Government Introduces Changes to Employment Rights

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14 October 2024

The new Employment Rights Bill is set to transform workers’ rights across the UK – let’s take a look at what’s changing.

 

Unfair Dismissal Rights From Day One

 

The two-year qualifying period for protections from unfair dismissal will be removed, so all workers have a right to these protections from day one on the job. This will ensure tighter regulations around unfair dismissals and redundancies, as bosses will abide by stricter guidelines when terminating employment contracts. 

Protections against dismissal will also be strengthened for pregnant women and new mothers on maternity leave and within six months of returning to work.   

 

Repeal of the Minimum Service Levels (Strikes) Act 

 

Part of the new Employment Rights Bill involves the repeal of The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023, which was passed by the previous government.  This legislation established controls over the minimum level of service during a strike for sectors such as healthcare and rail. However, the new government says that “arcane bureaucratic hurdles do not prevent strikes and they make it harder for unions to engage in the bargaining and negotiation that does settle disputes.” 

 

The Right to Switch Off

 

The Right to Switch Off will prevent employees from being contacted out of hours, except in exceptional circumstances. It is hoped this will allow people to adequately rest and recuperate during their time off. This will be particularly significant for remote workers, where lines between home and work can become blurred.

According to Labour’s Plan to Make Work Pay, “Good employers understand that for workers to stay motivated and resilient, they need to be able to ‘switch off’ and that a culture of presenteeism is damaging to morale and productivity.”

 

Zero Hour Contracts

 

The new bill aims to end exploitative zero-hours contracts, in response to research revealing that 84 per cent of workers on such contracts would prefer guaranteed hours. Employees on zero-hours and low-hours contracts will have the right to request guaranteed hours if they work regular shifts over a specified period, providing greater income stability.  However, the bill will still allow workers to remain on zero-hours contracts if they choose to.

 

‘Fire and Rehire’ Loopholes

 

The threat of “fire and rehire” practices, where companies make an employee redundant and re-engage them on reduced terms and conditions, can lead to workers feeling like they have to “voluntarily” agree to lower pay or reduced terms. 

The new bill will take into account that businesses need to sometimes restructure to remain viable when there is genuinely no alternative, but this must follow a “proper process based on dialogue and common understanding between employers and workers”.

 

Expansion of the Equality (Race and Disparity) Bill 

 

Large employers, who have more than 250 staff, will have to report mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap figures, much like companies have to with gender pay gap reporting. 

Picture: a photograph of a group of people engaging in a "high five". Image Credit: Pexels

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 14 October 2024

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