Labour claims workers will benefit from “game changing” employment rights

By Bill Heaney 

Hundreds of thousands of Scots struggling with insecure work and low pay are set to benefit from landmark reforms agreed in Parliament.   

It is estimated that up to 288,750 Scots stand to benefit from Labour’s plans to tackle insecure work, while 200,000 of the lowest paid workers will see their pay rise as a result of changes to the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. 

Labour’s Employment Rights Bill has been called “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”. It will bring in day-one rights to parental leave, end exploitative zero hours contracts and fire and rehire, as well as ensure the lowest paid workers have access to sickness pay.  

It’s estimated that around one in 9 workers across Scotland are classed ‘insecure workers’ – a staggering 288,750 people.

This means they face a mixture of contractual and financial insecurity, as well as reduced rights in the workplace.  

Last week, Labour announced that it would be reforming the sick pay system so that the lowest paid workers – on less than £123 a week – would have access to sick pay.

The plans are expected to benefit up to 1.3 million people across the country, including 800,000 women and 560,000 workers aged 18-24.  

Labour’s Plan for Change aims to grow the economy and put more money in working people’s pockets. From April, around 200,000 workers in Scotland are set to benefit from rises to the national minimum and national living wage, worth £1400 for the average full-time worker. 

Scottish Labour Social Justice spokesperson Paul O’Kane said: “Labour’s game-changing plans will tackle the scourge of low pay and insecure work and transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of Scots.

“From boosting the minimum wage to expanding sick pay to banning exploitative zero hour contracts, this Labour government is standing up for working people and tackling poverty at its root.”

Justin Madders MP, Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets:  “Labour’s Employment Rights Bill is making work fairer and more secure, while boosting pay for millions of the lowest paid workers across the country. 

“Through our Plan for Change, Labour is making sure the world of work is fit for a modern, productive, and growing economy. The contrast couldn’t be clearer between a Labour government that stands up for workers and a Tory party stuck in the past.” 

 Source: Insecure Work in 2023 – Trades Union Congress