Andrew Hillier KC explains why the new rights given by Labour’s planned legislation may prove largely illusory

“Trade unions have declared victory as Labour bolstered a string of measures in its workers’ rights bill,” says your report (4 March). However, there are two facts that the government has failed to take on board and the bill fails to address.

First, that without union assistance or incurring substantial costs, it is almost impossible to obtain anything more than the most cursory advice, let alone representation, in relation to the understanding and enforcement of what are often complex rights.