Critics of Angela Rayner’s controversial workers’ rights overhaul will tomorrow celebrate “Norman Tebbit Day” in honour of Margaret Thatcher’s ally who took on the trade unions. Tory peers will use a debate in the House of Lords to make a fresh bid to amend the Employment Rights Bill, which is being spearheaded by the Deputy Prime Minister.
They want to change measures granting access rights for union officials and new electronic balloting for strikes. The peers are expected to raise fears that hostile states such as Russia, Iran and North Korea could cyber-hack the e-ballots.
Lord Tebbit, who died earlier this month aged 94, led Baroness Thatcher’s push to curb the power of trade unions to bring the country to a standstill.
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith told the Mail on Sunday: “Angela Rayner’s extreme union charter will take us right back to the 1970s, a period Norman Tebbit fought tooth and nail to drag Britain out of.
“These laws will see the unions run rife, strangle private enterprise and grind the country to a halt.
“Most worryingly are measures which risk industrial sabotage. This goes against everything Tebbit fought for, and must be stopped at once.”
Ms Rayner’s workers’ rights Bill contains a raft of measures including banning zero-hours contracts, more flexible working and increased access to rights such as sick pay.
But opponents say it will hit businesses as it will make it harder and more expensive to hire workers.
It comes on top of a hike in national insurance for employers at last October’s budget.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hailed the Bill as “the single biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”.
A Government spokesperson said: “The old strike laws clearly didn’t work, with the UK losing more days to industrial action than any year since the 1980s.
“Instead of confrontation, we are ushering in a new era of partnership that sees employers, unions and government work together in co-operation and through negotiation.
“Our measures already have strong support amongst business and we’ve consulted extensively with and will continue to work closely with them to ensure new laws, including the right to guaranteed hours, work for them while putting money back into the pockets of working people.”