Below are Labour’s key employment law proposals for Great Britain, legislated through the Employment Rights Bill, which is expected to be laid before Parliament by 12th October 2024.
Labour’s employment law proposals
Contracts of employment
Ban on “exploitative” zero-hour contracts – workers given rights to a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work and that all workers get reasonable notice of any changes in shift with compensation for any shifts cancelled.
Flexible working
Making flexible working the default from day one on the job for all workers and requiring employers to accommodate this as far as possible.
Parental leave, sick pay, and protection from unfair dismissal
Making protection available from day one for all workers subject to probationary reviews to assess new recruits.
Sickness absence
The removal of both the lower earnings limit for eligibility for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and the waiting days before eligibility for SSP begins.
Protection for new mothers
Making it unlawful to dismiss a woman who has had a baby for six months after her return to work, except in specific circumstances.
Fire and rehire
Ending “fire and rehire” and “fire and replace” by replacing the previous Government’s statutory code of practice.
Pay gap reporting
The introduction of mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for employers with 250 or more staff and the requirement for large firms to publish and implement action plans to close their gender pay gap.
Equal pay
Specific rights to claim equal pay because of the protected characteristics of race and disability.
Fair pay agreements
Establishing a Fair Pay Agreement in the adult social care sector.
Trade unions
To remove “unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity and ensuring industrial relations are based around good faith negotiation and bargaining”. This includes the removal of the requirement for minimum service levels and simplifying the process of statutory recognition.
For more information on Labour’s employment law proposals, https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/employment-law/proposed-changes-under-labour-government/ or for more information, contact Ramshaw HR @https://ramshawhr.com/contact-us/
