Government lacking seriousness on workers’ rights enforcement
20 July 2023
The Business and Trade Committee has published the Government’s response to its UK Labour Markets report published in April, with the Committee chair calling out Ministers for their lack of seriousness in enforcing workers’ rights.
- Read the Government response (PDF)
- Read the Government response (HTML)
- Read the full report (HTML)
- Read the full report (PDF)
- Read the report summary
The report called for the Government to bolster the resources of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement after the Committee heard that they would need 1,797 more labour market inspectors to reach the international benchmark.
Chair's comment
The Business and Trade Committee Chair, Darren Jones said:
“When will the Government get serious about enforcing workers’ rights? Time and again we heard our enforcement bodies’ resources don’t even get close to half that recommended by the UN’s International Labour Organization.”
“In the week of the McDonald’s revelations, workers and victims would’ve been expecting more.”
“Ministers keep telling us they take rights seriously but will only make changes ‘when parliamentary time allows’, but the House of Commons has plenty of time available. We call on the Government to reconsider using the King’s Speech as the last time to bring forward important legal changes before the next election in an employment rights bill.”
“The Government must get a grip if we are to give ourselves the best chance of kickstarting economic growth to recover from the economic hits of covid and higher inflation.”
Further information
- Inquiry: Post-pandemic economic growth: UK labour markets
- Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
- About Parliament: Select committees
- Visiting Parliament: Watch committees
Image: Xi Wang, Unsplash