UK government promises new law in autumn to boost workers’ rights

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LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Labour Party announced plans on Saturday to deliver the most “packed legislative agenda” for a new government in decades, including the introduction in the autumn of laws to improve employees’ rights and greater protection for renters.

With parliament due to return from its summer recess on Monday, the Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell said in the next few months the government will introduce legislation intended to tilt the power from employers to workers and to allow tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

The Employment Rights Bill will prohibit zero-hour contracts, with about 1 million people in Britain on employment contracts that do not specify a minimum number of hours they can work and pay only for the hours they are on shift, and outlaw fire and rehire tactics.

The Renters’ Rights Bill will remove the threat of arbitrary evictions and make it illegal for landlords to discriminate against families with children.

In the next week, the government also wants to pass legislation to gradually re-nationalise the passenger rail network and strengthen the role of the country’s official budget watchdog. 

On Thursday in the House of Commons, lawmakers will have their first opportunity to debate the British Energy Bill to set up a publicly-owned company backed by 8.3 billion pounds ($10.89 billion) to co-invest in green technologies.

“This new Labour Government is full of energy, full of ideas and full of drive to deliver our mandate for change,” Powell said. “That’s why we’ve announced a packed legislative agenda.”

Over the next few months, the government also plans to introduce legislation to tighten rules on second jobs for lawmakers and make water bosses face personal criminal liability for lawbreaking if their companies repeatedly flout sewage regulations. 

($1 = 0.7618 pounds)