Commenting on the Employment Rights Bill completing its passage through Parliament, Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:

“After long debate and a long struggle we welcome the fact the Employment Rights Bill will now receive Royal Assent.

“This legislation represents an important step forward for working people across the UK. While it does not undo all the damage caused by decades of hostile employment legislation, it will remove some of the most vicious anti-worker and anti-union laws that have restricted rights at work and undermined the collective organisation of working people. After this legislation, trade unions will also want to discuss what further rights need to be delivered for working people and their unions.

“The Bill will improve the rights of individual workers, including teachers, strengthening protections and helping to provide greater security at work. For teachers, these changes are particularly significant at a time when recruitment, retention and workload pressures continue to place unacceptable strain on the profession.

“There is still more to be done to ensure that the new law translates into real changes in workplaces.

“Once the new law is in place, trade unions need to organise to make use of these rights to improve pay, conditions and world of work and continue to campaign for further improvements to workers’ rights.”