Angela Rayner will push for part of Labour’s workers’ rights Bill to be brought in sooner after the Government scrapped a key plank of the legislation.
Plans to give workers day-one protection against unfair dismissal were abandoned last week and replaced with a six-month qualifying period.
The former deputy prime minister plans to table an amendment this week seeking to have that qualifying period, reduced from the current two years, apply from 2026 rather than 2027 as is currently planned.
She and former minister Justin Madders are understood to have been speaking to MPs and union colleagues as they prepare the amendment together.
An ally of Ms Rayner said: “As key architects of the Bill, they know it inside out.
“They will be spearheading efforts to ensure the best possible package of reform is delivered and implemented to an ambitious timeline.
“They are expected to work with Labour colleagues to push for further commitments from ministers.”
The pair are set to argue that because the change is now a reduction of the existing qualifying period, the time set out for widespread consultation and for employers to familiarise themselves with it is no longer needed.
The two backbenchers will also push for workers on zero-hour contracts not to be locked out of new rights and make sure employers face fines if they stop trade unions from talking to workers.
The Bill, Labour’s flagship workers’ rights package, was stripped of the day-one right to claims against unfair dismissal amid a stand-off between peers and MPs.
Other day-one rights to parental leave and sick pay are still set to go ahead, coming into effect in April 2026.
The concession, which comes after some businesses voiced concerns about potential costs and recruitment challenges, sparked a backlash among some backbenchers and the Unite union.
A source said there was “considerable anger” among Labour MPs that a manifesto pledge had been blocked by peers, but also a “growing consensus” that parts of the Bill could be implemented faster to benefit working people.
One Labour MP involved in the discussions said: “This can’t be the thin of the wedge and we won’t let it be.
“Not only can there be no more watering down, but there is now growing appetite on the Labour benches to go further and faster in delivering tangible rights at work that people can feel in their day-to-day lives.
“We’re drawing a line in the sand.”
Another said: “Even with last week’s changes, reducing the qualifying period for protection from unfair dismissal from 24 months to six would benefit millions of working people with greater security at work.
“Why should they have to wait until 2027 for better protections? There’s nothing now stopping the Government from delivering at pace.”
