What does the Employment Rights Bill mean for you?
Our Employment Rights Bill will ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, end fire and rehire, and introduce basic employment rights from day one.
We鈥檙e introducing new workplace rights to end unfair employment practices and聽help聽deliver economic聽growth.聽聽
Our Employment Rights聽Bill will ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, end fire and rehire, and introduce basic employment聽rights聽from聽day one聽- like聽paternity and聽parental leave,聽and protection from unfair dismissal.聽It also introduces right to bereavement leave from day one.聽
It will replace out-of-date employment laws,聽helping to boost聽pay and productivity with legislation fit for a modern economy.聽聽
This is the biggest upgrade to workers鈥� rights in a generation, and a significant step towards delivering this government鈥檚 plan to make work pay. 聽聽
Basic rights from day one聽聽
We鈥檙e putting in place measures to give employees basic rights from their first day in a new job. 聽聽
Our new Bill will give greater protection against unfair dismissal from day one, ensuring that the feeling of security at work is no longer a luxury for the privileged few.聽聽
We聽are also bringing in a聽new statutory probation period for companies鈥� new hires. This will allow for a proper assessment of an employee鈥檚 suitability for a role as well as reassuring employees that they have rights from day one.聽We will consult on the length of the period; the government鈥檚 preference is 9 months.聽
The Bill will establish rights to bereavement and聽paternity and聽parental leave from day one, and strengthen statutory sick pay, removing the lower earnings limit for all workers and cutting out the waiting period before sick pay kicks in.
Our new Bill and measures will: 聽聽
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Give protection聽against unfair dismissal from day聽one, while allowing employers to operate probation periods
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Establish parental and bereavement leave from day one聽聽
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End exploitative聽zero hour聽contracts 聽聽
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End聽unscrupulous practices聽of聽fire and rehire聽and fire and replace聽聽
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Make flexible working the norm where practical聽聽
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Deliver stronger聽dismissal聽protections for pregnant women and new mothers聽聽
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Establish a new聽Fair Work Agency聽with new powers to聽enforce holiday pay聽聽
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Strengthen statutory sick pay
Ending unfair practices聽聽聽
Our new laws will聽end exploitative zero hours contracts and聽unscrupulous fire and聽rehire practices. 聽聽
While workers can stay on zero hours contracts if they鈥檇 prefer to, our new Bill means they鈥檒l have the right to a guaranteed hours contract if they work regular hours over a defined period. 聽聽
Ending unscrupulous employment practices is a priority for this government. And this Bill will shut down the loopholes that allow bullying fire and rehire and fire and replace to continue. 聽聽
A fairer and more flexible workplace聽聽聽
As part of聽the Bill,聽we鈥檒l introduce new measures to help make the workplace more compatible with people鈥檚 lives. This includes making flexible working the default where practical. 聽聽
Large employers will be required to create action addressing gender equality, including supporting employees through the menopause, and protections against dismissal will be strengthened for pregnant workers and those returning from maternity leave. 聽聽
This is all with the intention of keeping people in jobs for longer, reducing recruitment costs for employers by increasing staff retention and helping the economy grow.聽聽
We鈥檒l also establish a new Fair Work Agency bringing together existing enforcement bodies to enforce rights such as holiday pay, and support employers looking for guidance on how to comply with the law.