Dominic Raab poses “direct and immediate threat to working people in Britain”

Theresa May has appointed someone who think British workers are ‘lazy’ and threatens rights including the minimum wage says GMB

Dominic Raab, the newly appointed Brexit Secretary, needs to be held account for his previous comments denigrating British workers and proposals to weaken rights including the minimum wage says GMB.

The Cabinet Minister, appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May today to lead Brexit negotiations after the resignation of David Davis, is the co-author of the hard-right ‘Britannia Unchained’ manifesto in 2012

Britannia Unchained was written by Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Priti Patel MP, Dominic Raab MP, Chris Skidmore MP and Liz Truss MP.

The jointly penned book claimed British workers ‘prefer a lie-in to hard work’ and that British people ‘are amongst the worst idlers in the world’

This follows Raab’s proposals in a pamphlet published by the Centre for Policy Studies in 2011 entitled ‘Escaping the Strait Jacket’. Raab’s pamphlet includes proposals to:

-Abolish the minimum wage for workers aged under 21 working in small businesses

-Abolish the working time directive

-Scrap employment rights for agency workers’ rights and conditions

-End TUPE protection for all workers when their job is transferred to a new employer

-Ensure workers employed by small businesses don’t benefit from flexible working rights or pension auto-enrolment

Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary said: “This appointment signals a promotion of a hard right figurehead who has shown contempt for working people in Britain.

“Theresa May has appointed someone who think British workers are lazy and have too many rights and he has already published plans to slash vital rights from the minimum wage to rights for agency workers.

“The hard won rights of UK workers are already under serious threat in the post-Brexit landscape – basic things like not being forced to work 60 hours a week and being able to get home to see your family.

“Dominic Raab’s appointment now poses a direct and immediate threat to working people in Britain.

“At a time when we see a Tory back bencher salivating at the prospect of axing the Working Time Directive, the new Brexit Minister needs be clear where he stands on workers’ rights – the public will not accept a Brexit that makes life harder for working people.”