How will the Government proceed with creating a single enforcement body for labour rights when there is no new funding or legislative plan?

Why has the government not legislated to ban fire and rehire, despite acknowledging its misuse? Also, what steps will be taken regarding trade union regulation?

The Government have overseen a crisis of insecurity and a lack of protections at work, and the proposals announced today will do little to address it. There is no plan to legislate for a single enforcement body, so can the Minister explain how and when that will happen? There is no new money in this announcement. In the past year, just one workplace in 171 has had a safety or workers’ rights inspection, and not a single employer has been prosecuted for putting workers at risk of contracting covid-19. A staggering 2 million people are paid below the national minimum wage. The hollowness of the Government’s commitment is underlined by the fact that the post of director of labour market enforcement has been vacant for six months. Many exploitative employment practices remain legal, such as bogus self-employment in the gig economy and fire and rehire tactics. The proposal to give the certification officer powers to fine trade unions without complaints from members is an ideological attack on working people. Staff in his Department are balloting for strike action due to breaches of employment law. This Government want to hobble trade unions while Joe Biden empowers them.

Many constituents work at Manchester airport and will welcome action on fire and rehire in the aviation sector. A single body for employment rights is welcome, but an office of the whistleblower should be established to protect whistleblowers from retaliation and blacklisting. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is time for such an office?

Strong employment legislation, regulation and guidance help businesses that respect such standards be more successful than those playing fast and loose with employees’ rights. Will the Minister commit to working across the Chamber, with trade unions and employers to ensure that the highest employment law expectations are maintained and enhanced? An annual review of the measures would help ensure that we are getting this right and protecting workers.

The Minister's statement on fire and rehire is confusing, as it states the practice is wrong but does nothing to stop its misuse. The single enforcement body will require legislation not yet lined up for this session, making today's announcement merely a statement of intent without action.

The Minister highlighted the UK's strong economy and flexible labour market with high employment rates and minimum wage increases. Will my hon. Friend praise the Biggleswade jobcentre for promoting the kickstart programme to get more people, especially young people, into work?

Although the Minister accepts more needs to be done for workers' rights, especially for vulnerable individuals, he has not concluded that further legislation is necessary. Will this new body receive extra funding to enhance and strengthen workers’ rights?

Despite strong laws, pregnant women often experience discrimination at work. Will the new enforcement body specifically enforce pregnant women’s rights and outlaw non-disclosure agreements to cover up illegal employment rights abuses?

After months of strong words about fire and rehire from the Prime Minister to the Minister, this statement only provides guidance that amounts to nothing more than lip service. Will employers still legally be allowed to use fire and rehire as a negotiating tactic?

This statement is one of the most ineffective I've heard. Fire and rehire has harmed my constituents despite taxpayer support for these companies through various schemes. Will the Government insist that no grant, loan or tax relief goes to companies that do not abide by this guidance?

Today’s statement is welcomed in Stoke-on-Trent North. Companies like Churchill China have invested in workers’ rights, allowing employees to climb career ladders. Does my hon. Friend agree that there is no reason why trade unions should not pay their own way?

With great job creation since 2010, will the Minister agree to meet me to discuss extending auto-enrolment rights to all workers over the age of 18?

The Government are consulting on enforcement powers against trade unions but only provide guidance for bad employers regarding fire and rehire. When will the Government legislate on Taylor report recommendations?

Our business, energy and industrial sectors are pivotal to our economy. Does the Minister agree that the best way of safeguarding jobs and livelihoods for our fantastic workers is to comprehensively ease all covid restrictions in these sectors, and will he please lobby No. 10 to that effect?

The case won by the GMB trade union against Uber over the status of its drivers is immensely important, but why are the Government leaving it for these issues to be slugged out, employer by employer, worker group by worker group, in the courts? That is in nobody’s interests, so when will the Government finally bring forward the long-promised employment Bill, which is so urgently needed?

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. As a former employer, I absolutely support the Government’s approach to strengthening workers’ rights and stamping out bad practice. When it comes to enforcement, whistleblowers are far more effective at identifying inappropriate behaviour or practices than regulators are. Nevertheless, from a position where the UK used to lead in whistleblower legislation, it has now fallen behind. It is a key area that we could work on to improve the situation. Will my hon. Friend the Minister set out the approach that the Government will take to improve the legislation?

Polling for the GMB union found that 76% of the public want fire and rehire to be banned, including 71% of Conservative voters. If only unscrupulous employers use fire-and-rehire tactics, as the Minister said in a previous answer, a non-legislative solution will do absolutely nothing. How much more consensus is needed before the Minister acts to ban fire and rehire, rather than warm words that do nothing to protect workers in his constituency or mine?

I welcome the way in which the Minister is today extending the rights of the most important asset of any business, which is people. I am sure he will agree how essential it is to ensure that flexibilities enable workers to work the hours that suit them best, while also allowing employers to respond to the changing demands of their customers.

The Minister just said that the UK Government will do whatever is needed to enhance and protect workers’ rights, but all he is doing on fire and rehire is to provide more guidance. That is shameful—guidance is not what is needed. We needed to hear about legislation to stop fire and rehire, to outlaw pregnancy and maternity discrimination, and to give flexible-working rights from day one to protect precarious workers, but the UK Government will plainly not do what is needed on employment. Does the Minister appreciate that what is needed now is to devolve this to the Scottish Parliament so that it can do what is needed?

I know my hon. Friend understands that right hon. and hon. Members across the House want the UK to be on the front foot on workers’ rights after we leave the EU. Will he offer me a categorical assurance that that will be the case and that there will be no degradation in our world-leading protection?

I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. The Government may talk about enhancing employment rights, but they never act and never legislate. Recently, workers in York were being forced on to new contracts until a joint intervention by Unite and me, as a Labour MP, stopped the firing and rehiring. I know it is embarrassing for the Minister to have to defend his Government’s empty promises, dither and delay, but to stop bad employers constantly undermining their workers, we need not more guidance, but legislation. Will he bring forward a Government Bill to end fire-and-rehire practices in this parliamentary Session, which should also insist that any changes to contractual terms are negotiated with workers and their trade unions?

I welcome today’s announcement. My hon. Friend is quite right to point out the nuance in fire and rehire. Speaking as an employment barrister, I stress that the issue that we lawyers have had is that the employer is required to show only that it is a genuine reason—in other words, low profitability. They are not required to show that they have exhausted every other option, and I welcome the fact that that is now a devolved function of ACAS. Will he consider putting the last resort clause into primary legislation—either the Employment Rights Act 1996 or the new Bill—to give employees rights to go to tribunal?