Truss eyes bonfire of workers’ rights to boost economy
Oliver Wright, Policy Editor
Saturday September 03 2022, 12.01am BST, The Times
Liz Truss wants to review existing EU worker protections
Liz Truss is preparing to shake up Britain’s post-Brexit employment rights as part of her agenda to kickstart the economy before the next election. The foreign secretary, who is expected to be confirmed as Britain’s next prime minister on Monday, wants to review existing EU worker protections, including the 48-hour working week, in an attempt to improve the competitiveness of the UK economy. The move will set her on a collision course with unions and risks being exploited by Labour who will claim that a Truss-led government will reduce protections and rights on sensitive issues such as holiday entitlement, pay and working conditions.
One source in the Truss camp said it would take “political courage” for the new prime minister to face down the opposition to the changes but said it was critical for the new government to address labour market reforms if it wanted to fulfil its pledge to improve productivity and competitiveness.
The policy is expected to be led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is being lined up by Truss to become business secretary. It is also understood to be backed by Kwasi Kwarteng, who is expected to become chancellor. He backed away from similar reforms last year when he was business secretary. A government source said the country was then in the midst of the pandemic and it did not seem “the right time to have a row about worker’s rights”, but added: “We are in a completely different world now.”
Among reforms due to be examined are changes to the 48-hour working week, part of the EU working time directive implemented in the UK in 1998. It prevents workers from being discriminated against or sacked if they refuse to work over 48 hours a week. •Liz Truss: from teenage Lib Dem to darling of the Tory right The new government is also understood to want to look at rules on taking breaks and calculating holiday pay that guarantees most people four weeks’ holiday a year plus bank holidays.
These rules were adopted into UK law by statutory instrument so could be dropped by the government without the need for primary legislation. Truss has already pledged that all EU regulations will be scrapped automatically by the end of next year apart from those explicitly endorsed by government ministers. This would allow the government to let elements of the directive fall away without a head-on confrontation with MPs. Changes to the labour laws proposed last year were rapidly dropped by Kwarteng after a leak, which angered unions and had muted support from business. One Conservative source said that Boris Johnson vetoed the plans because they would have gone against his pledge in the Brexit referendum not to strip workers of rights, but that Truss was not bound by such pledges.
Yesterday, in her final message of the campaign, Truss said she believed in a “brighter and better future for Britain”. She said: “If I am elected prime minister, I will never let anyone talk us down and I will do everything in my power to make sure our great nation succeeds.” She said if she was elected her “bold plan” would grow the economy and deliver workers higher wages. “I’ll do this by cutting taxes, pushing through supply-side reform and slashing red tape that is holding businesses back.”
Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, said Truss’s “No 1 priority should be to help families pay their bills this winter”. “Threatening hard-won workers’ rights is the last thing the country and working people need,” she said. “These are vital workplace protections and rights, not nice-to-haves.”
Nadhim Zahawi, the chancellor, said that the government would need to extend the cost of living support well into next year. Zahawi told a Policy Exchange event in London that the government would prioritise those who had “literally no headroom at all”. Meanwhile, a poll found that only 13 per cent of voters think Truss would be a good prime minister, with Britain unconvinced by her plans for the economy and energy bills.
Truss is less popular than Boris Johnson when he entered No 10 and far behind Theresa May when she took office. Of voters who backed the Tories at the last election, 25 per cent think she would be a good prime minister; 35 per cent think she would be a bad one. This has contributed to rising support for Labour, which has its joint highest support rating since 2013. Polling for The Times found that 51 per cent think she will be a bad prime minister, and winning over the 36 per cent who are undecided — rising to 40 per cent of 2019 Tory voters — will be crucial.
When May succeeded David Cameron in 2016, 46 per cent thought she would do a good job, twice as many as thought she would do badly. When Johnson took over from her in 2019, 20 per cent felt he would do a good job. Truss may take heart from the 80-seat majority Johnson won months later, but the latest YouGov poll finds voters unimpressed by what they have seen. Only 15 per cent think she is trustworthy, against 52 per cent saying she is not, and only 13 per cent think she cares about “people like me”, against 59 per cent believing she does not care.
Truss fares marginally better on other measures, but 42 per cent see her as weak, twice as many as those who see her as a strong leader. The result on Monday is expected to show that she crushed Rishi Sunak in an election in which her promise of immediate tax cuts won over Tory members. But only 12 per cent of the electorate think she has the right policies for the economy — 51 per cent say she does not. Even among 2019 Tory voters, only 23 per cent back her economic plans, with 39 per cent opposed.
