Labour’s new deal for working people to make Britain the best place to work

As part of Labour’s campaign for a new deal for working people, Rachel Hopkins MP has been visiting workplaces across Luton South to see how employers, who work with their workers and Trade Unions to deliver good terms and conditions, can lead the way in making Britain the best place to work. Over the past two weeks, Rachel has visited London-Luton Airport and businesses in the town centre and Bury Park.

The Labour Party has pledged to make Britain “the best place to work” after a decade of Conservative failure, which has seen family incomes stagnating, more than 3.6 million people now in insecure work, and in-work poverty at a record high – with one in six working families in poverty.

The Labour Party will be setting out a new deal for working people based on five principles of good work:

• Security at work – Better and fairer workplaces by giving workers full rights from day one on the job; outlawing fire and rehire; a new right to work flexibly; and strengthened trade unions.

• Quality jobs – a strong Industrial Strategy that uses government contracts to support British businesses, so we buy, make and sell more in Britain, delivering investment in high-quality, well-paid green jobs in the industries of the future.

• A fairer economy – a fair and level playing field on tax between the multinational giants and local businesses on the high street; and tackling harassment and discrimination at work so everyone can get on.

• Opportunity for all – A jobs-promise for young people with a guarantee of quality education, training, or employment; and create tens of thousands of apprenticeships by ending the Treasury raid of the apprenticeship levy.

• Work that pays – Make sure that work pays paid wages that people can raise a family on with a real living wage of at least £10 an hour; and more workers covered by collectively agreed deals which boost pay.

Rachel Hopkins MP said:

“Despite there being many good employers in Luton South, after eleven years of Conservative rule, we are caught in an economic system that has led to low wages and in-work poverty and is not delivering for people in our town.

“People in Luton deserve an economy that provides equality, fairness, security, and opportunity for all. The Labour Party’s plan will bring about good quality jobs for Luton South and right across the country, ensuring that all working people have security and dignity.”

-ENDS-

Notes:

• ONS figures show that average real-terms household income in the last 10 years has remained stagnant or reduced. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/articles/supplementaryanalysisofaverageweeklyearnings/august2018

• TUC research has found that one in nine UK workers – 3.6 million people – have no pay or job security, and the pandemic threatens to push the level of insecure work even higher. The research found that nearly three-quarters of people on zero-hours contracts reported losing out on shifts during the pandemic – meaning a loss of income. https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/tuc-calls-government-finally-deliver-workers-rights-after-repeated-failures-four-years

• ‘Solo’ self-employment has risen dramatically in the UK to now stand at more than 14% of workers now classified as solo self-employed. https://ifs.org.uk/publications/15182 https://ifs.org.uk/publications/15182

• The number of working households living in relative poverty hit a record high just before the pandemic. Research from IPPR found that more than one in six working households – or 17.4 per cent – living in poverty. https://www.ippr.org/files/2021-05/no-longer-managing-may21.pdf

• Relative child poverty has risen for four consecutive years and now stands at over 4.2 million. https://cpag.org.uk/news-blogs/news-listings/child-poverty-continues-rise-pandemic-response-falls-short-families