This month the UK Employment Rights Bill was introduced to the House of Commons. It looks to be one of the biggest overhaul of workers rights we’ve seen, aimed at bringing employment practices in line with the modern way of working.
The Bill is extensive, so we’ve summarised the key changes it proposes here.
Zero-hour contracts
To give zero-hour workers more stability and control within their employment, employees will have the right to be offered guaranteed hours. These guaranteed hours do not need to be accepted by the employee.
Zero-hour workers will also have the right to reasonable notice of a shift, and the cancellation or change to a shift. Notice of a shift refers to how many hours are to be worked, date and time of the shift starting.
Employers will not be able to enforce any exclusivity clauses within a zero-hour contract.
Flexible working
Aimed at improving work-life balance, this proposal means that workers will be able to request flexible working from day one of employment. Employers can deny this request, but they must provide the worker with a reasonable excuse for refusal.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
The Bill proposes to remove the 3 waiting day period for SSP, which means workers would receive SSP from day one of their sickness instead of day four.
Current legislation states that a worker has to earn at least the lower earnings limit to qualify for SSP, but the Bill proposes to remove this limit ensuring that low earners will receive SSP.
SSP will be paid at either £116.75 per week or a percentage of the worker’s average weekly earnings, whichever is lowest.
Parental and Bereavement Leave
To support new parents, parental leave will be a day one right and workers will be able to take paternity leave after shared parental leave.
To support workers through loss of a child, bereavement leave will also be a day one right, and the Bill looks to extend this leave to include a range of familial relationships.
Dismissal
To give workers more security, the Bill introduces protection from unfair dismissal from day one of employment. It also introduces restrictions on firing and rehiring practices.
Employees who are pregnant will have enhanced protection, and their employment cannot be terminated without clear and fair justifications. Once an employee returns from parental leave, their dismissal protections will be extended. Their extension lasts six months.
The UK Government have released explanatory notes on the Bill proposal which can be found here.
What it doesn’t cover
The Bill didn’t cover some areas it was expected to: notably, the right to switch off for remote workers, single worker status, carers leave review, and extending the pay gap reporting to ethnicity and disability. These elements are planned to be delivered through codes of practice and other routes.
We would like to state that The UK Employment Rights Bill is a proposal only at this stage, as the Bill needs to move through the parliamentary process before finalisation.
As it moves through the phases we’ll provide updates on notable amendments, and issue a final overview of confirmed legislative changes once the Bill has passed.
If you require any further information on the Bill, please contact payroll@ct.me.
