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The announcement on Thursday 27th November by the Government, trade union representatives (TULO and the TUC) and employers that an agreement had been reached to break the log-jam between the House of Commons and the House of Lords (described as Westminster ‘ping pong’) is of considerable concern to the Campaign and trade union members. Critics have said that the agreement rows back on the commitment to full ‘day one’ rights in the New Deal for Working People. In fact the government abandoned that commitment by the introduction in the Bill of powers to make Regulations imposing on all workers a nine-month probationary period in which the right to unfair dismissal would be watered down. In some ways a straight six month qualifying period might provide greater protection to workers. Certainly, the reduction of the qualifying period from the current two years to six months is to be welcomed. As is the agreement that the statutory limit on compensation for unfair dismissal will be removed (though the detail on this is not yet clear). However the details of the agreement reached have not as yet been explained beyond general statements that the deal had to be done to avoid the Parliamentary timetable slipping and to protect other ‘day one’ rights in the Bill. It is said that the Bill needs royal assent prior to Christmas – so an agreement had to be reached. However, the Campaign notes that the ERB is tabled yet again for debate on 10th December in the Lords which means that, unless the government has reached an agreement with the Tories and the Liberal Democrats in the Lords, they can table further amendments on 10th December and hold up progress of the Bill further. Is the agreement in writing and signed by the parties? If so, it should be published in full in place of the summaries and speculation that have so far emerged. Reference has been made by the Government that: “The discussions concluded that reducing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from 24 months to 6 months (whilst maintaining existing day one protection against discrimination and automatically unfair grounds for dismissal) is a workable package.” That may be so but the Campaign has always supported full day one rights for unfair dismissal without a six-month (or any arbitrary) qualifying period – and without a compulsory and lengthy period of ‘probation’ during which the right to unfair dismissal is watered down. Experience shows that employers will use any qualifying period of whatever length other than ‘day one’, to unfairly dismiss workers on spurious grounds shortly before the qualifying period is reached (‘fire first, argue later’). There is no great burden on employers from a day one right to unfair dismissal so long as the employer only dismisses for a good and fair reason (such as misconduct or incompetence) and follows proper procedures. The Campaign for Trade Union Freedom is of the view that this late concession on top of the many compromises already in the Bill (and the many things the Bill does not but should have dealt with) confirms that there is a clear need for an Employment Rights #2 Bill and will be campaigning, together with our friends at Strike Map (https://strikemap.org), during 2026 on this issue. A date for your diary – the Campaign For Trade Union Freedom will be organising a major trade union rally in support of an Employment Rights #2 Bill on 21st March 2026. Further details in the New Year. |
Canadian Car Workers Plan To Seize Plant
Workers at Cami Assembly auto plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada have announced they will seize the plant and push owners General Motors Canada into a legal battle, if the automaker attempts to remove machinery from the site. The assembly plant is the biggest employer in the area and the job losses will hit the community hard.
Over 1,100 workers were laid off at the plant when GM announced in October that poor sales of the BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric van, expected to sell to companies like FedEx, DHL and Walmart paused production – with only a single shift in operation.
GM say they the pause is to allow for re-tooling for 2026 EV models but the Unifor union national president Lana Payne says “Canada should not allow companies to leave after receiving billions in public support for EV development due to pressure or market turbulence”. Unifor is Canada’s biggest union with members employed in manufacturing, IT and Media
Industry analysis’s say President Trump’s trade war and the threat of a 25% auto tariff on imported vehicles to the U.S. has played a significant role in damaging sales
Fearful that the plant will be mothballed and lays off will be indefinite, Unifor local official Mike Van Boekel said: “We will occupy the plant until there is a way forward. We want to team up with the federal government and GM to get something for the plant.” He fears that if GM is allowed to take out machinery, the plant would never reopen.
Seizure of the plant could force GM Canada to seek legal action to remove the workers, but the union is prepared to fight the company in court.
Unifor met with Canada’s Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, John Zerucelli, Secretary of State for Labour and other politicians this week. “They told GM to come back with a commitment to the plant” Van Boekel said. “We have made our position with the company crystal clear: nothing comes in and nothing goes out. If they try to remove even one single thing from the plant, we are ready to take over. We are not kidding. We are fighting to ensure the plant stays open – we will do whatever it takes to protect our jobs, our members, and the future of this plant.”
At the time of publishing this report a senior Canadian union official told us: “The workers have not occupied the plant yet. The Government is involved in a legal process to keep the plant open.”
