Commenting ahead of the second reading of the employment rights bill and the launch of a series of consultation documents today (Monday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“This bill is an opportunity to turn the tide on insecure employment and deliver the biggest boost to UK workplaces in a generation.
“Care staff, those working for private contractors delivering public services and others in precarious work must currently jump through hoops to get financial support when they fall ill.
“People are having to go in to work, infecting their colleagues and those they care for, instead of staying at home to recover. Sick pay for all at a proper rate will ensure no one has to live a hand-to-mouth existence.
“Guaranteed contracts provide extra security that benefits other aspects of workers’ lives. Rental agreements and mortgages are then easier to come by.
“No one wants to be on a picket line or face days of disruption. But more strikes took place under the Conservatives’ anti-union laws than before.
“Allowing workers to have their say electronically will at last allow union votes to enter the digital age. The hope is these long-overdue reforms will usher in a new era of more positive industrial relations.
“When employers and their staff have better relationships, workplaces are more productive, the economy grows and everyone benefits.
“Finding an effective way to boost pay and conditions for social care workers is vital to kickstart the reform of this essential service. The bill sets out a route to delivering and enforcing minimum rates of pay in care.
“Until wages rise, the care sector will never be able to recruit and retain the numbers of staff needed to meet the growing demands of an ageing population.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service, and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary, and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M:07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
The article Sick pay and employment-relations reforms will benefit all first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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