THE GREEN Party has promised to go further than Labour’s “watered down” Employment Rights Act and offer day one rights on unfair dismissal.

Green leader Zack Polanski launched his “workers’ charter” at a May Day Rally in Manchester today which also promises a £15 minimum wage for all ages.

He said the new work manifesto is to “address the massive imbalance in our workplaces.”

If elected, his party said it would introduce its own version of the Employment Rights Act (ERA) which would include new rules for sectoral bargaining, “full bans” on zero-hours contracts and fire-and-rehire practices.

All anti-union and anti-strike laws introduced since 1979 would also be scrapped as part of the pledged reforms.

Green proposals for a universal minimum wage of £15 per hour would represent an increase from the current minimum of £12.71 an hour for workers over 21, £10.85 an hour for 18 to 20-year-olds and £8 an hour for 16 and 17-year-olds.

Launching the manifesto, Mr Polanski said PM Keir Starmer’s flagship ERA, which came into law in December, had been “watered down after the pressure from corporate lobbyists.”

The ERA initially included day-one rights on unfair dismissal, but was later amended to reduce the minimum period from two years to six months.

Fire-and-rehire practices have been restricted but not fully banned under this legislation.

The ERA has also been criticised for falling short of promises to end “exploitative zero-hours” employment, but only introduced a duty on employers to offer guaranteed hours to qualifying workers reflecting the hours worked in the previous reference period.

Mr Polanski said: “The reforms introduced by Margaret Thatcher nearly half a century ago began the long march downwards in the balance of power and wealth in our country – from those who produce and do the work to those who profit from it.

“Successive governments have continued this, and the current Labour government’s measures on workers’ rights, while an improvement, are weak and have been watered down after pressure from corporate lobbyists.

“The Greens are the new workers’ party, and we will address the massive imbalance in our workplaces and give control back to workers.”

Business Secretary Peter Kyle has insisted that Labour’s ERA will “drag Britain’s outdated employment laws into the 21st century and offer dignity and respect to millions more in the workplace.”