ETUC: Minimum Wage Directive Put Beyond All Doubt – But Adequacy of Wages Needs Stronger Rules
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) welcomes that the EU Minimum Wage Directive has been put beyond all doubt by today’s ruling of the Court of Justice. The Court confirmed the validity of the Directive and its core provisions, ensuring that the fight for fair wages in Europe continues on firm legal ground.
The Court has confirmed all measures related to the promotion of collective bargaining including the requirement for member states to put forward action plans to increase collective bargaining coverage.
While the Court annulled Article 5(2) – which contained the detailed criteria for assessing the adequacy of statutory minimum wages – it confirmed the other provisions of the Directive, including Article 5(1) which links minimum wages with adequacy, with the aim of achieving a decent standard of living, and 5(4), which includes the “threshold of decency” based on 50% of the median wage and 60% of the average wage as key reference points to assess adequacy. These benchmarks remain binding tools for guiding fair statutory minimum wage setting and ensuring that minimum wages protect workers from in-work poverty.
Esther Lynch, ETUC General Secretary, said, “this judgment confirms that the Minimum Wage Directive stands firm – the EU can and must act for fair wages. The Directive’s core is intact, including the 50% and 60% thresholds of decency. But by striking out the article that explained how to measure adequacy, the Court has made it even clearer that we need stronger, enforceable rules to make fair pay a reality.”
The ETUC calls on Member States to stop the ‘wait and see’ approach and to get on with implementing the Directive in full, including raising wage floors to meet the adequacy benchmarks and adopting national action plans to increase collective bargaining coverage to 80%. Governments now have full legal certainty – the Directive is solid and must be delivered.
Importantly, most EU Member States with statutory minimum wages remain bound by ILO Convention No. 131, which sets out the very same criteria that were annulled by the Court – including cost of living, productivity levels, and economic factors relevant to decent wages. These international obligations remain in force and must guide national implementation.
The ETUC calls on the Commission to put forward immediately a Recommendation to support the implementation of the Directive by providing additional guidance criteria and coordination tools to deliver adequate statutory minimum wages that ensure a decent standard of living and to ensure upward wage convergence in Europe.
“The Directive is solid, but it needs solid implementation. Workers need real pay rises and real bargaining power, not legal loopholes. Europe must make sure every worker earns a wage that meets the threshold of decency, and promote effectively collective bargaining and increase collective bargaining coverage,” added Lynch.
The ETUC also recalls that all EU countries are bound by the European Social Charter, which requires effective mechanisms to ensure fair and adequate wages and to promote collective bargaining.
The ETUC is very concerned about the removal of the prevision that prevented automatic indexation being used as a reason to reduce statutory minimum wages but we remind Member States that Article 16 prevents them from lowering or abolishing minimum wages.
Support the 100 anniversary of the 1926 General Strike
The Campaign For Trade Union Freedom is supporting the national partnership to celebrate the General Strike 100 anniversary in 2026.
11 museums, libraries, archives, history groups and employment rights organisations have written to the trade union and labour movement to seek support for a national partnership to celebrate the General Strike 100 anniversary.
This partnership has been coordinated by the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU). Commenting on the importance of this project, Gawain Little, General Secretary of the GFTU said, “The 100 anniversary of the 1926 strike is a critical celebration of the power of workers to defy Government and grow union consciousness across the country. This partnership is about amplifying and promoting the excellent plans of many organisations across the country. We are looking forward to 2026.”
This partnership will produce an interactive map of organisations and sites for the public to visit throughout 2026.
This will include details of a specific exhibition, an educational event, or a unique collection to explore – all part of our rich history of the General Strike.
Accompanying the interactive website, the partnership will produce a printed passport, encouraging those participating to visit as many of these sites as they can and collect stamps from all they visit.
Belinda Scarlett, the Library Manager at Working Class Movement Library (WCML), “We are delighted to be a part of this national partnership, helping promote the work of our library and archive, as well as our local history in celebrating the General Strike.”
Alongside a digital map, the partnership will be producing commemorative merchandise to mark the anniversary and help support fundraising efforts.
If you want to support this project, please consider donating via https://bit.ly/GeneralStrike100.
This project is supported by: Beamish, the Living Museum of the North, Campaign for Trade Union Freedom, General Federation of Trade Unions, National Coal Mining Museum for England, People’s History Museum, Radical Tea Towel Company, Society for the Study of Labour History, Strike Map, TUC Library Collections – London Metropolitan University, Working Class History, Working Class Movement Library.
For more details:
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/visit-a-general-strike-100-site?source=direct_link&