The employment regulator will force firms to pay for trade union ‘equality’ representatives to take time off under Labour’s new bill. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service – the quango that advises firms on employment law and workplace relations – is updating its official Code of Practice, expanding it from guidance on giving staff “time off for carrying out trade union duties and activities” to covering both “time off” and the “accommodation and facilities an employer must provide” to “union equality representatives”. Go woke, go broke…
Under the (un)Employment Rights Act bosses must give woke union reps paid time off to “promote the value of equality in the workplace”. Unite’s own handbook tells reps to “check how representative the workforce is of the community”, “remove barriers to equality” and “promote equality” for LGBT, migrant and agency workers and ex-offenders. They’re also instructed to “tackle homophobia, biphobia and transphobia” and ensure “visible practices forwarding equality policies on sexual orientation and gender identity”. Co-conspirators can place their bets on whether this is what will get growth going…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”