Firms forced to give staff ‘government approved’ advice on joining a union Business Businesses will be forced to tell their staff how to join a union at least once a year under fresh plans drawn up by the government to boost participation in organised labour. The government has decided the rules, due to come into force at the start of next year, will apply to employers of all [...]
Tories pledge to scrap mandatory time off for union reps Politics The Conservative Party has pledged to scrap the legal requirement for employers to offer paid time off for union representatives. Tory shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith will announce the policy on Monday, which he says will free up taxpayer cash to be spent on cutting NHS waiting lists and filling potholes. Union reps are currently [...]
Strikes have no place in a competitive market economy Opinion There is no reason why Tube drivers on objectively high incomes with working conditions many would kill for are able to force their employers to ask of them even fewer hours and even more pay – and the employers are forbidden by the state from simply hiring other people, says Tom Harwood I’m just going [...]
Workers’ rights laws couldn’t come at a worse time for businesses April 8, 2026 The government’s Employment Rights agenda is becoming a reality, and the timing could scarcely be worse. As the first provisions of the Employment Rights Act come into force, Britain’s economic outlook is darkening rapidly. Growth is faltering under the weight of an energy shock, inflation is stirring again and businesses are staring down a period [...]
The gender pay gap will take 30 years to close, report says February 15, 2026 The gender pay gap will take another three decades to close if the current rate of progress is maintained, a new report has found. Despite efforts to speed up the rate of achieving equal pay, it will not be achieved until 2056 unless more is done, according to analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC). [...]
Labour’s biggest union backer eyes party split December 7, 2025 Labour’s biggest union backer is considering a significant vote to split from the party in another blow to Starmer’s leadership. Senior officials at the UK’s largest trade union Unite are in talks about whether to call an emergency conference to vote on formal disaffiliation from the Labour party, according to reports from The Telegraph. Sources [...]
Labour’s assault on jobs will undermine growth November 4, 2025 Rachel Reeves is engaged in a complicated dance with the Office for Budget Responsibility in the run up to her second Budget. When the fiscal watchdog presents its scorecard on the Chancellor’s plans – and on wider government policies – the music will stop and we’ll see whether Reeves pulls off a surprising lift, or [...]
Tube strikes: With union ingratitude on full display, will Labour finally change course? September 9, 2025 As Tube strikes bring London to a halt, Labour must realise its pushover relations with trade unions have been to no avail, writes Paul Ormerod.
British business risks being ‘sleepwalked into disaster’ by workers’ rights bill June 22, 2025 British businesses risk “being sleepwalked into disaster” by ministers’ attempts to change workers’ rights rules, the Conservatives have warned. In an open letter to business leaders across the UK, Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith said he was “genuinely concerned” over the impact of Angela Rayner’s Employment Rights Bill on the economy. The bill, which is [...]
The government is facing a wave of summer strikes – how will it respond? April 17, 2025 Public sector strike action is always tricky territory for Labour politicians to navigate, particularly when the party is in opposition. When strikes plagued the previous Tory government (teachers and junior doctors in particular) Labour MPs – including Keir Starmer – were quick to condemn the government while trying hard not to criticise the unions, with [...]