London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Backlash as workers' rights left out of Queen's Speech

Backlash as workers' rights left out of Queen's Speech

The omission of measures to improve workers' rights from the Queen's Speech has been criticised.

Unions accused the government of "turning its back" on workers while industry groups said they were disappointed the bill had been omitted.

Flexible working rights, protections against pregnancy discrimination, and rights for staff to keep all tips had been hoped for in an Employment Bill.

Plans for the bill were first announced by the government in 2019.

A planned Employment Bill was first announced in the Queen's Speech in December 2019, but no firm legalisation has been brought forward to date.

There had been concerns that workers' rights could be watered down after the UK left the EU, and worries about treatment of employees in the gig economy had also led to calls for reform.

TUC head Frances O'Grady said the lack of the Employment Bill in Tuesday's Queen's Speech meant "vital rights that ministers had promised - like default flexible working, fair tips and protection from pregnancy discrimination - risk being ditched for good".

She claimed by shelving the legislation, ministers had "sent a signal that they are happy for rogue employers to ride roughshod over workers' rights," adding it would see "bad bosses celebrating".

When first announced, the bill had promised:

*  the creation of a single enforcement body, offering greater protections for workers

*  making sure that tips left for workers go to them in full

*  all workers would have the right to ask for a more predictable contract

*  redundancy protections would be extended to prevent pregnancy and maternity discrimination

*  parents allowed to take extended leave for neonatal care

*  entitlement to one week's leave for unpaid carers

*  subject to consultation, the bill also proposed making flexible working the default unless employers have good reason not to.

The government said it had a "strong track record in supporting workers" as well as "protecting and enhancing their rights".

"Our ambitious legislative programme includes a comprehensive set of bills which enable us to deliver on priorities like growing the economy, which will in turn help address rising living costs and get people into good jobs," it added.

Although there was no Employment Bill announced,the speech the government did confirm plans to introduce legislation banning ferries from docking at UK ports if workers aren't being paid the equivalent of National Minimum Wage.

The move comes after P&O Ferries' sacked 800 seafarers without notice.

The Department for Transport said the Harbours Bill aimed to deter companies from repeating P&O Ferries' actions, by closing loopholes used by some firms operating in and out of UK ports.

The British Ports Association said the policy could work, but said it wasn't happy that ports were being asked to enforce it.


Pregnancy protection call


Ros Bragg, director of maternity rights charity Maternity Action, said she was "deeply disappointed and frustrated" that the Employment Bill did not feature in the Queen's Speech.

She said pregnant women and new mothers needed "urgent legal protections from unfair redundancies", which she said had "dramatically increased" since the coronavirus pandemic.

She called on ministers to adopt the bill put forward by former cabinet minister Maria Miller, who has proposed legalisation to prevent firms from sacking women during pregnancy or six months afterwards.

"We'd also urge strengthening legal protections for insecure workers - who are predominantly women, and who are currently bearing the brunt of the poverty crisis," Ms Bragg added.

"Ministers have promised women stronger legal protection, and they now need to urgently deliver on that promise."

Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, said it was "incredibly disappointing" the government had "chosen to kick the Employment Bill into the long grass again".

"It is now two and a half years since the Employment Bill was first promised, and five years since the Taylor review into modern working practices - the government must prove its commitment to this issue and bring forward this bill as soon as possible."

Verity Davidge, director of policy at manufacturing organisation Make UK, said: "Business will be frustrated that, yet again, three years after having promised it there was no Employment Bill. This is a major omission given how fast the world of work is changing, a trend accelerated by the pandemic."


'Missed opportunity'


Meanwhile, Ben Willmott, head of policy for the CIPD, which represents HR professionals, said the omission of the bill left the government with "very little time to meet its promises to protect and enhance workers' rights".

Mr Willmott added it was a "missed opportunity" to protect workers rights, particular those in lower paid jobs dealing with rising household costs.

"The recent sacking of workers, without notice, by P&O Ferries shows that much more needs to be done to ensure unscrupulous employers cannot ignore their legal responsibilities and undercut employment standards in the UK," he said

"It will also be hugely disappointing for working carers that there is no progress on legislating to give them new rights to take time off to manage their caring responsibilities."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×