Starmer urged to make ‘populist case’ for workers’ rights reforms

Keir Starmer must make the “populist case” for workers’ rights reforms, unions have said, after a new mega-poll suggested the reforms were the most popular of almost all policies but have extremely limited public recognition.

The employment rights bill will return to the Commons on Monday with a pledge by senior government figures not to water down reforms to zero-hours contracts or new rights at work.

The bill had been championed by Angela Rayner, who has resigned as deputy prime minister. Senior union figures were deeply concerned at the departure of Rayner and the business minister, Justin Madders, in the reshuffle – and concerned by the appointment of Peter Kyle as business secretary.

A number of strategists in No 10 and the Treasury are said to have been cautious about the bill after a backlash from business and Rayner had been the key cabinet minister holding the line.

In calls with union leaders, however, Kyle has promised there will be no backsliding on the legislation. The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, also promised it would be delivered in a speech to the TUC conference.

Union leaders are keen to put the spotlight back on the bill when it finishes its passage through parliament to ensure there is no further tampering as it is implemented. Key decisions will be made via secondary legislation on vital issues such as compensation for cancelled shifts.

The TUC’s general secretary, Paul Nowak, who will meet MPs on Monday to present the findings of the poll, said it was right that the government was planning to vote down Conservative and Liberal Democrat amendments to the bill on Monday.

“These reforms cannot be allowed to stall,” he said. “Banning zero-hours contracts, ending fire-and-rehire, and day-one protection from unfair dismissal aren’t just the right things to do – they’re overwhelmingly popular across the political spectrum.

“The government has a powerful story to tell with this bill – one that can resonate across its electoral coalition. Now it must go out and own this agenda.”

The 45,000-voter poll for the TUC and Hope Not Hate, funded by the Labour donor and green energy tycoon Dale Vince, suggests that major reforms such as the end to the vast majority of zero-hours contracts, fire-and-rehire, day-one rights at work and protection against unfair dismissal are near-universally popular.

However, only about one in four voters has any knowledge of the sweeping reforms. When told about the changes, more than seven in 10 support workers being protected from unfair dismissal from the first day in the job, instead of the current two years. That support rises to 77% for 2024 Labour voters who have since switched to Reform.

One of the groups recording the highest level of support is low-income women Reform voters aged 35-44, 83% of which back the policy. Nearly 80% support employers having to offer zero-hours contract workers a guaranteed-hours contract based on the hours they usually work after 12 weeks – another key part of the bill. That rises to 85% for Labour-Reform switchers.

More than three-quarters of the public support workers being entitled to sick pay from day one, a number that again rises among Reform switchers.

Nick Lowles, the chief executive of Hope Not Hate, said the “real fault line” was economic insecurity rather than immigration, adding: “People are angry for good reason. They’re working harder than ever and getting less and less back.

“They want a government that’s willing to stand up to vested interests and fix an economy they feel is rigged against them,” he said.

“Strengthening workers’ rights can help rebuild trust. But only if it’s front and centre – not an afterthought. The government needs to make the populist case for making work pay.”

Nowak said MPs and activists must keep close eye on the bill’s implementation once it had passed. “We need watertight secondary legislation so there are no loopholes for bad bosses. And ministers must hold their nerve against the inevitable scare stories from parts of the business lobby and ensure the bill delivers the secure jobs millions desperately need.”