Labour Promises for Employment Rights

With a general election expected to take place later this year, Labour have issued their employment rights Green Paper.

Included within the Green Paper, amongst other proposals, the party has stated that a Labour government will:

• Raise wages for workers and end in-work poverty by raising the minimum wage to £10 per hour, banning unpaid internships (unless they are part of an education or training course), ensure that travel time in sectors with multiple working sites is paid and take action on sleep over hours in sectors such as social care.
• Raise Statutory Sick Pay and make it available to all workers, including the self-employed.
• Create a single status of “worker”, for all but the genuinely self-employed, who will be afforded the same basic rights and protections to include rights to sick pay, holiday pay, parental leave and protection against unfair dismissal.
• Scrap qualifying time for rights such as unfair dismissal, meaning that employees would have the right to issue a claim for unfair dismissal from day one of employment, rather than having to accrue two years continuous employment.
• Issue a ban on zero hours contracts and ensure all jobs provide a baseline level of security and predictability.
• Outlaw the practice of “fire and rehire”.
• Bring in the right to “switch off” whereby workers will have a right to disconnect from work outside of working hours and not be contacted by their employer.
• Bring in stronger family friendly rights.
• Update trade union legislation and enhance trade union rights to include strengthening trade unions’ right of entry to workplaces.

Whilst the date of the general election has not yet been announced it has been suggested by Jeremy Hunt recently that it will be in October. In any event, it must take place by January 2025.

Labour have stated that they will write the plan included within their Green Paper into law within 100 days of taking office.

We will of course be reporting on any legislative changes, if and when they take place.

Advice

If you require legal advice on the content of this article, speak to a member of our employment team on 01689 887 887.