Employment Law Update July 2024

Seemingly hitting the ground running, Labour has indicated through the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, that employers should brace themselves for a raft of changes to employment law in the short to medium term. The anticipated changes are:

• Parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal will become day 1 rights although it’s expected this will be subject to special rules for probationary periods.
• Banning zero-hour contracts and ensuring workers have a contract that reflects the hours they regularly work.
• Reforming the law and replacing the statutory code to end ‘fire and rehire’ and ‘fire and replace’.
• Removing the lower earnings limit and waiting days for Statutory Sick pay.
• Flexible working will become the default for all workers from day one and employers will be required to accommodate this as far as is reasonable.
• Subject to certain exceptions, it will be unlawful to dismiss a woman who has had a baby for six months after she comes back to work.
• A Fair Work Agency is to be created to enforce workplace rights.
• The introduction of a Fair Pay Agreement in the adult social care sector.
• Repealing minimum service levels legislation in relation to industrial action.
• The process of statutory recognition for trade unions is to be simplified.
• A new right for workers and union members to access a union within workplaces.

It is understood that these changes will be included in the Employment Rights Bill. Full details will not therefore be known until that Bill is published so we’ll produce updates on the Bill in due course.