Overview
Paul McGrath, employment partner at law firm McDermott Will & Emery, said:
“The new Government has reaffirmed its commitment to introduce new employment legislation in Parliament within its first 100 days in office. It has announced today that it will do this in the form of a new Employment Rights Bill through which it intends to deliver on the wide range of policies it set out in its Plan to Make Work Pay published shortly before the general election.
The announcement today provides a small amount of additional insight into how the Government intends to go about implementing certain of its employment policies, notably in relation to potential new restrictions on the use of zero-hour contracts and “fire and rehire” practices. But, workers and employers alike will remain eager to understand the full detail of the Government’s proposals for employment law reform when the draft new Employment Rights Bill is published at some point in the next few months.
The Government had already committed to “consult fully” with businesses, workers and civil society on how to put its employment law reform plans into practice before any legislation is passed. Consultation on the detail of any changes proposed by the new Employment Rights Bill will be critical to ensuring that any reforms do in fact support the Government’s stated first mission of kickstarting economic growth and avoid any unintended consequences, whether potentially dissuading businesses from hiring new staff or potentially overburdening an already stretched employment tribunal service.”
