Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans for a general election to be held on July 4th, and with that date upon us, it’s important to understand the main political parties’ positions on workplace reform.
Here’s a quick rundown:
Labour
The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, emphasises workers’ rights and social justice. Their key proposals include:
- – Day-one rights – Eliminate qualifying periods for essential rights such as protection against unfair dismissal, sick pay, and parental leave, making them available from the first day of employment.
- – Worker Single Status – Currently, there is a distinction between ‘workers’ and ‘employees’ and this can lead to unfair treatment. By removing that distinction and replacing to a single status of ‘worker’, it means that everyone gets the same rights when it comes to sick pay, holiday pay, parental leave and more, as well as the right to employment protections.
- – Robust Protections – Strengthen exiting protections and rights to help workers be more secure. This includes people who are pregnant, those who are facing redundancy and tribunals, as well as whistle-blowers and those suffering with terminal illnesses.
- – Contracts for the Self-Employed – Self employed people are to be given the right to have a written contract.
- – Increase Workers’ Wages – Eliminate age-based wage distinctions in the current system; restructure the Low Pay Commission’s responsibilities to include considering the cost of living when setting wage rates; mandate compensation for travel time in jobs with multiple locations; address ‘sleep over’ hours in industries such as social care; prohibit specific unpaid internships; establish Fair Pay Agreements within the adult social care sector; and ban unpaid internships unless they are part of an educational or training program.
- – Enhance Sick Pay – Strengthen statutory sick pay (SSP) to ensure it is available to all workers, eliminate the waiting period, and set the rate to provide a fair replacement of earnings.
- – Tips – Enforce stronger laws to ensure hospitality workers receive their full tips and have the authority to decide how tips are distributed.
- – Close Pay Gaps – Require companies with over 250 employees to publicly report on pay disparities based on ethnicity and disability.
- – Address Harassment – Mandate employers to establish and maintain work environments and conditions that are free from harassment, including harassment by third parties.
- – Flexible Working – Make flexible working the standard option from the first day of employment for all workers, except where it is not reasonably feasible.
- – Family-Friendly Policies – Make parental leave available from the first day of employment; introduce the right to bereavement leave; and make it illegal to dismiss employees who have returned from maternity leave within six months, except in specific circumstances.
- – Caring Responsibilities – Review the implementation of carer’s leave and explore the benefits of introducing paid carer’s leave.
- – Zero-Hours Contracts – Ban one-sided flexibility; grant anyone working regular hours for 12 weeks or more the right to a regular contract that reflects those hours; ensure all workers receive reasonable notice of shift changes or working time, and compensation for cancelled shifts.
- – Fire and Rehire – Strengthen information and consultation procedures by replacing the current Government’s statutory code of practice with a more robust one; modify unfair dismissal and redundancy laws to protect workers from being fired for refusing to accept a worse contract.
- – Wellbeing – Support workers’ overall wellbeing and long-term physical and mental health; evaluate if current regulations and guidelines are sufficient to support and protect those with long Covid symptoms.
- – Menopause – Mandate large employers with over 250 employees to create and implement Menopause Action Plans.
- – Right to Switch Off – Establish a new right to disconnect from work and protect workers from being monitored remotely.
- – Artificial Intelligence – Collaborate with workers, trade unions, employers, and experts to understand the impact of AI and new technologies on jobs, work, and skills.
- – Update Trade Union Laws – Enhance trade union rights, simplify union recognition processes, improve protections for trade union representatives, and mandate employers to inform workers of their right to join a union in their written contracts.
- – Enforcement Rights – Extend the time limit for filing Employment Tribunal claims to six months; simplify the enforcement of equal pay; and create a single enforcement body to uphold workers’ rights.
Conservatives
- – Ongoing Initiatives – Maintain current plans such as neonatal care leave and pay, revising industrial action laws, and implementing the Back to Work plan which includes proposed changes to fit notes. Reform the umbrella company market, continue advancing the National Disability Strategy, clarify the definition of “sex” in the Equality Act 2010, reintroduce employment tribunal fees, revise non-compete clauses, propose changes to TUPE, and establish the right to paternity leave after bereavement.
- – Current Legislative Debates – Discussing several bills including the Bullying and Respect at Work Bill, the Fertility Treatment (Employment Rights) Bill, and the Unpaid Trial Work Periods (Prohibition) Bill.
Liberal Democrats
- – Parental Leave Reform – Grant all workers, including self-employed parents, the right to parental leave and pay from day one. Each parent would have six weeks of “use-it-or-lose-it” leave, plus an additional 46 weeks of parental leave to share as they wish. After the initial six weeks, parental pay would be set at £350 per week.
- – Increase Paternity Pay – Raise paternity pay to 90% of earnings, with a cap for high earners.
How can we help?
Understanding the potential of these policies is key to shaping the future of work in our country. If you would like to know what this reform might look like for your business, or for you as an employee, our team is here to help. Feel free to get in touch with us today. Please contact us on 01352 878535 or info@ashtonpeoplesolutions.co.uk
