Don’t let Tories erode our rights

It hasn’t taken long after Brexit for this Government to get its claws into the workforce. First we have the minimum wage which isn’t a living wage, now they reportedly want to snatch away the 48-hour working week, rest breaks and holiday entitlements (Mirror, January 25).

This is after years of workers fighting for better conditions. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has denied it of course, but how much can we trust the word of a Tory?

People need proper holidays and breaks – just look at our NHS staff who, although marvellous, are suffering from fatigue and exhaustion as they toil at the frontline of the pandemic. The Government needs to appreciate that it’s the working people of this country that make it great.

M Tuplin, Ulceby, North Lincs

We must protect workers’ rights which have been hard won over the years. Margaret Thatcher started by cutting the power of the unions and now we see fire and rehire tactics becoming more common and zero hours contracts taking the place of decent jobs. When I left school you could pick and choose as there were jobs aplenty and most were reasonably paid.

Now we’ve left the EU, I fear the Tories will tear up all the protections we have benefited from. Welcome to modern Britain.

Dave Mellor, Warrington

I see the Tory mantra of reducing workers’ rights and pay is alive and well after

Brexit. This is the real reason they wanted us out of Europe.

Now they are allegedly planning to introduce ‘new’ legislation which will mean fewer paid holidays and changes to overtime payments. So much for Johnson’s claim he wanted to level up Britain.

The Tories have chipped away at working conditions, wages and pensions for a decade and now it could get even worse.

I wonder what the people who voted for this lot purely to Get Brexit Done think now?

Brian Scully, Wigan

Will the working people who supported Brexit feel great joy when their holiday entitlement is cut to the US style of two weeks? The four weeks they enjoy now is courtesy of the European Union.

Will they be happy when their sick pay entitlement is cut back, and health and safety rules are relaxed making it more likely they could have an accident at work?

I’m in no doubt these measures are at the top of the Government’s agenda for the new era ahead.

Jacqueline Batchelor

Hertfordshire

It hasn’t taken long for reports to surface about the Government’s plans to rip up workers’ rights previously enshrined in EU law.

They deny this, of course, but why should we believe them when they lie about everything else? The Labour Party and unions must fight tooth and nail to preserve the rights of our working people.

Paul Whittaker, South Shields

Tyne and Wear

This Government would take us back 40 years with regard to workers’ rights if allowed to. These rights were hard won and we have gradually seen them eroded, but Brexit is the biggest threat yet.

We desperately need a proper living wage and better work/life balance.

Lynne Holland, Southport Merseyside

Boris Johnson can’t be trusted. We should all know this by now but people voted him in because of Brexit. Now it appears he plans to go backwards on workers’ rights and conditions. Let’s hope Johnson’s days are numbered.

Tony Howard, Salford

Greater Manchester