Angela Rayner is set to hold another round of talks with trade unions and business leaders as the Government continues its drive to end “exploitative” zero-hours contracts.
The Deputy Prime Minister and the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will meet general secretaries from Britain’s major trade unions along with figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on Wednesday afternoon as part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to expand workers’ rights.
The meeting is the latest in a series of discussions with unions and businesses on employment rights, with further such meetings expected over the coming weeks.
Wednesday’s meeting is not expected to result in a major announcement.
Labour’s manifesto committed it to banning “exploitative zero-hours contracts” as part of its wider “Make Work Pay” agenda, with reforms expected to be included in an Employment Rights Bill to be introduced in the party’s first 100 days in office.
But Labour also said it would consult businesses and unions on its plans before passing legislation, a process which began last month.
Those attending Wednesday’s meeting include TUC general secretary Paul Nowak, the general secretaries of the unions Unison, Usdaw, NASUWT and Community, CBI chief executive Rain Newton-Smith, and FSB policy and advocacy chair Tina McKenzie.
A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: “This Government has set out an ambitious agenda to update workers’ rights to fit the modern economy and make work pay.
“This includes ensuring those who want to work flexibly can, while ending one-sided flexibility and exploitative zero-hours contracts.
“We will work together with businesses to ensure workers have a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work while allowing them to remain on a zero hours contract if they decide this is what suits their needs.”
Around one million in the UK are thought to be on zero-hours contracts, according to the Office for National Statistics, equivalent to 3.1% of people in employment.
In August, a TUC survey suggested most workers on zero-hours contracts wanted to switch to regular hours.
