Business chiefs urge Tory peers to pass employment rights bill

Business leaders have urged Tory peers to stop blocking Labour's workers' rights bill because it could scupper a deal with trade unions.

- Richard Partington Kalyeena Makortoff

They called for the House of Lords to pass the legislation before parliament rises on Thursday for the Christmas recess.

The warning came in a letter to the business secretary, Peter Kyle, from the Confederation of British Industry, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and Small Business Britain.

Labour last month ditched a manifesto pledge guaranteeing workers protection against unfair dismissal from day one of employment, instead of the current two-year wait. In a deal with most trade union leaders, ministers tabled a six-month period as a compromise - a move that angered some Labour MPs.