"Overwhelming support” for Labour’s New Deal for Workers, including among Tory voters – new TUC poll

• "It’s time to reset the economy to work for working people” - TUC general secretary
• Polling published ahead of Labour Deputy Leader’s speech to Congress today

The TUC has today (Tuesday) published new polling which reveals overwhelming support for Labour’s New Deal for Working People.

The polling – conducted by Opinium – shows large-scale support across the political spectrum for Labour’s flagship workers’ rights programme, including among Conservative voters.

The polling reveals:

• Day one rights: 2 in 3 (67%) support all workers having a day one right to protection from unfair dismissal – including 61% of Conservative 2019 voters. 16% of UK adults oppose it.
• Gig economy rights: 6 in 10 (62%) support giving those working in the gig economy new rights and protections such as sick pay and holiday pay – including 59% of Conservative 2019 voters. In contrast, just 6% of UK adults oppose it.
• Ban on fire and rehire: 2 in 3 (67%) support a ban fire and rehire – including 64% of Conservative 2019 voters. In contrast, 17% of UK adults oppose it.
• Ban on zero hours contracts: 6 in 10 (63%) support a ban zero hours contracts – including 60% of Conservative 2019 voters. In contrast, 14% of UK adults oppose it.

And there is strong support for collective rights too, including:

• Union access to workplaces: Over half (51%) support giving trade unions a right to access any workplace to tell workers about the benefits of joining a trade union – including 4 in 10 (38%) Conservative 2019 voters. In contrast, 17% of UK adults oppose it.

All of these policies are in Labour’s new deal for working people – which the TUC says will be “transformative” and “the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation”.

Labour has pledged to deliver new rights for working people in an employment bill in its first 100 days.

The TUC has released the polling ahead of the shadow Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, delivering a speech to Congress later today. 

Dire Tory record

The TUC says Labour’s plan stands in “stark contrast” to the Conservatives’ dire record on workers’ rights in government.

The TUC says the Conservatives “have presided over a race to the bottom on pay and conditions”.

The Tories have overseen an erosion of rights at work, including raising the waiting period for protection against unfair dismissal to two years, leaving significant numbers of employees unprotected at any given time. Insecure work has exploded under the Conservatives, rising to one in nine of the workforce.

And their 2019 manifesto commitment of an employment bill is nowhere to be seen – despite being promised in parliament over 20 times.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“British voters across the political spectrum want more security and fairer treatment at work.

“For 13 long years, the Conservatives have presided over a race to the bottom on pay and conditions at work.

“The Tories have turned their back on working people – and the public are desperate for change.

“Labour’s transformative New Deal for Working People stands in stark contrast to the wretched Conservative record on workers’ rights.

“Make no mistake. Implementing the New Deal would be the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation.

“Unfair dismissal protection from day one, a ban on zero hours contracts, greater trade union access to workplaces and fair pay agreements, starting in social care, to get pay rising– these are just some of the policies Labour are promising if elected, with an employment bill in its first 100 days.

“After years of Tory failure, it’s time to reset the economy to work for working people.”

Angela Rayner, Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Strategic Lead for the New Deal for Working People said:

“Thirteen years of Tory failure has left our economy in crisis. The cost-of-living crisis is pushing people to the brink, with a cycle of insecure work and poor pay.

“Recent scandals like P&O ferries also show how bad bosses have the green light to undercut decent employers. It’s clear that this Government hasn’t just turned their backs on vulnerable workers but on a better economic future for our country.

“Labour’s New Deal for Working People will make our economy work for working people, and is part of our plan for growth.

“From creating secure jobs, to boosting pay by strengthening collective bargaining across the board including establishing a Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care, to ensuring flexibility at work goes both ways, it’s how we will fix a broken labour market, boost productivity and ensure we have the healthy, happy and motivated workforce we need for Britain to succeed.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

- Opinium: The polling was conducted by Opinium between the 23-25 of August 2023. It consisted of a nationally representative sample of 2,084 UK adults. The sample was weighted to be nationally and politically representative.

- The New Deal for Working People can be found at https://labour.org.uk/page/a-new-deal-for-working-people/.

- Day one protection against unfair dismissal would ensure that workers are not able to be dismissed for unfair reasons, nor without a fair process. At the moment, this protection does not usually apply until an employee has two years’ service, leaving significant numbers unprotected at any given time. This proposal is sometimes characterised as “the end of probation”: this is inaccurate. Employers will still be able to use probation periods, but if they discontinue employment they will need to do so for fair reasons and following a fair process.