Employees in Tower Hamlets are at risk of having their rights eroded by the Coalition government, according to Labour MPs and councillors.

Rachael Saunders, councillor for Mile End East, and Jim Fitzpatrick, MP for Poplar and Limehouse, are backing a campaign from the Trades Union Congress opposing measures set out by chancellor George Osborne at the Conservative party conference this week.

They claim the proposals will make it easier for employers to sack their staff and reduce the quality of their working conditions.

Cllr Saunders said: “I am supporting the campaign to stop the government using the recession as cover to cut back on employment rights in Tower Hamlets and across the country.

“Making it easier for bad employers to get away with misconduct is not the way to kick-start our economy and will not create a single job.”

Mr Fitzpatrick added: “Making it easier to hire and then fire isn’t the right policy for getting people into work and keeping them there. The latest move by the Chancellor is a back door attack on workers’ rights.”