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Take a look at Employment law changes detailed in the Labour-Green Paper to strengthen workers’ rights to be implemented within the first 100 days of a Labour Government:

Minimum wage rise

In an attempt to crack down on in-work poverty Labour is insisting that minimum wage is increased to at least £10 per hour for all workers.

Ban on unpaid internships

With the exception of those that form part of education or training courses.

Social Security System

Universal credits will be replaced by the social security system, this means low-income earners on benefits will receive more of their take-home pay. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be raised, and available to all workers, self-employed and those currently restricted by the lower earnings limit. The increase on SSP will also help to prevent workers choosing between their health and potential financial difficulty.

Fair Pay Agreements

Terms and conditions would be established by bringing employer and worker representatives together to cover a variety of topics including, health and safety, pensions, pay, working time, annual leave, D&I, training and implementation of new technologies etc.

Creation of a single status of ‘worker’

To rectify injustice Labour will create a single status ‘worker’ for everyone but the legitimate self-employed. This means all workers will be granted the same basic rights and protection including but not limited to, protection against unfair dismissal, parental leave, holiday pay, sick pay.

Removal of qualifying periods for basic rights

Basic rights such as unfair dismissal, sick pay and parental leave will no longer require a qualifying period.

Ban on zero hours contracts

Labour to ban zero hours contracts in order to provide security and predictability to workers. This also includes contacts that do not include a minimum number of guaranteed hours.

Fire and rehire to be outlawed

Labour government will take action to end fire and rehire.

Right to switch off

To bring a better work-life balance for everyone, workers will have a right to disconnect from work and to not be contacted by their employer outside of contracted hours.

Strengthening Family-Friendly rights

Labour intends to introduce a right to bereavement leave, extend maternity/paternity leave, protect pregnant women from unlawful dismissal, and address the shared parental leave process to encourage the uptake on this.

Trade union legislation

To assist with challenges established within the Green Paper, Labour are committed to updating trade union legislation to fit in our modern economy.

Single Enforcement Body to be established to protect workers

Health and safety, discriminatory practises, minimum wage and worker exploitation will be inspected in workplaces and bring prosecutions and civil proceedings on workers’ behalf.

Self-employed – Rights and protections

To have the same health and safety protections as those who are employed.

Confronting criminal labour exploitation

To ensure accountability if slavery or criminal labour exploitation is discovered, Labour will introduce legislation to give joint and several liability between companies across the supply chain.

Physical health and mental health as equal

A review will be carried out around the law on health and safety at work. Awareness to be raised on neurodiversity in the workplace, mental health and stress provisions to be reviewed.

Pay Gaps

Measures such as enforcing employers to report and eliminate gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps. It will be made mandatory that companies with more than 250 employees, must publish ethnicity pay gaps reports.

These changes would bring significant workload or HR and employers – is it time to start planning now?

Any questions or for support with this or the future planned updates to employment law

already in place, please contact us.

Harwood HR Solutions