Received from: EIS
Merged into composite 01
That this Congress calls on the recently elected UK government to realise its manifesto pledges in respect of workers’ rights to bring a swift end to the hostile environment that workers have experienced for the past few decades, that has resulted in poorer working conditions and falling living standards.
Congress urges the UK government to legislate on the following as a matter of priority to:
i. repeal the Trade Union Act 2016 removing the ballot thresholds required for industrial action, including the additional 40 per cent threshold applied to certain public sector workers, and the six-month limit for industrial action mandates, that have significantly undermined the ability of workers to advance and protect their interests
ii. repeal the 2023 Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act, with its fundamental attack on the ability of workers to take strike action to advance and protect their interests
iii. outlaw zero-hours contracts to ensure that workers have greater job security
iv. strengthen the role of trade unions in collective bargaining and ease the process of statutory recognition where employers do not recognise a trade union for collective bargaining purposes
v. give all workers full employment rights from day one of employment, and to ensure that workers have accessible and effective routes to realise their rights
vi. devolve employment law fully to the devolved administrations.
Congress instructs the General Council to campaign vigorously to realise these aims and to hold the UK government to account until it does so.
Educational Institute of Scotland
AMENDMENT
Insert new bullet point before vi. (and renumber existing bullet points):
“vii. a complete ban on ‘fire and rehire’ also called dismissal and re-engagement. This should include any potential loopholes, such as the use of fire and rehire for company restructuring”
Unite
AMENDMENT
Replace bullet point vi. with:
“vi. Ensure workers across Britain are covered by the provisions of the full implementation of Labour’s New Deal for Working People and utilise all available avenues to continually drive-up employment rights.”
Add new bullet vii.:
“Continue to campaign for the full removal of all anti-trade union legislation.”
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
AMENDMENT
At the end of final paragraph, add:
“If the Starmer government has not legislated to realise the terms stated in bullet points i. to v. within the first hundred days of the new government, a special TUC congress will be called to discuss next steps.”
Public and Commercial Services Union