Four years on from the pandemic and with businesses moving forward in quite a different employment landscape, we are now starting to see new and existing laws introduced that reflect this. Last month, we saw several significant developments in employment rights, with further developments in the coming months, and now, there is the prospect of further developments following yesterdays announcement of a summer General Election.
Anticipated Changes Under a Labour Government
At this stage, none of the political parties have published their manifesto; these will start circulating in due course. We do however, have some idea as to how employment rights may change, should a Labour party form the next Government, following their recently published Green Paper – ‘A new deal for working people’. Whilst it is not their manifest, it is expected the proposals would be included. In this article, we share our insights into how a Labour Party could change employment rights if they are elected. We’ll also update you on what to expect if the Conservatives are re-elected when more information becomes available and if Liberal Democrats or other parties publish a paper on proposed amendments to employment law.
How The Employment Landscape Could Change, Under a Labour Government
1. Reduction in types of employment status: Currently, we have employee, worker, and self-employed. Employment status determines what employment rights someone has. The proposal is to only have employee and self-employed.
2. Abolishment of qualifying service requirement for unfair dismissal claims: Labour plans to abolish the two-year qualifying service requirement to bring an unfair dismissal claim. This change would mirror how discrimination claims are managed.
3. Right to disconnect: A new statutory right for employees to disconnect from work is also proposed. This would mean that all employees would have the legal right to turn their computers and phones off at the end of the workday. This practice already exists is Ireland and Belgium, and the models used in these countries will be considered for implementation within the UK.
4. Abolishment of zero-hour contracts: Labour intends to abolish zero-hour contracts, which have been a contentious issue for years. This change aims to provide more stability and security for workers who are currently on these flexible but often insecure contracts.
5. Ban of ‘fire an rehire’ practices: Another significant proposal is to ban the act of ‘fire and rehire,’ where employees are dismissed and re-engaged on lesser terms.
Awaiting the Official Manifestos
Of course, we await the official manifestos from all political parties, but these areas of employment have been recurring discussion points over recent years. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates on how employment law may change following a general election as we share more news with you.
