The TUC has attacked proposals to cut “red tape” coming from the Conservative party’s Economic Competitiveness Review chaired by John Redwood. It said that the proposals could only be implemented by breaching European regulations and opting out of the social chapter.
Earlier this week Redwood told the BBC that possible targets include regulations on working time, health and safety and data protection. The Tories claim their plans could amount to savings worth £14 billion.
However, in their briefing, Conservative Deregulation Proposals, the TUC argues that the plans are unlikely to result in such savings and will threaten important employment rights such as
- the right to take four weeks paid holiday
- the right to take emergency unpaid leave such as the need to care for a sick child
- the right to take unpaid parental leave
- the right for part timers to be treated equally to equivalent full time staff.
The briefing asks whether this is compatible with David Cameron’s support for flexible working.
TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O Grady said, “This looks like a pretty extreme bunch of policies that go further than Mrs Thatcher ever did. It’s unlikely to achieve any economic benefits but it will have two immediate consequences. First it will hit flexible-working and family- friendly policies – bad news in particular for working women. Secondly it almost seems as if the policies have been deliberately chosen to force a confrontation with the EU as they cannot be implemented if the UK remains a member. There is nothing in them for mainstream employers, except the fear they will be undercut by the bad.
“Mr Cameron has made some interesting speeches about flexible working and the modern workplace, yet these proposals would turn the clock back. Endorsing Mr Redwood’s package would be hard to reconcile with his recent speeches.”
