CIRC 106: RETAINED EU LAW BILL

In its rush to finalise Brexit, the government plans to axe over 2,400 laws by the end of next year – all because they originated in the EU.

The controversial Retained EU Law Bill, introduced by Jacob Rees-Mogg, has set a fast-moving conveyor belt in motion, which will see all protections for workers and UK citizens that come from EU law fall off a cliff in December 2023, unless the Government decides to produce new and equivalent UK laws.

Many core workplace protections – including holiday pay, maternity pay and equal pay for women and men – come from the European Union. For decades, EU laws have ensured decent working standards in the UK, shielding workers from exploitation and discrimination. The removal of these laws would impact on very basic workers’ rights such as annual leave, maternity, and paternity protections to things such as TUPE protections during outsourcing.

The Government still has not published a complete list of all affected legislation, despite the deadline being just over a year away. It is up to Tory ministers to pick and choose which of thousands of these rules they want to keep.

The Retained EU Law Bill will ask UK Courts to depart from EU law and principles, which means that decades of legal judgements and case law will have to be reargued. This will prove costly for both workers and employers bringing and defending claims and will cause delays.

 

Please take 2 minutes to write to your MP today to ask that they raise concerns about the Retained EU Law Bill. The link for the standard letter is

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/dont-rip-up-key-workplace-protections/?source=unions

 

Thank you for your anticipated support.

 

Yours sincerely

STEVE GILLAN
General Secretary