The flagship workers’ rights reform championed by the government has been drastically scaled back after ministers withdrew plans to allow newcomers to sue for unfair dismissal from their first day on the job.
Under the revised approach, protection against unfair dismissal will now only be available after a six-month qualifying period — a sharp retreat from the initial “day-one” proposal. This marks a major reversal of earlier promises to overhaul employment protections for new hires across the country.
The original draft of the reform also included safeguards for workers in zero-hours jobs, aimed to curb exploitative practices, and sought to simplify the legal distinction between full-time employees and gig-economy workers. Those broader changes now appear weakened or delayed as part of the compromise.
Trade unions and progressive lawmakers immediately condemned the move, calling the bill a hollow shell of what was promised and warning that many vulnerable workers will remain exposed — especially those in short-term, irregular, or precarious jobs.
With the day-one protection scrapped, workers in their first six months remain vulnerable to dismissal without recourse — a sharp blow to campaigners who argued the change was key to bringing fairness and security to modern workplaces.