In this morning's King's Speech, Labour outlined their legislative priorities for the parliamentary term ahead. The speech briefly mentioned “legislation to ban exploitative practices and enhance employment rights,” signalling a strong commitment to their 'New Deal for Working People' agenda.
Key Provisions in the Employment Rights Bill
According to the Prime Minister’s briefing notes, the Employment Rights Bill aims to implement several significant reforms in Great Britain:
Immediate Employment Protections: Parental leave, sick pay, and protection from unfair dismissal will be available from day one, subject to specific probationary period rules.
Zero-Hour Contracts: These contracts will be banned, ensuring workers have contracts reflecting their regular hours.
Fire and Rehire Practices: The Bill will end ‘fire and rehire’ and ‘fire and replace’ practices by reforming existing laws and replacing the statutory code.
Statutory Sick Pay: The lower earnings limit and waiting period for Statutory Sick Pay will be removed.
Flexible Working: Flexible working will become the default from day one, requiring employers to reasonably accommodate it.
Protection for New Mothers: It will be unlawful to dismiss a woman for six months after returning from maternity leave, with certain exceptions.
Fair Work Agency: A new single enforcement body will be established to enforce workplace rights.
Fair Pay Agreement: The adult social care sector will see the introduction of a Fair Pay Agreement.
Industrial Action: The law on minimum service levels related to industrial action will be repealed.
Trade Union Recognition: The process for statutory recognition of trade unions will be simplified, and a right for workers to access unions within workplaces will be introduced.
Additional Legislative Proposals
In addition to the Employment Rights Bill, a draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill is proposed. This bill aims to:
Equal Pay Law: Enshrine full equal pay rights for disabled people and ethnic minorities.
Pay Gap Reporting: Mandate ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, addressing practical implementation challenges.
Observations and Cautions
While the briefing notes state that "the Bill will deliver on policies as set out in the Plan to Make Work Pay," it is not explicitly clear that all listed aspects will be included in the Bill itself. This ambiguity may be a matter of wording, and we will need to await the Bill's publication for confirmation.
For more detailed information, the full briefing notes and future legislative updates can be found on the official UK Parliament and government websites.
Further Insights from the King's Speech
Additional highlights from the speech include:
Economic Growth: Strengthening the role of the Office of Budget Responsibility and establishing a National Wealth Fund.
Housing and Infrastructure: Planning reforms to speed up housing and infrastructure delivery, and ending unfair no-fault evictions.
Clean Energy: Setting up Great British Energy to boost energy security and create jobs.
Education and Skills: Reforming the apprenticeship levy and setting up Skills England.
Health: Improving NHS services, focusing on mental health, and modernising the Mental Health Act.
For more detailed information, you can read the full briefing notes and legislative updates on the UK government website (GOV.UK).
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