There are approximately 88,000 people in employment in Bedford Borough. Of these, it’s estimated there are 2,744 people on zero-hours contracts.
I have always been concerned about zero-hours contracts, where the employer is not required to provide a minimum number of hours. This means an employee doesn’t know when and for how long they will be working and how much they will be paid in any given week.
Therefore, as Bedford Borough Labour group leader and as a Trades Union Representative, I am pleased the new Labour Government has introduced the Employment Rights Bill.
This will provide new protections and rights at work for millions of workers – modernising our employment laws and helping to fire the British economy.
One of the most important aspects of the new Bill is the ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts. Analysis from Labour shows that 3.1% of workers across the UK are on these contracts.
The Government’s Employment Rights Bill will end this exploitation, end fire and rehire, and introduce basic employment rights from day one – like paternity and parental leave, and protection from unfair dismissal.
It also introduces the right to bereavement leave from day one. These protections and rights will benefit workers in Bedford Borough.
This is the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation and a significant step towards delivering this government’s plan to make work pay.
Other benefits of the Bill include making flexible working the norm where practical, delivering stronger dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers, establishing a new Fair Work Agency with new powers to enforce holiday pay, and strengthening statutory sick pay.
I’ve seen first-hand when meeting residents locally the anxiety and hardship that can be caused by insecure and inconsistent employment, with a detrimental impact on health, housing and family life.
These new measures are designed to give us all the protections we need and create a workforce ready to deliver economic growth after fourteen years of stagnation under the Conservatives.
These are real, practical improvements that are going to change lives – and I welcome them.
This is a monthly guest column provided by
Cllr Carl Meader, leader of Bedford Borough Labour Group.
It is published unedited and does not reflect the
views of the Bedford Independent.
