Words by Smiley Team
After hundreds of thousands of people signed a petition and emailed the government, campaign group Organise is celebrating a victory for workers’ rights. The campaign has ensured that employees across the country can rest easy because they will still enjoy paid breaks and holidays under the Working Time Directive, allowing them to spend time with loved ones and to rest between shifts.
Welcoming the government’s move to keep these rights in place, lead campaigner at Organise Usman Mohammed said: “This is a huge win for a few reasons. One is that rights like the 48-hour workweek and paid holidays were won over years of unions and others campaigning for it. And protecting these means that companies won't be given the green light to cut away our legal breaks and time with our loved ones. But it's bigger than that, this win shows that people power works.”
“Had we lost the campaign, it would allow your employer to call you in just a few hours after finishing your last shift. It would mean that millions of us wouldn't get the important time we spend with our families and loved ones throughout the year. And that would only be the start,” Mohammed added.
For society at large, the win has ensured a degree of financial and well-being protection for people across the country. As Mohammed explained, it also means Organise is more likely to win later campaigns to support employees because it will discourage bosses from exploitative practices later on down the line.
To support their cause, Organise published a survey conducted between 22nd and 24th January 2021. It revealed that at least a third of over 10,000 respondents feared they’d lose any holiday pay if legislation to protect it was removed. Most of these workers come from the care and construction industries, both of which involve exhausting work conditions. In light of these findings, the campaign victory will help many across the country carry out their work safely and effectively.
But Organise won’t be stopping to celebrate for long. After the win for paid holidays and breaks, Mohammed said: “There are lots of people in need right now and the million-strong Organise network isn't hanging around.”
Made up of a community of workers across the UK, Organise tackles discrimination and poor standards in the workplace. Their upcoming projects include a campaign to ensure a basic income so that nobody is left behind in the recovery from Covid-19. They are also pushing for fair laws that won’t force employees to choose between wage cuts or losing their job altogether.
Organise members can use the platform in a variety of ways to campaign for better jobs. Their successful projects range from improving salaries for Waterstones staff to winning pay rises for frontline health workers.
To join the movement anyone can lend support to a campaign, start a petition for positive change, or become an Organise Core Member with a monthly contribution that supports all the network make breakthroughs in the world of work.
