TUC joins call to end 'witch-hunt' against flexible working

The TUC joined equality campaigns, including the Fawcett Society, Age UK, Pregnant Then Screwed and Long Covid Support, to call for an end to the “witch-hunt” against workers being able to work more flexibly.

It criticised “relentless scaremongering” in the weeks leading up to the government's unveiling of its Employment Rights Bill (see above) about how legislation on flexible working will harm UK businesses and productivity.

And it pointed to research published by the HR body, the CIPD, last year. This found an estimated four million people had changed careers due to a lack of flexibility at work.

“There are 800,000 fewer people in the workforce than before the pandemic, and one of the biggest issues facing employers is recruiting and retaining skilled staff,” the coalition added.

It made clear that flexible working can bring more people back into the labour market and keep them there.

“Flexible working — and in particular working from home — is being misrepresented to attack the government’s wider plan to Make Work Pay,” said TUC general secretary Paul Nowak. "It's time we called it out."