Government guidance on employment rights after Brexit should no deal be reached “says pretty much nothing”, the TUC has said.

“It basically says that nothing will change, which may of course be true on day one but after then all the coming changes to EU regulation, including proposed improvements to chemical safety limits will not apply to Britain,” commented TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson. “Also of course there is nothing to stop the UK removing a lot of the protections on day two after Brexit. That is why we need a deal that ensures that Britain will continue to apply all EU rights post Brexit as a minimum.”

The guide, ‘Workplace rights if there’s no Brexit deal’ is one of the 25 ‘no deal’ Brexit advice papers published by the Government on 23^rd August 2018. The workplace rights guide says any amendments to existing regulations “will not change existing policy”.

Commenting on the first batch of technical notices on plans for a no-deal Brexit, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “These papers confirm that a no-deal Brexit is not a credible option. It would be devastating for working people. Jobs and rights at work would be under threat, and price increases would hit already-struggling families hard.”

She added: “The Government cannot allow us to crash out. The Prime Minister must throw out her red lines, face down the extremists in her party, and negotiate a deal that works for the whole of the UK.”

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statement flagged up on the front page of the safety regulator’s website this week noted: “The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is contributing to cross-government work being coordinated by the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) to prepare the United Kingdom (UK) for exit from the European Union (EU). This includes work to support the Government’s commitment to protect workers’ rights as the UK leaves the EU by ensuring that health and safety regulation continues to provide a high level of protection in the workplace.”

It added: “HSE is working to help with the government’s preparations for both Day One and the longer term, subject to the outcome of the negotiations with the EU. We will aim to publish further details on the role of health and safety when possible.”