Workers’ rights Bill


A new Bill intended to protect employment rights post-Brexit has been presented to Parliament by Melanie Onn, Labour MP for Great Grimsby. 


The Workers’ Rights (Maintenance of EU Standards) Bill was launched in January and has now had its second reading in the Commons. 


Onn explained: “My Bill seeks to protect in the strongest form of UK legislation all workers’ rights which are derived from the European Union.” 


The Bill has received support from many in the trade union movement, including the UNISON public services union. UNISON is backing the Bill “to ensure protection for employees … is not watered down once the UK has left the EU”. 


In particular, the union highlighted the importance of protecting leave for parents to care for children, legal limits on working hours and the right to take paid holiday and daily rest breaks. It emphasised that “everyone in work ... currently benefits from these safeguards”.


However, the Bill is a Private Members Bill, only a small proportion of which ever get enacted.


http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2016-17/workersrightsmaintenanceofeustandards.html