Workers rights must be protected from 'cynical' Tory attacks, union warns

Workers rights must be protected from “cynical” Tory attacks, the Trades Union Congress has warned.

Publishing new analysis on the eve of their annual conference in Brighton, the TUC revealed 4 million people are in insecure work, or 1 in 8 of the workforce. They said insecure work is "pervasive" across the UK and bad for both workers and the economy.

The TUC defines insecure work as those on zero-hours contracts, agency, casual and seasonal workers (but not those on fixed–term contracts) and the low-paid self-employed who miss out on key rights and protections. This soared under the Tories, increasing by 800,000 from 2011 to 2024.

READ MORE: CHRISTINA MCANEA: 'After years of Tory fibs and failure, fixing social care isn’t just the right thing to do, it's how Labour proves it’s ready to govern for working people

READ MORE: Dad reveals horror at illegal eviction and landlord kept removing doors

Low-paid jobs in care, leisure, service and the elementary sector account for 77% of the net increase in insecure jobs. In addition, black and minority ethnic (BME) workers have been disproportionately affected. Between 2011 and 2024, the proportion of BME workers in insecure employment has risen from 12.2% to 16.3%, and BME workers account for 70% of the explosion in insecure work.

The TUC is now urging the government to “stand firm” in the face of cynical attacks on the Employment Rights Bill, with the Bill set for parliamentary ping pong after Conservative and Lib Dem Peers tried to dilute key workers’ rights in the Lords.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “When workers don’t have security at work, they tend to earn less, and that means they spend less too.

“The Tory experiment with low-paid, insecure work has been tested to destruction.

“That’s why the Employment Rights Bill is so badly needed. It will help to tackle the scourge of insecure work with a ban on exploitative zero hours contracts, which includes agency workers, and provide workers with a host of vital other protections like day one sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal and harassment.

“The government must stand firm in the face of cynical attacks from Conservatives and Lib Dems – who are trying to block rights for millions of workers.”

READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster