BRITAIN is lagging behind on worker protections compared with other countries, according to the TUC.

The trade union confederation cited a study by employment experts today as showing that labour laws are half as protective as those in France and “significantly” weaker than in other countries including Spain, Italy and Germany.

Analysis by Dr Irakli Barbakadze and Professor Simon Deakin of the University of Cambridge centre for business research demonstrates a need for changes to reduce the gap between workers’ rights in Britain and in comparable nations, the TUC said.

Workers in this country must have held a job for two years before they can protection from unfair dismissal and they are less likely to win reinstatement back if wrongly sacked, while, unlike in the rest of Europe, employers can ask British workers to opt out of the maximum working week and there is no right to extra pay for weekend work, said the report.

The study said the only area where Britain scores higher than other countries is on laws protecting fixed-term and temporary agency workers, which derived from its past membership of the European Union.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “This report lays bare just how weak worker protections are in this country compared to many other leading economies.

“Working people urgently need our laws brought closer to the international mainstream.

“That’s why it is vital the government’s forthcoming Employment Rights Bill is delivered within the first 100 days of the government’s term.

“It is a crucial opportunity to make work pay and give people the security and respect they need at work.

“Workers and business should have a shared interest in improving employment standards.

“Research shows that stronger employment protections are associated with higher employment and lower unemployment.”