There's still lots of detail to be filled in, but the Employment Rights Bill (the Bill) is beginning to take shape (as well as more bulk; it now runs to 310 pages!). It has finished its passage through the House of Commons and was published in amended form on 14 March. It has now progressed through its first and second readings in the House of Lords and will proceed to the Committee stage on 29 April. It may well gain Royal Assent this summer.
In the House of Lords concerns were raised about the knock-on effect of day one unfair dismissal rights on recruitment, with calls for exceptions to be made for smaller employers. Another issue raised was the introduction of paid carer's leave (previously rejected in the House of Commons); the government has said that it will examine this again in the forthcoming carer's leave review.
The House of Lords also raised concerns about the number and detail of the amendments introduced since the Bill's inception, together with the reliance on secondary legislation to provide the details of many of the new rights, all of which adds complexity.
So what are the implications for your organisation? Are you worried about new day one rights to unfair dismissal, fire and rehire, changes to collective redundancy, dealing with zero hours, or increased trade union involvement in the workplace? We've produced a range of bulletins which walk you through the proposed changes and provide practical suggestions. We've already started to discuss the implications in various Trowers Tuesday sessions and will continue to do so as further details come to light.
For up to date detail on all the proposed reforms check out our bulletin 'The government's employment plans'.
