Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds hails the government’s new workers' rights package as “really exciting” and insists “we will continue to work with business and unions to make sure we get it right”. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00Well this is a really exciting package. It's about making sure everybody across
00:04every bit of the UK benefits from the stronger economy. This government is
00:07about tackling insecurity and making sure work is balanced with the other
00:11responsibilities we all have. When we look at the new rights people will get
00:14so nine million British workers currently not protected against unfair
00:18dismissal, I think that is significant. A million workers not getting sick pay who
00:21will now be eligible to receive it, ending fire and rehire, ending exploitative
00:27contracts. This is a big set of proposals. We moved at pace as we promised to do
00:31introducing the bill in under a hundred days. There is a parliamentary process, I
00:35can't pre-empt that of course, it takes time to pass legislation in Parliament.
00:38The fact it requires a bill is because these measures are so substantive but
00:42again throughout the passage we'll continue working with business and with
00:45unions to make sure we get it right. We have been, as we promised to do, engaging
00:49with business, with civil society, with unions from day one, not waiting until
00:53the bill is published and that's because it's important to get it right. You know
00:56a lot of businesses in this country are already operating to a higher standard
01:00even than this bill will introduce but where there is insecurity, where there is
01:04low pay, those workers will be substantially benefiting from this bill.
01:08But we also want to make sure businesses can hire with confidence the
01:11probationary periods which are part of the bill are an important aspect of that.
01:14I think people recognise we have a mandate to do this, we need to make sure
01:18we are having an economy that works for everyone and they're willing to work
01:21with us to make sure we get it right.