“The intervention from the business lobby against the Good Jobs Bill should surprise nobody,” Gerry Carroll said. “When have bosses ever welcomed even the most basic improvements to workers' rights without a fight?”
“Much of the Good Jobs Bill is modest, catch-up legislation, mirroring developments that workers in Britain already benefit from. This is not the radical transformation that workers actually need. We're talking about basic protections that should have existed here long ago. The idea that this needs further delay is an insult to every worker on a precarious zero-hours contract wondering how they'll pay next month's bills.”
“It’s likely that the bill as drafted isn’t strong enough to stand up for workers and people organising in unions. If this is the case, we will be seeking to amend it to strengthen the Bill’s provisions. However, there’s been a dearth of trade union legislation coming through Stormont over the years. Further delays at this point are unacceptable.”
“Whilst the Unionist parties will likely vote against this bill, the Alliance party must come clean on where they stand. The last time the Alliance party had the chance to vote to change the outdated, Thatcherite trade union laws, they voted against the Trade Union Freedom Bill brought by myself. You cannot be a party of both big business and workers. It's one or the other, and Alliance needs to get off the fence on these issues.”
“No improvement in pay, terms, or conditions for workers has ever been handed to us. Every gain, from the weekend to the minimum wage, was fought for and won against exactly this kind of coordinated opposition from the employer class.”
“Trade unions need to mobilise now. We can’t allow the business lobby to stifle even these limited protections.”