The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill proposes new provisions in the Employment Rights Act 1996 which would give certain workers, agency workers and employees a new statutory right to request a predictable working pattern. This Private Member’s Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons on 3 February 2023 and is being supported by the government. It is likely to have the greatest impact on industries where shift patterns vary as rotas change, and where work is very casual in nature, although whether it will amount to much more than another “box ticking” exercise remains to be seen.
The Bill addresses concerns raised by the 2017 Taylor Review and subsequent Good Work Plan regarding so-called “one-sided flexibility”, although it does not fully embrace the proposals that were made at that time. It builds on a 2015 ban on exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts, which left unaddressed a related concern about workers having to be on “standby” for shifts which may never come. The Good Work Plan proposed a right for workers to request a more predictable and stable contract after 26 weeks’ service, and a government consultation followed in 2019.
At the time, an Employment Bill was expected to be the conduit for this and other promised changes. However, three...
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