(Ashton-under-Lyne)
(Lab):...We are ambitious for our country, and our ambitions do
not stop there. Labour will strengthen the protections afforded
to all workers by ending qualifying periods for basic rights,
which leave working people waiting up to two years for their
basic protections. Labour will end this arbitrary system, and
will scrap qualifying time for basic rights such as those on
unfair dismissal, sick pay and paternity pay. With a Labour
Government, working people will have rights at work from day one,
but this not just about workers; so many businesses play by the
rules and try to do the right thing but are undercut by the
offshore and the unscrupulous. Many of them are the small and
medium-sized businesses that are the backbone of our local and
regional economies, and they deserve better, too. We would scrap
business rates to help our high streets flourish. Just
today, Deliveroo and
GMB union have reached a groundbreaking agreement, which shows
how innovation and a voice at work can go hand in hand. It is
good that there are successful businesses that understand the
value of trade unions in a modern economy.
(Nottingham North)
(Lab/Co-op):...We should be cheered by the news this morning
that Deliveroo and
the GMB have reached a recognition agreement. That shows once
again that the timeless and long-standing values of trade
unionism are as relevant as ever in the modern economy. That will
be good for Deliveroo’s staff and for its
business. It is a partnership; one does not come at the expense
of others. However, the Government should be introducing
employment legislation rather than hoping that the answer for
people in low-paid work is to work longer and harder, taking more
jobs, operating in the wild west of zero-hours contracts and
bogus self-employment—colleagues raised that—and not really
knowing what they will earn from one week to the next. According
to the TUC, the failure to act in this area is costing the
Treasury £10 billion a year. What could we do with that £10
billion from people in regular employment paying tax and not
reliant on social security? We could meet 40% of the social care
budget from that alone...
(Wigan) (Lab):...As my hon.
Friend the Member for Easington () said, we will proactively
defend and support the people who power this country. We will not
stand aside when workers are thrown on the scrapheap. It really
does make nonsense of claims of levelling up when we have a
shower of Ministers who did not lift a finger to help hundreds of
P&O workers until the news about P&O was made public.
Today, the GMB and Deliveroo have
shown that the jobs of the future can be jobs that people can
raise a family on with dignity, security and respect. The hon.
Member for Watford (), who is here to listen to
the winding-up speeches, has run an admirable campaign to protect
the tips of hard-working staff from unscrupulous employers, but
where is the employment Bill that has been promised 20 times?
Seriously, where is it?
