The Green Party has proposed a core workers' charter including a £15 per hour minimum wage for all ages and day-one rights on unfair dismissal, along with bans on fire-and-rehire and zero-hours contracts. The charter aims to redress the balance of power and wealth, according to the party. 71 per hour for those aged 21 and over.
40 for under 18s. Nearly one million young people in the UK are out of work and education, a number that has surged over four times since 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics. 1% in the three months to December, the highest since early 2015.
UK youth unemployment is now higher than the EU average for the first time since records began in 2000, the ONS said. The figures highlight the precarious position of young workers as the Green Party pushes for a significant wage floor increase. The Green Party also proposes to scrap all anti-union laws introduced since 1979.
The reforms introduced by Margaret Thatcher nearly half a century ago began the long march downwards in the balance of power and wealth in our country.
This would include measures such as allowing unions to revive 'flying pickets', or secondary picketing, where strikers can protest at associated workplaces. Additionally, the party wants to cap bosses' pay, aiming to reduce income inequality. These proposals mark the party's most radical intervention in labour market regulation to date.
However, critics warn the proposals could worsen youth unemployment. The Centre for Cities think tank said the £15 minimum wage is close to median pay in some areas like Doncaster and Wigan. A spokesperson warned that young people in those areas would be first to face any unintended adverse employment effects, competing with more-experienced workers paid slightly more.
The Centre for Cities also described the National Living Wage as a blunt instrument and suggested voluntary opt-in wage floor schemes in areas like London as an alternative. They argued that a uniform increase fails to account for vast regional differences in living costs and productivity. Green Party leader Zack Polanski was due to launch the workers' charter at a May Day rally in Manchester on Friday.
He was expected to criticize the legacy of Thatcher-era reforms, saying they began a long decline in the balance of power and wealth. However, the full content of the workers' charter beyond the announced policies has not been disclosed, and the party has not detailed how the £15 minimum wage would be phased in.