Britain’s record work dissatisfaction sparks call for Labour’s new workers’ rights

Record unhappiness at work

The British Social Attitudes survey, the nation’s long‑running annual pulse‑taker, released today a stark picture of work life in Britain. People cite a lack of flexibility in working hours, limited chances for career advancement and, above all, a lack of pay rises as the main sources of dissatisfaction.

Professor John Curtice, editor of the survey’s findings, notes that only 4% would choose not to work if they could, and just 2% of young people share that view, underscoring that the work ethic remains strong even as morale falls.

Pay stagnation and widening gaps

Economist Paul Johnson told the author that pay stagnation over the last decade is “unprecedented since Napoleonic times,” then added that “you might as well say ever.” Mike Brewer of the Resolution Foundation reports that pay inequality rose for the first time in ten years: the top 10% of earners saw a 7.3% increase, while the bottom 10% rose only 1.1%.

The national living wage has stopped climbing faster than median pay, while top‑end salaries have accelerated again, creating the widest gap in pay rises ever recorded. The wealth gap remains the highest in western Europe, with the top 1% owning more than the whole bottom half of the population.

Changing expectations

In 2006, only 25% of respondents said the government should shrink the gap between rich and poor; that figure is now 53%. Expectations of career advancement have fallen from 35% to 26%.

Despite higher education levels among young people, their prospects for upward mobility and earnings are lower than those of their parents, a trend the author describes as “a recipe for social disaster.”

Labour’s response: stronger working rights

Labour’s 2024 manifesto promises greater control over hours and stronger protection from heavy‑handed employers. The survey shows 61% of respondents consider the ability to set their own working hours important, yet only 31% say they can do so in their current job.

New provisions slated for next year will require employers to give specific business reasons for refusing flexible‑hours requests or remote work, and employees will be able to bring a union representative or colleague to consultations.

Last Friday, a fresh right took effect allowing trade‑union representatives to visit any workplace – from fast‑food outlets to care homes – to recruit and discuss working conditions without fear of reprisal. The measures also aim to ban exploitative zero‑hours contracts and introduce guaranteed contracts, giving workers certainty over schedules and earnings.

Public support versus business opposition

A YouGov poll for Acas finds 78% of people want flexible working. Nevertheless, the Confederation of British Industry, the British Chambers of Commerce and the Institute of Directors warn that more rights could mean fewer jobs.

Conservative business‑lobby voices and party leader Kemi Badenoch dismiss the reforms, claiming they would “drag Britain back to a world where unions call the shots and employers carry the blame.” Badenoch pledged that a Conservative government under her leadership would repeal “every job‑destroying, anti‑business, anti‑growth measure in this bill.”

Political stakes

While the government cannot shield the economy from external shocks, Labour’s leaders Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner are credited with defending the working‑rights agenda against sceptics within the party and beyond, hoping the reforms will improve working lives just when they are most needed.