The UK government tabled amendments to the Employment Rights Bill yesterday (4 March), after consulting businesses, trade unions and wider civil society.
Ben Wilmott, the CIPD's head of public policy, told HR magazine: “The Employment Rights Bill will bring about the biggest change to employment rights in a generation, and is set to deliver many benefits to employees.
“Given the huge scale of the reforms there needs to be an implementation plan, and supporting guidance for employers.”
Here is our round up of what HR leaders need to know about the amendments, and what it means for employers:
Zero-hours contract measures to extend to agency workers
The first amendment was to ensure that a contract is given to all employees, including up to 900,000 agency workers in the UK, which reflects the hours that they regularly work.
This aims to ensure that agency workers are included in the government’s plans to end exploitative zero-hour contracts.
Currently, zero-hours workers in the UK are legally classed as an employee or worker. They are entitled to statutory annual leave and the national minimum wage. These protections are due to be given to agency workers.
This amendment is set to offer employees increased security by giving reasonable notice of shifts and proportionate pay when shifts are cancelled, moved or curtailed at a short notice.
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