The U.K.’s recently elected Labor Party government promised a wide set of employment law changes in its election campaign. The government’s Deal for Working People is set to be introduced within 100 days of its election success. The King’s Speech, which covered the Employment Rights Bill, focused on zero-hour contracts, fire and rehire, additional day-one rights, establishment of a single enforcement body, and trade union legislation. But what does that mean for employers? We explore what to expect from the proposed reforms.
Perhaps the most talked-about part of the Employment Rights Bill is the expansion of current employment protections by removing the requirement of a minimum period of service for safeguarding against “ordinary” unfair dismissal and making it a day-one right. This will be subject to rules relating to qualifying probationary periods. It is still unclear exactly how it will work, but it is likely to be quite tricky to navigate for employers and will also likely lead to a higher number of claims brought in the employment tribunals.
Employers may well make more use of probationary periods and start to bring in longer probationary periods to offset the impact of the higher protection for unfair dismissal.
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