The move comes in a bid to ensure the Government’s Employment Rights Bill makes it through Parliament
Ministers have ditched plans to give workers day-one protection against unfair dismissal in a Labour manifesto U-turn.
The move comes in a bid to ensure the Government’s Employment Rights Bill makes it through Parliament.
Workers will need to have six months of service to claim unfair dismissal against their employer, in a watering down of the legislation which breaches Labour’s manifesto.
But this still represents a great reduction from the current qualifying period of 24 months.
The legislation has been caught in a stand-off between peers and MPs over the Government’s plan to give workers protection rights on their first day in a job.
But in an update, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said: “The Government convened a series of constructive conversations between trade unions and business representatives. The discussions concluded that reducing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from 24 months to six months… is a workable package.”
Existing day-one protection against discrimination and automatically unfair grounds for dismissal, such as pregnancy and maternity or paternity leave, will be maintained.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the “absolute priority” was to get the legislation onto the statute books. He said: “The Employment Rights Bill is essential to better quality, more secure jobs for millions of workers across the economy.
“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.”
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”.
Shortly after Labour won office in 2024, PM Sir Keir Starmer described the bill as “the biggest levelling up of workers’ rights in a generation”, adding it was designed to give people “security, dignity and respect at work”. It was spearheaded by Angela Rayner before her resignation earlier this year.
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