After negotiations with unions and firms the Employment Rights Bill will no longer include protections for all workers against unfair dismissal from the first day in their job
Ministers have watered down a flagship bill to boost workers’ rights in a manifesto breach.
After negotiations with unions and firms it will no longer include protections for all workers against unfair dismissal from the first day in their job. The promise was included in Labour’s election winning manifesto.
Instead, workers will now need to have six months of service to claim unfair dismissal against their employer. This is still a reduction from the current qualifying period of 24 months
Other key reforms in the landmark Bill – spearheaded by ex-Deputy PM Angela Rayner – including day one one rights to sick pay and paternity leave will remain.
The legislation has been caught in a stand-off between peers and MPs over the Government’s plan to give workers protection on their first day in a job, as well as measures to ban “exploitative” zero hours contracts.
In an update on Thursday, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said: “The Government convened a series of constructive conversations between trade unions and business representatives. On the basis of the outcome of these discussions, the Government will now move forward on the issue of unfair dismissal protections in the Employment Rights Bill to ensure it can reach royal assent and keep to the Government’s published delivery timeline.”
It went on: “The discussions concluded that reducing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from 24 months to six months (whilst maintaining existing day-one protection against discrimination and automatically unfair grounds for dismissal) is a workable package.”
The Government insisted the amended package would “benefit millions of working people who will gain new rights and offer business and employers much-needed clarity”.
The Department for Business and Trade argued the watering down of the dismissal rights was needed to get the Bill through Parliament in time.
The TUC’s General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “The Employment Rights Bill is essential to better quality, more secure jobs for millions of workers across the economy. The absolute priority now is to get these rights – like day one sick pay – on the statute book so that working people can start benefiting from them from next April.
“Following the government’s announcement, it is now vital that Peers respect Labour’s manifesto mandate and that this Bill secures Royal Assent as quickly as possible.”