As you will see in the media today, the Kings Speech has been made. He has outlined the government’s legislative plans for the year ahead at the State Opening of Parliament. In particular, announcing a number of bills which the government will bring forward.
This will arguably be the biggest change to workers rights in a generation and more detail will be provided in due course. The Bill will be introduced within the first 100 days of government.
The Government has stated it is committed to delivering its New Deal for Working People in full. The Plan includes commitments to the following:
- banning zero-hour contracts, ensuring workers have a right 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 proportionate compensation for any shifts cancelled or curtailed. This will end ‘one sided’ flexibility, ensuring all jobs provide a baseline level of security and predictability.
- ending ‘Fire and Rehire’ and ‘Fire and Replace’ by reforming the law to provide effective remedies and replacing the previous Government’s statutory code.
- making parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal available from day 1 on the job for all workers. They will continue to ensure employers can operate probationary periods to assess new hires.
- strengthening Statutory Sick Pay by removing the lower earnings limit to make it available to all workers as well as the waiting period.
- making flexible working the default from day-one for all workers, with employers required to accommodate this as far as is reasonable, to reflect the modern workplace.
- strengthening protections for new mothers by making it unlawful to dismiss a woman who has had a baby for six months after her return to work, except in specific circumstances.
- establishing a new Single Enforcement Body, also known as a Fair Work Agency, to strengthen enforcement of workplace rights.
- establishing a Fair Pay Agreement in the adult social care sector and, following review, assess how and to what extent such agreements could benefit other sectors.
- reinstating the School Support Staff Negotiating Body, to establish national terms and conditions, career progression routes, and fair pay rates.
- updating trade union legislation so it is fit for a modern economy, removing unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity – including the previous Government’s approach to minimum service levels – and ensuring industrial relations are based around good faith negotiation and bargaining.
- simplifying the process of statutory recognition and introduce a regulated route to ensure workers and union members have a reasonable right to access a union within workplaces.
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