YouGov interviewed 1,711 British adults on Wednesday and Thursday.
Does she want a general strike so she can cosplay Maggie? Because this is how you get a general strike.
Must be the same advisors as Johnson “Listen chunblyb you’re a bit of a cad at times, why not act more Churchillian?”
Everyone knows unhappy workers are more productive and the quality of work is higher, so this is a genius plan Liz…
I can see the logic but I’m not convinced it’ll help productivity.
Aah, welcome to poverty and bad working environments my fellow workers!
Buckle up people, forget having weekends or holidays, no sick pay if you fall ill and don’t even think of getting pregnant.
Truss looks like she would be happiest in charge of a workhouse with people begging her for scraps.
Ah wonderful. Wonder if all those people complaining about the unions will keep singing the same tune when they get sacked for not wanting to work more than 48 hrs a week. Or for wanting a fair amount of annual leave or company given sick pay.
A 3rd country with 3rd world country workers’ rights?
That’s Global Britain?
So not only is the value of your paycheque decreasing in real terms, but soon you can be forced to work more hours, for the same money.
And? Wasn’t this the whole point of Brexit?
Mogg.for buisness secretary is scariest thing there. Currently he is just picking on civil service WFH nownhe is to be given all UK workers as his play thing
We don’t have any workers rights.
‘member the poll tax riots?
Good.iknhappy the voters are getting what they are voting for.now get rid of their human rights and rest of their environmental protection hope this country continues to vote to suffer under the Tories
Finally this is what Brexit was about for a very many people. Take away rights, make labour cheaper, get rid of environment protections
Make the average man poorer, so business owners and landlords can grow.
Don’t worry the wealth will trickle down
We need to forget our differences and unite to get rid of this sham of a government. It’s really a joke how we as a country let ourselves get walked over. I would love to vote labour as a party of the working /middle classes, they are actually against the everyday working class. I just want a fair country where everyone is treated equally.
its funny how you read that a 4 day work week thats been trialed in places has seen good results in productivity and worker happiness
then you have these pricks coming up with this shit saying we’re lazy
When are we going to wake up and stop voting tory?? if we vote for them again its game over for the UK
17 comments
Truss eyes bonfire of workers’ rights to boost economy
Oliver Wright, Policy Editor
Saturday September 03 2022, 12.01am BST, The Times
Liz Truss wants to review existing EU worker protections
Liz Truss is preparing to shake up Britain’s post-Brexit employment rights as part of her agenda to kickstart the economy before the next election. The foreign secretary, who is expected to be confirmed as Britain’s next prime minister on Monday, wants to review existing EU worker protections, including the 48-hour working week, in an attempt to improve the competitiveness of the UK economy. The move will set her on a collision course with unions and risks being exploited by Labour who will claim that a Truss-led government will reduce protections and rights on sensitive issues such as holiday entitlement, pay and working conditions.
One source in the Truss camp said it would take “political courage” for the new prime minister to face down the opposition to the changes but said it was critical for the new government to address labour market reforms if it wanted to fulfil its pledge to improve productivity and competitiveness.
The policy is expected to be led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is being lined up by Truss to become business secretary. It is also understood to be backed by Kwasi Kwarteng, who is expected to become chancellor. He backed away from similar reforms last year when he was business secretary. A government source said the country was then in the midst of the pandemic and it did not seem “the right time to have a row about worker’s rights”, but added: “We are in a completely different world now.”
Among reforms due to be examined are changes to the 48-hour working week, part of the EU working time directive implemented in the UK in 1998. It prevents workers from being discriminated against or sacked if they refuse to work over 48 hours a week. •Liz Truss: from teenage Lib Dem to darling of the Tory right The new government is also understood to want to look at rules on taking breaks and calculating holiday pay that guarantees most people four weeks’ holiday a year plus bank holidays.
These rules were adopted into UK law by statutory instrument so could be dropped by the government without the need for primary legislation. Truss has already pledged that all EU regulations will be scrapped automatically by the end of next year apart from those explicitly endorsed by government ministers. This would allow the government to let elements of the directive fall away without a head-on confrontation with MPs. Changes to the labour laws proposed last year were rapidly dropped by Kwarteng after a leak, which angered unions and had muted support from business. One Conservative source said that Boris Johnson vetoed the plans because they would have gone against his pledge in the Brexit referendum not to strip workers of rights, but that Truss was not bound by such pledges.
