GMB blasts Government’s ‘meaningless’ workers’ rights assurances

GMB union has responded to the Government’s workers’ rights assurances labelling them as “meaningless”.
The response comes as the Prime Minister Thersa May announced that Parliament would be given a say over whether to adopt any new protections introduced on the continent and to stay aligned with EU standards.
The GMB have been central in helping Uber drivers in the UK secure a hat-trick of wins in their legal fight to be treated as workers by the multi-billion pound ride-sharing company.
The Court of Appeal in London rejected Uber’s appeal against two previous court rulings that their drivers work for them and are not self-employed, contractors or ‘business partners’. Despite with being told they’re in the wrong for a third time, Uber are taking their case to the Supreme Court.
Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary, said: “No one should be under any illusion - support for the Prime Minister’s bad Brexit deal means swapping strong legal protections on workers’ rights for legally unenforceable tweaks that are not worth the paper they are written on. "As a trade union we know that assurances on ‘non-regression’ are meaningless if there is no way to enforce them. These promises would fail to ensure working people's rights in the UK keep pace with those in our neighbouring countries. “These promises would fail to ensure working people's rights in the UK keep pace with those in our neighbouring countries. “The crux of this announcement seems to be that Parliament can make new laws if it wants – it can already do that, that’s not a headline, and Ministers on the Government benches have been more interested in removing worker’s rights than protecting them. “The Government's deal would see the existing backstop on workers' rights pulled from beneath people's feet, with employment protections we all rely on being left to the mercy of whichever hard line Tory takes the reins next. "History will not be kind to those who risk our rights on a few nods and winks from a lame duck Prime Minister."