It was not just Her Majesty who was notably absent from the Queen’s Speech earlier this week. Also missing was any mention of the much-heralded Employment Bill, which was first proposed in 2019. Among other things, the bill was expected to introduce a revised flexible working regime, the right for all workers to request a more predictable contract after 26 weeks' service, extended redundancy protection for pregnant women and those on maternity leave, and statutory paid leave for parents whose babies are in neonatal care.
It was also anticipated that the bill would include a requirement for employers to pass on all tips to workers without any deductions, following an announcement from the Business Secretary in September 2021 (see our e-brief), and the introduction of a statutory code of practice setting out how tips should be distributed, to ensure transparency and fairness. According to a government source, these plans have now been shelved “for the foreseeable future”, and it is not clear what is the future for these proposals, or any of the measures that were expected in the bill.
Health and safety and the Covid-19 pandemic
In other news, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has given its first decision on health and safety issues arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Rodgers v Leeds Laser Cutting the EAT upheld the decision of the employment tribunal (ET), finding that an employee who refused to attend the workplace at the height of the pandemic was not...
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