Some of the proposals made by the Labour Party in their “Plan to Make Work Pay”, in the run up to the Election included:
- Creating a single status of “worker” for anyone who is not “genuinely” self-employed. The aim of this proposal is to streamline the employment framework to provide greater clarity for those who are “workers”. It also aims to tackle “sham” claims by employers that their employees are self-employed.
- Making unfair dismissal a “day one” right. Under current legislation, an employee must have two years’ continuous service with an employer before they are able to bring a claim for unfair dismissal. Labour have said that they will look to make this a right from the very first day of employment.
- Banning zero-hour contracts. It has been proposed that zero-hour contracts should be banned, to ensure that workers know the number of hours that they regularly work (within a 12-week reference period) and to provide greater stability.
- Extension to Tribunal limitation period. The current limitation period for an employee to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal is, generally, three months (less a day). Labour have proposed that this should be extended to six months in an effort to allow employees more time to enforce their employment rights.
- Trade Unions. Labour have also proposed to strengthen rights of Trade Union members and officials and make it easier for workers to access Trade Unions.
- Raising the minimum wage to a “real living wage”. The aim is to provide greater remuneration to workers, in line with the increased cost of living.
These are just a few of the proposals put forward by Labour in their Election campaign, and it will be interesting to see what comes to fruition over the next five years; there will, no doubt, be many areas of UK employment law that see changes.
This will present both challenges and opportunities for businesses, however by preparing accordingly, any transitions should run smoothly for your business.
If you would like assistance, or to find out more on how these proposals, if implemented, may impact your business, please get in touch with the Employment Team at Ward Gethin Archer.
This article aims to supply general information, but it is not intended to constitute advice. Every effort is made to ensure that the law referred to is correct at the date of publication and to avoid any statement which may mislead. However, no duty of care is assumed to any person and no liability is accepted for any omission or inaccuracy. Always seek our specific advice.