Yesterday, in her final message of the campaign, Truss said she believed in a “brighter and better future for Britain”. She said: “If I am elected prime minister, I will never let anyone talk us down and I will do everything in my power to make sure our great nation succeeds.” She said if she was elected her “bold plan” would grow the economy and deliver workers higher wages. “I’ll do this by cutting taxes, pushing through supply-side reform and slashing red tape that is holding businesses back.”
Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, said Truss’s “No 1 priority should be to help families pay their bills this winter”. “Threatening hard-won workers’ rights is the last thing the country and working people need,” she said. “These are vital workplace protections and rights, not nice-to-haves.”
Nadhim Zahawi, the chancellor, said that the government would need to extend the cost of living support well into next year. Zahawi told a Policy Exchange event in London that the government would prioritise those who had “literally no headroom at all”. Meanwhile, a poll found that only 13 per cent of voters think Truss would be a good prime minister, with Britain unconvinced by her plans for the economy and energy bills.
Truss is less popular than Boris Johnson when he entered No 10 and far behind Theresa May when she took office. Of voters who backed the Tories at the last election, 25 per cent think she would be a good prime minister; 35 per cent think she would be a bad one. This has contributed to rising support for Labour, which has its joint highest support rating since 2013. Polling for The Times found that 51 per cent think she will be a bad prime minister, and winning over the 36 per cent who are undecided — rising to 40 per cent of 2019 Tory voters — will be crucial.
When May succeeded David Cameron in 2016, 46 per cent thought she would do a good job, twice as many as thought she would do badly. When Johnson took over from her in 2019, 20 per cent felt he would do a good job. Truss may take heart from the 80-seat majority Johnson won months later, but the latest YouGov poll finds voters unimpressed by what they have seen. Only 15 per cent think she is trustworthy, against 52 per cent saying she is not, and only 13 per cent think she cares about “people like me”, against 59 per cent believing she does not care.
Truss fares marginally better on other measures, but 42 per cent see her as weak, twice as many as those who see her as a strong leader. The result on Monday is expected to show that she crushed Rishi Sunak in an election in which her promise of immediate tax cuts won over Tory members. But only 12 per cent of the electorate think she has the right policies for the economy — 51 per cent say she does not. Even among 2019 Tory voters, only 23 per cent back her economic plans, with 39 per cent opposed.
YouGov interviewed 1,711 British adults on Wednesday and Thursday.
Does she want a general strike so she can cosplay Maggie? Because this is how you get a general strike.
Must be the same advisors as Johnson “Listen chunblyb you’re a bit of a cad at times, why not act more Churchillian?”
Everyone knows unhappy workers are more productive and the quality of work is higher, so this is a genius plan Liz…
I can see the logic but I’m not convinced it’ll help productivity.
Aah, welcome to poverty and bad working environments my fellow workers!
Buckle up people, forget having weekends or holidays, no sick pay if you fall ill and don’t even think of getting pregnant.
Truss looks like she would be happiest in charge of a workhouse with people begging her for scraps.
Ah wonderful. Wonder if all those people complaining about the unions will keep singing the same tune when they get sacked for not wanting to work more than 48 hrs a week. Or for wanting a fair amount of annual leave or company given sick pay.
A 3rd country with 3rd world country workers’ rights?
That’s Global Britain?
So not only is the value of your paycheque decreasing in real terms, but soon you can be forced to work more hours, for the same money.
And? Wasn’t this the whole point of Brexit?
Mogg.for buisness secretary is scariest thing there. Currently he is just picking on civil service WFH nownhe is to be given all UK workers as his play thing
We don’t have any workers rights.
‘member the poll tax riots?
Good.iknhappy the voters are getting what they are voting for.now get rid of their human rights and rest of their environmental protection hope this country continues to vote to suffer under the Tories
Finally this is what Brexit was about for a very many people. Take away rights, make labour cheaper, get rid of environment protections
Make the average man poorer, so business owners and landlords can grow.
Don’t worry the wealth will trickle down
We need to forget our differences and unite to get rid of this sham of a government. It’s really a joke how we as a country let ourselves get walked over. I would love to vote labour as a party of the working /middle classes, they are actually against the everyday working class. I just want a fair country where everyone is treated equally.
its funny how you read that a 4 day work week thats been trialed in places has seen good results in productivity and worker happiness
then you have these pricks coming up with this shit saying we’re lazy
When are we going to wake up and stop voting tory?? if we vote for them again its game over for the UK