UK Government Publish Employment rights Bill
On 10th October, the Deputy Prime Minister and Department for Business & Trade published the UK Government’s planned Employment Rights Bill. The Bill outlines several provisions and enables Ministers to amend the law relating to employment rights across the UK.
The details of some of the expected revisions have yet to be developed and the Bill is not expected to come into law until Summer 2025. In addition, many of the measures will not take effect for at least two years following a period of consultation (2026 onward), with some changes to be implemented through secondary legislation.
Some of the key proposed changes in the Bill include:
Zero-hour contracts: Bring an end to the practice of zero-hour contracts in the UK.
Statutory sick pay (SSP): Entitlement of first day SSP for ill workers (currently from fourth day) and lower earnings limit for SSP (with reduced level of entitlement).
Flexible working: Establish flexible working rights for workers, except in some impractical circumstances.
Fire & rehire: Bring an end to the practice of fire & rehire and fire & replace in the UK.
Unfair dismissal: The two-year qualifying period for protections from unfair dismissal will be removed (workers will be subject to a proposed nine-month probation period).
In addition, the Bill also outlines plans to strengthen aspects of paternity leave, unpaid parental leave, and unpaid bereavement leave, including dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers, and to establish a new Fair Work Agency with new powers to enforce holiday pay.
To monitor the passage of the legislation through Parliament and access a downloadable copy of the Bill, as introduced, click here. Read the UK Government press release here, and an additional press statement here.
SGF will continue to monitor the progress of the Bill and engage with the UK Government in the coming months.