Sir Keir Starmer has moved to reassure union bosses about his party’s plans to strengthen workers’ rights, after being accused of weakening them.
The party has promised radical change for workers if they win office – including banning zero-hour contracts, labor rights from day one and end the practice of “fire and rehire”.
The new deal for workers was considered the biggest advance in workers’ rights in decades when it was first introduced by Angela Rayner in 2021.
The party made some changes last summer, but union leaders claimed that a new document distributed to them last week was an attempt to backtrack further on these commitments.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, called the new document – which has not been made public – a “betrayal” and “unrecognizable” from the original plans.
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With tensions high, the heads of Labor Party-affiliated unions met with Sir Keir, deputy leader Angela Rayner and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and agreed to scrap the new project.
In a joint statement, they said: “Labour and affiliated unions had a constructive discussion today. Together, we reiterated Labour’s full commitment to the new deal for workers, as agreed in July.
“We will continue to work together on the pace of how a Labor government would implement this into legislation.”
Union sources who feared that the Labor leadership was bowing to pressure from big business ahead of the election claimed that the party had been convinced to back down.
After three hours at the Labor Party headquarters in south London – although it is understood Sir Keir was not present for the entire meeting – Ms Graham said the Labor Party’s position had changed.
She told Sky News: “It was constructive. I think it was very important that workers’ voices were heard at the meeting itself, because we wanted to reaffirm our position that the New Deal for Workers must be implemented.
“We have a very good position where this has been renewed. We will meet again in three weeks, after we gather some information to discuss a new document. It was a decisive meeting. It was a red line meeting. But I think we’re there.” She added: “I think [Labour’s position] changed”.
The new deal originally came with the promise that a “labor rights bill” to legislate on it would be presented within 100 days of winning power, although this is now seen as unrealistic.
Some changes were agreed last summer at the national policy forum, a meeting of party officials, MPs and union leaders, which the Unite boss claimed was an attempt to “curry favors from big business”.
The Financial Times reported last week that a new draft included even more business-friendly language on fire and rehiring — essentially laying off workers and hiring them back on less favorable terms.
The paper reported that it contained a line about the importance of allowing companies to “restructure to remain viable and preserve their workforce when there really is no alternative.”
It was also claimed that zero hours contracts would not be banned completely because some people choose to have them – but would give workers rights to a contract that reflects their usual standard of work.
Labor has also promised to bring in fair pay arrangements for social workers, which right-wing think tank Policy Exchange said could add £225 to the average council tax bill.
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Rayner’s plan for workers’ rights sets up a major battle
Sir Keir’s party now have scaled back their 2021 plans to invest £28 billion in green energyafter a prolonged battle within the party.
Union leaders will hold Sir Keir and his shadow chancellors to the fire to ensure that another of their party’s most radical fault lines does not go the same way, under the glare of an election campaign.
But despite today’s smiles, this is a late fight, with more disputes to be had.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
