The Good Jobs Bill (GJB) has stalled at the NI Executive. If there is not agreement to release it to the Assembly next week there may be insufficient time for the Bill to complete the democratic legislative process before the current Assembly term ends.
This is not a radical piece of legislation. The GJB simply affords vulnerable and precarious workers here basic protections, aims to improve work/life balance and strengthen worker voice through trade union representation for the benefit of workers, employers and the economy.
We call on everyone to send the draft template letter below to your MLAs urgently. Please feel free to amend the letter to your circumstances.
It’s time to demand that Stormont delivers for working people!
Template Letter
Dear MLA,
I am contacting you to seek your urgent efforts to ensure that the NI Executive releases the Good Jobs Bill (GJB) for passage through the Assembly’s legislative process.
More than 8 in 10 voters here back the Bill but it is clear that the delay is at the behest of business lobby groups, who have consistently sought to misrepresent key elements of this legislation.
It is the default position of business lobby organisations to oppose improvements in workers’ legal rights. We should remember their opposition the introduction of the National Minimum Wage which, they claimed, would lead to jobs losses and damage the economy. This is how they always react to improvements for workers.
Trade unions have been engaged in good faith discussion and consultation on this bill for over two years now. They met with businesses and their representatives repeatedly and sought common ground. Trade unions and employers can and should work together for better conditions in the workplace.
This is not a radical piece of legislation. The GJB simply affords vulnerable and precarious workers here basic protections, aims to improve work/life balance and strengthen worker voice through trade union representation for the benefit of workers, employers and the economy.
However, these legal rights will be ineffective without union access, as tribunals are too complex and burdensome for vulnerable and precarious workers. Unions help ensure access to rights in practice, and evidence shows that trade unions bring benefits to society, business and the economy.
All of the rights in the Bill exist in some form for workers across these islands – Why are we being denied them?
Consultations on the GJB have been ongoing since 2024. No other employment rights Bill in NI has received such scrutiny. The policy contents of the Bill were published in April 2024.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 in Britain commenced six months after the GJB, was bigger than the GJB and still became law in December.
We understand that the Executive had the Bill some weeks before it was discussed on 28th May but has still not released it to the Assembly.
I am deeply troubled by the failure of the NI Executive to approve the GJB’s passage to the Assembly for democratic discussion and scrutiny.
I am acutely aware that any further delaying by the Executive may leave insufficient time for the GJB to complete the legislative process before the current Assembly term ends.
I call on you, as my elected representative, to publicly support the Good Jobs Bill and its urgent passage into the Assembly.
Yours sincerely
Contact Your MLAs Directly via Write To Them
- Visit the Write To Them website*: https://www.writetothem.com/
- Enter your postcode
- Click 'Write to all your MLAs'
- Click 'I want to talk about a policy or campaign' then 'Continue'
- Complete the form including the template letter (or your own form of words) and your details
- Click 'Preview and Send'
- Review, then click 'Im happy send it'
- Follow the instructions to verify email
* WriteToThem is run by the charity mySociety, with the aim of making it easier to contact your representatives, and helping you write the right message to the right place.