Worker protections

TUC research reveals that worker protections in the UK are significantly weaker than in other developed countries in almost every area — and the gap has been widening.

The analysis, carried out for the TUC by Dr Barbakadze and Professor Deakin at the Centre for Business Research at the University of Cambridge, compared the average protections of the 38 countries of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD).

It found that labour laws in the UK are half as protective as those found in France, and significantly weaker than countries such as Spain, Italy and Germany.

The UK is particularly weak in its protection from unfair dismissal, working excessive hours, employee representation and industrial action.