New consultations on improving workers’ access to unions plus better protection and rights for pregnant women and new mothers have been launched in the UK
Four new consultations, which form part of the ongoing progress of the Employment Rights Bill (ERB), were published late last week as the UK government looks to shift the balance of workers’ rights in the workplace.
By 2027 the proposed changes could all come into effect, creating significant implications for workplaces across the country, according to an expert.
The first of the consultations focuses on the government’s bid to improve union representation in the workplace, covering how best to implement the planned new rules around making sure employees know they are entitled to join a trade union.
The ERBintroduces a formal requirement for employers to issue written notification to workers at the start of their employment of their right to join a union and what unions’ functions are, with the Department for Business and Trade looking for input on what the statement should contain, who should draft it, and how often it should be reissued during the course of employment.
Running parallel to this is a consultation on the implementation of the ERB’s provisions giving unions more access to the workplace, how this should be managed, and how the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) should determine it. It will also look at the fines the CAC will be able to issue to non-compliant...
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