United Kingdom: New government, new employment legislation — a look ahead to the Employment Rights Bill

In brief

In an article for Compliance & Risk Journal, Matt Berridge and Ollie Shepley look at the probable changes to the UK employment law landscape following the change in government.


Contents

Key takeaways

  • The Labour manifesto promised to implement the proposals contained in the party's Plan to Make Work Pay by way of an Employment Rights Bill to be introduced within the first 100 days of government (expected to be in in October 2024).
  • This includes permitting employees to bring unfair dismissal claims from the beginning of their employment, abolishing the current two-year continuous service requirement. However, "fair and transparent" probationary periods will still be permitted.
  • Changes to collective rights include removing minimum service level legislation, simplifying the process for trade union recognition and removing thresholds and other requirements which may make industrial action more likely to be called.
  • Other expected proposals include flexible working changes, strengthening the protections against dismissal for mothers returning from maternity leave, and changes to zero hours contracts and giving atypical workers rights to reasonable notice of shift changes and proportionate compensation for cancellations, and average hour contracts.
  • This article first appeared in volume 13, issue 5 of Compliance & Risk Journal.

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