Government announces new workers’ rights bill ‘upgrade’

Under a proposed overhaul of workers' rights, millions will be eligible for more rights in statutory sick pay, parental and bereavement leave, and greater protection in unfair dismissal.

Most of the proposed changes are set to come into effect two years after a consultation period.

The government described the bill as the "biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation," which aims to balance pro-worker and pro-business interests, with many details still under deliberation.

Ministers have indicated that this change would benefit approximately nine million workers who have been employed by their current employer for less than two years.

What will change?

Flexible working: Employers must consider all flexible working requests from the first day and grant them unless they can prove it's unreasonable.
Zero contract hour regulations: Employers must provide workers with a guaranteed-hours contract reflecting hours worked over a 12-week span. Zero-hours contract workers will also receive "reasonable" notice for shift changes and compensation for cancelled or shortened shifts.
Statutory sick pay (SSP) with lower earning threshold: Employees will be eligible for SSP starting from the first day of illness, instead of from the fourth day. In addition, where at present, workers earning under £123 weekly are ineligible for SSP, this restriction will be lifted, with the bill introducing a reduced sick pay rate for lower earners.
Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave: Fathers are to be eligible for paternity leave from day one of employment, instead of at 26 weeks. Parents are to be eligible from day one of employment, instead of after a year
Unpaid bereavement leave: This is also to become right for workers from day one.
Unfair dismissal protections: The removal of the current two-year qualifying period for unfair dismissal protections. However, there will be a proposed nine-month probation period during which workers could be dismissed without a full process.

Approximately 30,000 fathers or partners will qualify for paternity leave due to this change, and 1.5 million parents will gain the right to unpaid leave from the first day.

"Too many people are drawn into a race to the bottom, denied the security they need to raise a family while businesses are unable to retain the workers they need to grow," said Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

"We’re raising the floor on rights at work to deliver a stronger, fairer and brighter future of work for Britain."

Find out more in upcoming webinar

Join upcoming joint webinar with Impellam UK and DWF (UK and Ireland) on the changes to employment law under the new Labour government. This session we will discuss upcoming changes on the horizon and what employers can do now to prepare.

For details on improving efficiency and adhering to worker rights legislation for your contingent workforce, contact us.