James O'Brien Pulls Apart Tories' Workers Rights Policy

15 May 2017, 12:26

James O'Brien says the Conservatives' announcement on workers rights is one of the most cynical policies he's ever seen.

James originally felt that the Tories' promise to give workers more rights in the workplace was a good thing.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realised that it is entirely unworkable.

Speaking on his LBC show, he said: "I don't think this is a proper policy at all.

"I don't think I know anybody who would be able to take a year unpaid to provide full-time care and I don't think I can off the top of my head think of many jobs where the employer could keep that job on hold for the entire 12 months duration.

"The proposal is that you, me and everybody else in normal employment will be able to take up to 12 months off work unpaid in order to look after a sick relative.

James O'Brien pointing

"I think this is an absolute load of rubbish. It is not only implausible and hard to enforce.

"How sick does your parent have to be? Do you have to provide evidence that they've got dementia? Or cancer? What if they're just very frail? What if they're just very weak on their legs?

"I think this is just the whopping great big paper bag, inflated with hot air.

"12 months unpaid. I don't know a single person. Could you afford to do that? Who could afford to do that? So how is it a policy?"

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