Green Party Proposes £15 Minimum Wage by 2027 Amid Broader Debate on Worker Rights

The Green Party of England and Wales called for a £15 minimum wage for all workers, regardless of age, by April 2027, as part of its package of employment rights pledges. The party also promised protection from unfair dismissal from the first day in a job, full bans on fire and rehire, and zero-hour contracts.

BBC News reported these measures form the party's 'Worker's Charter,' aimed at addressing workplace imbalances.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski stated that his party would go further than the government on workers' rights, claiming Labour's measures were 'weak and have been watered down' after pressure from corporate lobbyists. Polanski said: '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 party further pledged pay rises in the public sector to at a minimum match inflation, with higher rises for the lowest paid, and scrapping all anti-union and anti-strike laws introduced since 1979.

Those anti-union laws include the ban on secondary picketing introduced under Margaret Thatcher. BBC News reported the Green Party accuses the Labour government of watering down its promises on workers' rights. 85 an hour for 18 to 20-year-olds, and £8 an hour for 16 and 17-year-olds.

The spokesperson added: 'The Green Party have the wrong plan and would decimate business, which would result in job losses. In Labour's 2024 election manifesto, the party committed to removing discriminatory age bands and increasing the minimum wage for younger workers to match older age groups, along with protection against unfair dismissal from the first day in a job and an end to fire and rehire.