Could banning zero-hour contracts be Labour’s downfall?
Despite the painted smiles as Labour and the trade unions declared an outbreak of peace in a joint statement last night, tensions remain between the two sides. In public, the unions declared victory after their three-hour meeting with Keir Starmer and shadow ministers confirmed Labour’s commitment to what Starmer has called the biggest “levelling-up of workers’ rights” for a generation. Labour is now committed to “full and comprehensive” consultation with business; probationary periods and seasonal work, while workers who want the flexibility of zero-hours contracts could opt-in to them. One senior Labour figure predicted: “A lot of stuff will be delayed after the election, when it will be simpler politically and decisions will be more informed.” To which union officials reply that such an act of bad faith would hardly help Starmer achieve his goal of restoring trust in politics. Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, writes in today’s Daily Mail that Labour’s “French-style employment laws” would “add red tape on to small business and allow unions to cripple larger ones” by lowering the bar for strikes.
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