The Green Party of England and Wales has announced a pledge to introduce a £15 minimum wage for all workers regardless of age, as part of a broader "Worker's Charter" aimed at strengthening employment rights.
Under the party's proposals, the minimum wage would be raised to £15 per hour by April 2027, replacing the current system that pays lower rates for younger workers. Currently, the minimum wage is £12.71 for those over 21, £10.85 for 18-20 year olds, and £8 for 16-17 year olds.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticized the Labour government's approach, calling their Employment Rights Act "weak" and "watered down." He stated, "The Greens are the new workers' party, and we will address the massive imbalance in our workplaces and give control back to workers."
Other pledges in the charter include protection from unfair dismissal from the first day of employment, full bans on "fire and rehire" practices and zero-hour contracts, and pay rises in the public sector that at least match inflation, with higher increases for the lowest paid.
The party also aims to scrap all anti-union and anti-strike laws introduced since 1979, including the ban on secondary picketing.
Labour's Employment Rights Act, passed in December, bans exploitative zero-hour contracts by requiring guaranteed hours based on a 21-week reference period, reduces the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from two years to six months, and makes fire and rehire automatically unfair except in cases of severe financial distress. The government has called it "landmark legislation."
The Conservatives have pledged to repeal the Act, calling it anti-business, while Reform UK has also promised to scrap it. The Liberal Democrats have called for an independent review to set a genuine living wage across all sectors.