Community has warmly welcomed today’s King’s Speech which sets out the ambitious legislative agenda of the newly-elected Labour government.
New legislation unveiled at the state opening of Parliament included the Employment Rights Bill, which will introduce a landmark new deal for working people. This will include a ban on exploitative practices like fire and rehire, enhanced rights for all workers from day one of their employment, and updated trade union legislation.
The King’s Speech also contained confirmation of a new bill to create the National Wealth Fund, which will include a £3billion Green Steel Fund to support the sector across the UK.
Elsewhere, there was a commitment to establishing an Industrial Strategy Council, and the announcement of a new bill to upskill the workforce in England.
Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid:
“Today’s King’s Speech laid out the pathway for the decade of national renewal Keir Starmer spoke about during the election campaign. History will look back on this speech as a watershed moment in turning the page on 14 years of economic stagnation, ushering in a new era of growth across all the nations and regions of the UK.
“Today’s announcements show that, at long last, we now have a government which will be on the side of working people, and a government which values core strategic industries like steel.
“Keir Starmer’s government has set out a bold, future-facing legislative agenda which will bring benefits to our members across every sector. We look forward to working with the government to support the delivery of this ambitious policy programme over the months and years ahead.”
If you are a member of Community and need advice or support, please contact our Service Centre at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2024