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Lord Mandelson has pushed back the introduction of new workers' rights and regulations which were expected to cost businesses £3.5 billion a year.
The Business Secretary was today due to say that 26 proposed regulations were being delayed, or brought in at the latest date, to stop them hitting Britain's economic recovery.
They include the EU directive giving temporary workers full employment rights after 12 weeks in a workplace, including on pay and holidays. This will be delayed until October 2011.
Unions reacted angrily, but business chiefs welcomed the move. Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said: "Vulnerable workers are always the first to suffer when times are hard."
However, David Frost, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said it was a "step in the right direction".
Shadow business minister Jonathan Djanogly also backed the delays, saying: "We need to get Britain working, not escalate the jobs crisis."
Reader views (4)
I think Gordon is doing a magnificent job turning this country around and it's pretty sad that so many people can't see that.
- Thomas, London
Lord Mandelson’s achievement in pushing back the Agency Worker Directive is brave and justifiable. It will allow time to assess the sensible application of the plans.
Rushed implementation of the Directive would only have caused confusion, stalling flexibility for both contractor and client – a factor essential for getting the economy back on track.
The Agency Worker Directive is not designed to cause upset, uncertainty or bureaucratic hassle. It’s more to protect the right people in the right circumstances.
Without correct implementation, it will fail, and take businesses and worker’s livelihoods with it.
- Alan Rommel, Parity Resources, London, UK
Interesting that once the central government has dictated this new policy by Directive, all Lord Mandelson can do in this province is delay its implementation. So very many of these Directives are coming in from the central government.
- Phil Jones, London UK
By teh time the labour part go to eelection there will be nobody left working to use these rights.
I find it interesting that the Labour Party as the party of the worker would seek to delay or cancel the very thing that their supporters elected them to do, except that Mandleson IS now the labour part and he is not elected
You lot reap what you sow, are you going to vote Labour ever again ?
- James, City of London
