GOVERNMENT moves to cut the red tape burden on businesses must not result in reduced protection of of employees, East Lancashire MP Peter Pike has told a government Minister.

The Burnley Labour backbencher spoke out during Commons Questions to the Cabinet Office when he stressed that any moves to remove burden on employers should not be to the cost of workers' rights .

He intervened after Tory Henry Bellingham urged the Government to keep the UK's opt-outs from the working time directive which limits most workers to 48 hours a week.

Mr Pike reminded Cabinet Office Minister Douglas Alexander that some Tories use the argument for removing burden on business as a front for removing worker protections.

He asked: " Is it not important that when we look at removing burdens, we do not equate that with removing worker protection, because many Conservative MPs equate the two?"

Mr Alexander replied: " I find myself in full agreement with you. This Government make no apology for paid holidays, time off to attend to family matters, and, of course, the national minimum wage and the working time directive."

Afterwards Mr Pike said: "It is important that we remove unnecessary burden from business to allow our business and enterprise to grow and compete in a global market. But equally important is to ensure that it is not to the detriment of employees of those businesses.

"The Labour Government is committed to workers' protections and to a decent basic package of holiday and leave entitlement, a decent guaranteed wage minimum together with a whole raft of measures we have introduced to restore trade union recognition, employees rights, and standards of health and safety to ensure protection for workers."