The future of workers' rights in the United Kingdom has become a flashpoint of debate and anxiety this September, as the Trades Union Congress (TUC) annual conference convened in Brighton under the shadow of significant political upheaval. With Angela Rayner, the architect of the Employment Rights Bill, forced out of the cabinet just days before the gathering, union leaders and their supporters are demanding that the government hold firm on its promise to deliver sweeping new protections for millions of workers.
Rayner’s resignation on September 5, 2025, over unpaid stamp duty on her seaside flat in Hove, sent shockwaves through the Labour Party and the broader union movement. As reported by Sky News, her departure was seen by many as the result of what TUC general secretary Paul Nowak called “a real heavy dose of misogyny,” with Nowak charging that "right-wing politicians and the right-wing media... can’t handle the fact that a working-class woman is our deputy prime minister." The timing was especially poignant: the TUC conference was held less than two miles from the very flat that had become the center of the controversy.
Rayner’s championing of the Employment Rights Bill had made her a central figure for workers seeking stronger job security, better pay, and more predictable working conditions. The bill, now in its final stages in Parliament, faces fierce resistance. According to BBC News, Tory and Liberal Democrat peers in the House of Lords have pushed amendments to weaken key provisions, including reducing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from two years to six months—rather than the "day one" rights Rayner originally proposed.
Despite these setbacks, Paul Nowak and other union leaders are resolute. "We are now at a crucial stage in the delivery of the Employment Rights Bill, just weeks away from Royal Assent," Nowak told Sky News. "And our clear message to the government will be to deliver the bill and deliver it in full. Ignore the amendments from the unelected peers, Tory and Lib Dem peers in the House of Lords, that are aimed at gutting the legislation, weakening workers' rights. Stand with the British public, deliver decent employment rights."
The sense of urgency is palpable. The TUC estimates that four million people—one in eight of the UK workforce—are now in “pervasive” insecure work. Their analysis shows that jobs in care, leisure, and service sectors account for a staggering 77% of the increase in insecure jobs since 2011. The burden is especially heavy on Black and ethnic minority workers, who make up 70% of the recent explosion in insecure employment. Regions such as southwest England and Yorkshire and Humber are highlighted as particular hotspots.
Zero-hours contracts remain a major concern, with over one million people trapped in jobs that offer no guaranteed hours and millions more lacking sick pay from day one. Nowak is adamant that the Employment Rights Bill is about more than just improving paychecks. "The government is absolutely right to be focused on making work pay. And the Employment Rights Bill is about putting more money in the pockets of working people, giving people more security at work. That's good for workers, but it's also good for good employers as well, so they're not undercut by the cowboys," he told Sky News.
At the Brighton conference, union leaders echoed these demands. Unison's Christina McAnea warned, as reported by BBC News, that it would be a "huge mistake" for the government to dilute the bill, which she called a major shake-up of workers' rights. The bill’s passage would mark the biggest upgrade of workers’ rights in a generation, according to the government’s own spokesperson, who told journalists, "We are a pro-worker, pro-business government and the workers' rights legislation is the single biggest upgrade of workers' rights in a generation."
But the political winds are swirling. The cabinet reshuffle that followed Rayner’s exit also saw Jonathan Reynolds demoted from business secretary to chief whip, and employment rights minister Justin Madders sacked. Madders, speaking at a TUC Congress fringe event, cautioned supporters to remain vigilant: "Let's not pretend that my departure has not been something that the business community has been cheering quite loudly. We all need to be very vigilant that the good intentions of the bill are delivered in full." He expressed faith in his replacement, Kate Dearden, but emphasized the need for continued pressure.
There are fears, voiced by a senior Labour MP to BBC News, that the bill could be "slow walked" through Parliament as ministers face economic pressures and business lobbying. Amendments in the House of Lords threaten to drop crucial elements like day one employment tribunals and the right to guaranteed hours, but the government insists it will overturn these changes in the Commons.
Paul Nowak also used his platform to call for broader reforms, urging the government to lift the two-child benefit cap and fund it with new taxes on wealth, such as a windfall tax on surges in bank profits. Sharon Graham, leader of the Unite union, went further, warning that if Labour failed to deliver real improvements, the party could lose the support of its union base. She told the BBC that Unite members would soon have the chance to vote on whether to remain affiliated with Labour—a relationship worth £1.3 million a year. "If that vote was today, I think they'd vote to disaffiliate. There's no doubt about that in my mind." Graham predicted that Reform UK would benefit if Labour failed to deliver on its promises, saying, "Unless Labour do something quite radical, then they are going to find themselves in huge difficulty."
Nowak, never one to mince words, addressed Reform leader Nigel Farage directly: "Ignore your wealthy backers and vote for the Employment Rights Bill. You're not representing working people—you're selling them out."
Labour, for its part, maintains that it is delivering the biggest uplift in workers' rights in a generation, with wages now rising faster than prices. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised that the next phase of government will be all about "delivery, delivery, delivery." The government, meanwhile, says it is "absolutely backing" the bill and is committed to overturning Lords amendments that would water down its core provisions.
As the Employment Rights Bill enters its final parliamentary hurdles, the stakes could hardly be higher. For millions of workers in insecure jobs, and for the unions representing them, the outcome will shape not only the future of work in the UK, but also the political fortunes of the parties vying for their support. The coming weeks will reveal whether the government can deliver on its promises—or whether the hopes of a generation will be left waiting at the door.
