Bad things are happening in the workplace. Labour should go on the attack

The government has promised an employment bill but will it address the phosphorous grenade that Covid has thrown into the British workplace?

British Gas has caused controversy over the new contracts it is imposing on its engineers (PA)

If an employment bill emerges as promised in the forthcoming Queen’s speech, there’s an awful lot for it to address. 

Covid-19 has thrown a phosphorous grenade into the world of work, with far-reaching consequences. The government, – which, remember, promised to “protect and enhance” workers’ rights – looks increasingly behind the curve with the fires from that grenade burning hot wherever you care to look. 

At the end of last week, for example, the TUC produced research showing workers on zero-hour contracts and other insecure jobs were twice as likely to have died from the virus as those in other more stable occupations.