Only Labour is committed to your rights at work, Crawley Observer Column, Wednesday 8th April 2026

People are feeling the pinch, they’ve been feeling it for a long time and I’ve written before about what is being done to generate economic growth, and the challenges. Unfortunately, America’s chaotic war with Iran, supported by Reform and the Conservatives, has made these challenges far worse.

The Government is working to tackle the impact of this war at home and secure the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz, while working to end UK oil dependency—our national defence weak point—and pushing ahead with its plan for growth. Yet, growth alone isn’t enough, we must ensure it benefits wider society, not just those at the top.

That’s why the Employment Rights Act coming into effect this week is so important, as the single biggest improvement in your rights at work in decades, helping you to support your family and improve your quality of life.

From now on, workers are entitled from day one to rights like statutory six pay and parental leave. It will also grant further protections for sexual harassment whistleblowers, more security for casual workers, improved job preservation maternity returners, greater protections against unfair dismissal and redundancy, an end to fire and rehire, and better access to working from home, amongst other reforms.

Most importantly, it enables workers to better organise themselves as unions to secure improvements to their own pay and working conditions. For all the nonsense said about trade unions, people forget that unions won them the two-day holiday, an end to 62 hour working weeks, the introduction of a minimum wage, maternity and paternity leave, paid holidays, and safe conditions at work. By contrast, the growth of inequality in the UK strongly correlates to the reduction in union membership over the years.

Of course, all of this will be at risk at the next election. Reform has made it clear they will repeal the law and its passage through Parliament was opposed by Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and even Greens, who worked together to try to stop UK workers from securing their rights. Only a Labour Government is committed to defending your rights at work.