United Kingdom: Labour’s entry into the campaign stumbles over workers’ rights

Last summer, the British Labour Party, which is expected to win the general election on 4 July, drew up an ‘agreement for workers’ rights’ in consultation with the unions. Finally, a revised text was obtained by the press. Workers' organisations are denouncing a watering down of the promises.
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A decent minimum wage, less insecure jobs, stronger employer-union relations… The Labour party’s promises to employees published on 24 May should have pleased the trade unions. Labour has been working for months with the social partners, particularly the trade unions, on its ‘New Deal for employee rights’ unveiled last July. But the programmatic text published last Friday contains significant changes compared to the document published in the summer of 2023.

Promises scaled back

The Unite union (1

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