The DUP and Sinn Féin have clashed over the progress of the Good Jobs Bill, with Sinn Féin accusing the DUP of blocking the legislation and the DUP insisting it only sought further revisions.

At a Sinn Féin stall in Enniskillen on Saturday, MLA Jemma Dolan claimed the DUP had prevented the Bill from going to the Assembly floor before the summer recess. She said the legislation was designed to benefit every worker in Northern Ireland and was not anti-business.

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine denied the Bill had been blocked. She said her party had asked Economy Minister Conor Murphy to return to the drawing board, and that Mr. Murphy subsequently issued a statement confirming he would do so.

The proposed Employment Rights Bill contains provisions for neonatal care leave, improved carers' support, and wider employment protections. Ms. Erskine, who described herself as having first-hand experience of neonatal care, criticised Sinn Féin for using parents with similar experiences in its campaigning.

She revealed that she and DUP leader Gavin Robinson had called for the Bill to be divided, so that its positive elements could be progressed more quickly. If Sinn Féin genuinely cared about neonatal leave or carers' rights, she argued, it would accept this proposal.

Ms. Dolan maintained that the Bill would improve economic productivity and strengthen trade union rights, and dismissed the DUP's demand for further scrutiny as an attempt to delay. She said Sinn Féin would continue to press ahead with the legislation, adding that denying workers' rights was to delay them.

The DUP has maintained that legislation requires proper scrutiny and should not be about grabbing headlines.