Workers’ rights bill set to pass into law after battle in Lords

Labour’s flagship employment rights bill will finally become law after a battle in the House of Lords, paving the way for significant new rights for workers on sick pay, parental leave and zero-hours contracts.

- Jessica Elgot

Trade unions hailed a “generational shift” for workers’ rights after Tory peers conceded at the 11th hour on the legislation, which the government had promised to pass by Christmas. Royal assent for the bill is expected tomorrow.

The struggle to pass the law, which had significant opposition from the Conservatives and from business groups, had meant a number of concessions by the government to pass the legislation. Trade unions agreed earlier this month to remove day-one rights to unfair dismissal from the package of reforms, in return for the lifting of the compensation cap, in order to get the bill moving through parliament and passed in time to start implementing new rights on issues such as sick pay from this April.