Welsh voters snub Reform UK's opposition to extension of workers' rights

Martin Shipton

Voters in Wales have overwhelmingly backed legislation to extend workers’ rights, posing a challenge to Reform UK, which is against the idea.

The TUC and the anti-racist campaign group Hope Not Hate have published the results of a new “megapoll”, which shows people in Wales – including Conservative and Reform voters – support key policies in the UK Government’s Employment Rights Bill.

The poll of more than 21,000 people comes after criticisms of the Bill from the Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, Reform leader Nigel Farage and parts of the business lobby.

TUC Cymru says it shows opponents of the Employment Rights Bill are “a world away” from the British public.

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The mega poll shows that in Wales:

* 72% of people support a ban on zero hours contracts;

* 73% of people support giving all workers the right to statutory sick pay, ensuring it is paid from the first day of sick leave;

* 73% of people support giving all workers protection from unfair dismissal from day one; and

* 72% of people support making it easier for workers to work flexibly

The poll modelled support at a constituency level for two key policies from the legislation – banning zero hours contracts and giving all workers sick pay from day one – and revealed that voters in every single constituency would be projected to support the policies.

The Britain-wide findings from the poll show that supporters of all the main political parties support key policies in the Employment Rights Bill.

This includes support from nearly two-thirds of both Reform and Conservative voters in the 2024 election for some of the Bill’s flagship policies:

* 65% of Reform and 63% of Conservative voters support banning zero hours contracts;

* 64% of Reform and 62% of Conservative voters support giving all workers the right to statutory sick pay, and ensuring it is paid from the first day;

* 62% of Reform and 62% of Conservative voters back giving all workers protection from unfair dismissal from the first day in the job; and

* 63% of Reform and 64% of Conservative voters support making it easier to work flexibly.

TUC Cymru says the poll shows how Reform is defying its own voters and constituents by opposing the Employment Rights Bill.

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Popular

The poll shows that workers’ rights laws are hugely popular with Reform voters from 2024 as well as Reform-leaning voters (those who would vote Reform if there was an election tomorrow).

In all 13 Welsh seats where Reform came second in the July 2024 general election, there is significant support for banning zero hours contracts and giving sick pay to everyone from day one.

Aberafan Maesteg

* 77% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 70% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Alyn and Deeside

* 72% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 73% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Bridgend

* 71% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 76% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Llanelli

* 73% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 73% support giving all workers sick pay from day one

Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare

* 75% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 73% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr

* 71% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 70% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Neath and Swansea East

* 74% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 71% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Newport East

* 71% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 72% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Newport West and Islwyn

* 74% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 73% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Rhondda and Ogmore

* 75% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 72% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Pontypridd

* 73% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 73% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Swansea West

* 73% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 73% support giving all workers sick pay from day one.

Torfaen

* 72% support banning zero hours contracts;

* 77% support giving all workers sick pay from day one

Vote winner

TUC Cymru General Secretary, Shavanah Taj said: "Make no mistake. The government’s landmark Employment Rights Bill is a vote winner.

“Opponents of the Bill are a world away from the public here in Wales. These policies are massively popular right across the political spectrum.

“After the failed Conservative era of a low-rights, low-pay, and low-growth economy, voters can see the importance of making work pay and ending the scourge of insecure work.

“That’s why the government must ignore the noise and deliver the Employment Rights Bill in full.

“Those who defend the broken status quo are putting their own vested interests above working people.”

On Reform defying their voters, Ms Taj added: “Reform is defying its own supporters on workers’ rights. Reform MPs voted against the Employment Rights Bill at every stage.

“And it’s not just on workers’ rights that Reform are poles apart from the Welsh people – Farage has talked openly about privatising the NHS.

“Nigel Farage and Reform aren’t on the side of working people – they’re on the side of bad bosses, zero hours contracts and profiteering healthcare companies.”

Threat

Hope Not Hate CEO Nick Lowles said: “Reform UK is emerging as a major political force in Britain, and a serious threat to the Labour government's majority.

"Reform voters aren't a homogenous bloc - a sizeable number of these voters are actually supportive of multiculturalism and immigration.

“But one thing most Reform voters have in common is their support for stronger rights at work - from banning zero hours contracts to making it easier for workers to work flexibly.

"Measures like these are an antidote to the sense of pessimism tempting voters to Reform UK”

* Focaldata conducted a poll of 21,270 British adults from November 30 2024 to January 8 2025 designed to be representative of the national population according to demographics and past voting behaviour. The data from the poll were analysed using a multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP) approach to derive constituency-level estimates for the results of key questions including voting intention.