The purpose of the Labour Party is, and has always been, to deliver change for the benefit of working people – the clue is in the name. Last weekend marked our first 100 days in office. In just over three months we have delivered so much for working people across the North East and the UK.
We ended the doctors’ strikes within days of coming to power and started the process of recruiting 1,000 more GPs this year, all helping to cut soaring NHS waiting lists. We brought an end to the rail strikes too, delivering stability for passengers as we bring the railways back into public ownership and hand more power to communities over their bus services.
We’re breaking down the barriers to opportunity with a taskforce to tackle the disgraceful inheritance of rising child poverty left by the Tories. We have kickstarted the roll-out of 3,000 school-based nurseries and free breakfast clubs for all primary school children, too.
And last Thursday was a landmark day in our party’s history, and in the history of employment rights in our country as we set into motion the most significant set of changes for working people for at least forty years.
If you work, this legislation will change your working life for the better.
The package of Make Work Pay reforms has been worked on painstakingly over a number of years. I am proud to have played my part in that process, and to be one of the 400 Labour MPs who will have the great pleasure to vote for it when the time comes. A huge amount of credit is due to those who have worked on this bill and will continue to do so as aspects of these changes are consulted on in the years ahead.
Growing the economy is vital, so we can repair our crumbling public services. But to restore the broken trust between politicians and our communities, we need to make sure that everyone feels the positive difference of our decisions.
Our plans to build 1.5 million new homes to end the housing crisis, cut household bills through clean energy and provide free breakfasts for every primary school child will all be felt by those who voted for us in July, and those who did not.
Last Thursday was another one of these signature Labour moments. Our party at its best doing what we were founded to do over a century ago – to reset the balance in favour of working people once again – after a decade and a half of Tory rule.
And we know why these changes are necessary. One in five of us are suffering the effects of insecure work – with low pay, exploitative zero-hours contracts and little or no sick pay. Women are more than twice as likely to experience insecure work than men and young people are hit disproportionately, too. Inequality is growing and too many feel they simply don’t have a stake any more.
The care workers and teaching assistants I was proud to represent whilst working for UNISON deserve pay and conditions that match the task of looking after us as we grow up and grow old. Stronger rights to collective bargaining through the school support staff and the adult social care negotiating bodies are essential for recruitment and retention in these often overlooked sectors.
This is what a Labour government means – a genuine living wage, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts and ending fire-and-rehire to help lift employees from the insecurity felt by those working in the foundations of our economy.
Meanwhile, repealing pernicious anti-trade union laws passed by the previous Conservative government will ensure a fair balance between employee and employer for the future. It is only fair that your right to be represented in your workplace and to collectively campaign for better pay and conditions are respected. This legislation is another step in the right direction, as a decade of national renewal in Britain begins.
If you are a Labour Party member, a trade unionist – or like me, both – I suggest you take a moment to read the bill, and take stock. This is what it means to have a Labour government. Pro-business, pro-worker – and focussed on the challenges that millions of us face every day. The task of rebuilding Britain after 14 years of Tory failure is great, but our ambition for this country is greater still.
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