The Workers Union has issued a statement backing a ‘complete overhaul’ of existing labour market regulations.
The news came as the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) released a report which argues that ‘People need to be supported into secure roles with opportunities for training and progression.’
The report used Office of National Statistics figures to analyse the scale of insecure work in the UK. It found that the number of people on zero hours contracts rose to over a million in Spring 2020.
In response the CPP suggests that abolishing zero hours contracts and protecting workers’ rights should be amongst the key priorities for government as the country recovers from Coronavirus.
The Workers Union Says
The CPP’s report highlights the plight of people in insecure work. As such, it is part of a growing movement to ‘build back better’ as the COVID dust settles.
It’s not hard to see why it’s become such a hot topic. Too many workers are exploited by a system that provides “flexibility” in name only. The truth is that tagging it so benignly disguises the real costs for many hard-pressed people. Their lived experience is the drip drip effect of constantly worrying about how to pay the rent. It’s the feeling of powerlessness as events rob them of opportunities to earn money. This overall effect could eventually turn into ripples which in turn could become a tsunami for both workers and the economy.
The Workers Union believes that it is both ethically and economically tone deaf to continue to claim that the “hidden hand” of the market will resolve these issues. We live in unprecedented times after all, where the measure of our social and economic literacy will be defined by the humanity of our response. So we say to the government, use your access to the levers of power for good. Deliver the labour market enforcement body that you promised in your manifesto. Give it enough teeth to make a significant impact on the way workers are treated. If you fail to do this, you will continue to build structural inequalities into the fabric of British society.
The Workers Union – Britain’s hardest working union
