When people think of the priorities of the Liberal Democrats, they may not immediately think of employment rights, compared to the focus on health and care, or on Europe. But reading last year’s manifesto, the degree of attention paid to this issue would surprise many. The manifesto that delivered such a resounding result for the party included a commitment to ensure “the highest possible standards” of labour protection, alongside individual measures on zero hours contracts, sick pay, and more.

Such language isn’t a surprise to me or to the trade union I lead. As a politically independent union, Prospect has a long history of working with Liberal Democrats, and we know that concern for worker’s rights isn’t confined to one corner of the political spectrum. That is why I am confident that the Liberal Democrats, and especially Lib Dem peers, will play a positive role in the next stages of the Employment Rights Bill.

The Bill has clearly been the subject of considerable commentary, and the number of amendments reflects the extensive discussion that has taken place between government, business and trade unions. At its heart though, the Bill remains a vehicle for tackling some of the worst abuses in our labour market, guaranteeing individual and collective rights, and setting us back on a path to a high growth and high productivity economy based on positive employment relations. All of these aims fit squarely within the Liberal Democrat tradition, as does the way that the Bill assists with the immediate challenge we face in health and care which is rightly the party’s priority.

The headlines here will of course be about the way the Bill seeks to tackle our broken sick pay system which was horribly exposed by the Covid pandemic, and the move towards solving the workforce crisis in social care by introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement. This is a necessary, though clearly not sufficient, step towards fixing this broken system and I know Lib Dems will continue to campaign on this issue.

But more fundamentally, we know that many of the physical and mental health challenges we face as a society have their roots in bad work. Whether it is musculoskeletal issues that blight many workers and pile pressure on the NHS, or mental health problems caused by insecurity and instability in the workplace, solving these issues can help to ease our healthcare challenges and free up resources for more fundamental reforms.

In a second area as well, the Bill fits squarely with wider Liberal Democrat strategic priorities. We are thankfully long past the phase of Brexit where the idea of the UK as a low-regulation ‘Singapore-on-Thames’ was seen a desirable objective by those in government, but I know that this idea still casts a long shadow over our relationship with our European neighbours.

As the Chair of the Domestic Advisory Group on the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, I frequently speak to our counterpart in the EU, and it is clear to me that the best opportunity for the kind of deep economic partnership we need with the EU comes from putting to bed the idea that Britain will try and compete by undercutting our neighbours on labour standards. That is why Prospect passed a motion through the Trades Union Congress last year calling for alignment with the EU on employment rights, and we will keep pushing for this alongside a wider reset of our economic relationship. But the further we can go in this Bill towards demonstrating that the UK is a European economy, with good employment rights supported by strong trade unions, the more we maximise our chance of securing that outcome.

I doubt anyone would claim that this Bill is perfect, even though I know the government have worked hard to try and take the views of a wide range of stakeholders into account. There is however much work to do to ensure the Bill lands properly, such as phasing in measures for smaller businesses, seriously looking at the capacity of our Employment Tribunal system to ensure it isn’t overwhelmed, and investing in the HR skills that have atrophied in recent years. But this remains a vital step forward, moving us away from an American-style wild west labour market and towards a more civilised European model, that leaves us healthier and more productive.

Every Liberal Democrat should support this Bill, and I look forward to working with the party on our shared priorities this parliament.

The Independent View is a slot on Lib Dem Voice which allows those from beyond the party to contribute to debates we believe are of interest to LDV’s readers. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in contributing.

* Mike Clancy is the General Secretary of Prospect trade union