Sadiq Khan warns Keir Starmer to 'resist siren voices' pushing to water down workers' rights

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the Employment Rights Bill, which includes a zero-hours contracts ban, flexible moving rights and time 1 sick pay, is simply a 'win win' for bosses and workers

Sadiq Khan has urged the Government to defy “siren voices” pushing for a landmark enlargement of workers' rights to beryllium watered down.

The Mayor of London said the plans successful the Employment Rights Bill, which see a prohibition connected exploitative zero-hours contracts, caller rights to flexible moving and time 1 sick pay, are a “win win” for bosses and employees. But the argumentation has travel nether changeless onslaught from large concern and right-wingers, sparking fears it could beryllium watered down arsenic Chancellor Rachel Reeves pushes for growth.

Mr Khan told the Mirror: "This acceptable of nationalist policies – including the Employment Rights Bill – offers a aureate accidental to replicate London’s occurrence with the Good Work Standard connected a countrywide scale. It’s wherefore we indispensable reason immoderate effort to h2o down this authorities from the aforesaid siren voices who opposed the minimum wage. Fair pay, unafraid jobs, harmless workplaces and due rights for moving radical should ever beryllium non-negotiable."

He praised the commercialized national movement, saying his autobus operator dada got a coagulated wage and enactment from his rep erstwhile helium was assaulted connected the job. But his mum, who was a seamstress, missed retired connected enactment due to the fact that her enactment wasn’t unionised.

Mr Khan said: “These aboriginal experiences – of seeing a commercialized national combat the country of a working-class household – near a lasting content connected me. They convinced maine of the captious relation unions person to play successful our nine arsenic advocates for moving people.”

In London, employers are encouraged to motion up to the Good Work Standard, a escaped programme which sets a benchmark for bully employment practices. It includes paying the £13.85-an-hour London Living Wage, providing unafraid contracts, supporting workplace wellbeing and investing successful skills, opportunities and progression for workers.

He said: "I’ll proceed to beryllium some proudly pro-unions and pro-business. Unfortunately, immoderate radical deliberation there’s a hostility - oregon contradiction - betwixt these positions. But successful London, we’re proving that’s not the lawsuit and demonstrating it is imaginable to beryllium an state of unions and employers astatine the aforesaid time."

It comes aft a megapoll of implicit 21,000 radical recovered wide enactment for the policies, including from Tory and Reform voters. The probe for the TUC recovered much than 7 successful 10 (72%) of voters enactment a prohibition connected zero hours contracts - including 2 successful 3 Reform (65%) and Conservative (63%) voters.

Some 3 successful 4 (74%) voters backed giving each workers the close to statutory sick wage from time 1 - including 2 successful 3 Reform (64%) and Conservative (62%) voters. The Employment Rights Bill is presently going done scrutiny successful the Commons aft being introduced past year.

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “Our program to Make Work Pay is simply a important portion of our ngo to spell further and faster connected delivering economical maturation truthful moving radical consciousness the benefits by boosting their wage and raising surviving standards crossed the country. “This pro-business, pro-worker Government has already engaged extensively with businesses and unions and an archetypal bundle of ceremonial consultations closed successful aboriginal December. We look guardant to much discussions successful the coming months to guarantee the Bill works for workers and employers alike.”