’ amid union and business concern

The Trades Union Congress has urged the government to enact its Employment Rights Bill "in full," warning that watering down the measures would undermine protections for millions of workers. Speaking at the TUC congress in Brighton, general secretary Paul Novak said the legislation would provide a "massive boost to rights for millions of working people" and called on ministers to "stay on course".

The bill, which the government has framed as a major overhaul of workers' rights, would extend protections against unfair dismissal and seek to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts. Novak told the BBC he was "confident that the government will deliver on its commitments to enact that employment rights bill in full." He cautioned against concessions to business, saying: "I think that's the last thing government should countenance. Having people in well-paid, secure employment is good for everybody. It's good for workers, but it's also good for the good employers who are being undercut by the cowboys, and it's good for the UK economy."

A senior Labour MP told the BBC that some in the party fear the bill could be "slow walked," suggesting that economic pressures might prompt ministers to delay or dilute implementation as an olive branch to business. Concern about potential weakening of the legislation has come not only from the traditional left of the labour movement but also from unions on its right, the TUC said.

Union officials at the congress highlighted a July amendment added by the House of Lords that would alter a proposed requirement on guaranteed hours. The Lords change would convert an employer obligation to offer guaranteed hours into a right for employees merely to request guaranteed hours, a shift that the union USDAW said would represent a significant reduction in protections for its more than 300,000 members, many employed in supermarkets, factories and warehouses. USDAW warned that removing a statutory right to a contract reflecting normal hours would leave insecure workers more exposed.

The federation representing small businesses has urged ministers to use recent ministerial changes as an opportunity to address concerns about the bill. Craig Beaumont, director of policy at the Federation of Small Businesses, said his organisation's polling found 92% of employer respondents worried about the proposed legislation, noting many small firms lack dedicated HR teams and feel overwhelmed by multiple incoming measures. Beaumont said the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner from the government and the sacking of Employment Minister Justin Madders, together with the reassignment of Jonathan Reynolds from the business brief to chief whip, "present an opportunity to 'fix the issues.'"

TUC leaders expressed particular unease about those personnel changes, arguing they increase the risk the bill could be altered in ways that reduce employee protections. Several senior union figures at the congress said they feared the legislation would be watered down following the departures and reshuffle, though ministers have not announced plans to change the bill's substance.

The Employment Rights Bill has passed through earlier parliamentary stages and been subject to amendment in the House of Lords. Any revisions will need to be reconciled with the Commons before the bill becomes law. Supporters say the measures will strengthen job security and level the playing field between responsible employers and firms that undercut standards. Critics among employers say the proposals could place undue burdens on small businesses already facing economic strain.

As the government moves forward, unions and business groups are pressing for clarity about the final shape and timing of the reforms. The TUC's call at its Brighton congress underscores the political and industrial significance of the bill and the contest over how far new workplace protections will reach.