Lucy Burton Employment Editor

15 September 2024 5:48pm

Angela Rayner is facing opposition from the Business Secretary over plans to hand workers full employment rights from day one in a job, amid a growing backlash from bosses.

Whitehall sources said Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds were in disagreement over how far reforms should go, amid concerns that far-reaching changes could put companies off hiring and damage growth.

The disagreement is understood to centre around how probation periods will work under the new system.

Ms Rayner is understood to be pushing to hand staff full-employment rights from day one following a short probation period, including the right to take companies to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal. At the moment, people must be employed for at least two years to qualify for this right.

Mr Reynolds is said to favour shortening the qualification period for full employment rights but still requiring a probation period of almost a year.

“Day one rights is proving very difficult,” a Whitehall source said. “Angela is less keen on a longer probation period, Reynolds thinks nine months is reasonable. It’s unclear if an agreement will be reached.”

Conversations about how probationary periods will work under the new system are understood to have been “intense”, as the frontbenchers try to iron out their differences within Labour’s first 100 days in government. The self-imposed deadline for employment...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqAFBVV95cUxOZEJJVXB5ZEVwMWE5bGgybUJi...