In the King’s Speech, King Charles confirmed that the new government intended to bring in a new deal for working people, which would “ban exploitative practices and enhance employment rights”.

The Employment Rights Bill, which will be introduced in the first 100 days of Parliament, is likely to layout the largest changes to employment law since 1975.

Find out what it could mean for you here.

Labour are now in power, following a landslide victory.

We now wait to hear what changes to employment law will be coming about. During the election campaign, they promised changes within 100 days – so keep an eye out here to stay up to date with the latest news.

The Labour Party has released their manifesto – Change – in which they confirm their intention to enact their ‘Plan to make work pay’ in full.

Find out more about their plans.

We already know the trajectory of Conservative policy on employment law: a restriction on trade union activity; extension of the right to request flexible working; a ticking upwards of the National Minimum Wage and Living wage in line with Low Pay Commission recommendations; and the introduction of a week’s unpaid Carer’s Leave per year have been some of the recent initiatives. The most radical thing has probably been the post-Brexit shake up of who has a right to work in the UK.

Their manifesto is light on employment law proposals, suggesting more of the same. Some of their key, previously announced polices, could have an impact on SMEs, though. Mandatory National Service and overhauling the fit note process are some of the more eye-catching suggestions.

See the full manifesto here.

The Liberal Democrats could have a role to play in a future Government, for example in the case of a Hung Parliament. They have released their manifesto, with detail on their legislative plans around employment law and workers rights. Some of their key points are outlined below.

 

• Establish a powerful new Worker Protection Enforcement Authority unifying responsibilities currently spread across three agencies – including enforcing the minimum wage, tackling modern slavery and protecting agency workers. 
• Establish an independent review to recommend a genuine living wage across all sectors, with government departments and all other public sector employers taking a leading role in paying it
• Modernise employment rights to make them fit for the age of the ‘gig economy’, including by:
  • Establishing a new ‘dependent contractor’ employment status in between employment and self-employment, with entitlements to basic rights such as minimum earnings levels, sick pay and holiday entitlement.
  • Reviewing the tax and National Insurance status of employees, dependent contractors and freelancers to ensure fair and comparable treatment.
  • Setting a 20% higher minimum wage for people on zero-hour contracts at times of normal demand to compensate them for the uncertainty of fluctuating hours of work.
  • Giving a right to request a fixed-hours contract after 12 months for ‘zero hours’ and agency workers, not to be unreasonably refused.
  • Reviewing rules concerning pensions so that those in the gig economy don’t lose out, and portability between roles is protected.
  • Shifting the burden of proof in employment tribunals regarding employment status from individual to employer. 
• Expand parental leave and pay, including making them day-one rights, as set out in chapter 9
• Fix the broken Statutory Sick Pay system by:
  • Making it available to the more than one million workers earning less than £123 a week, most of whom are women.
  • Aligning the rate with the National Minimum Wage.
  • Making payments available from the first day of missing work rather than the fourth.
  • Supporting small employers with Statutory Sick Pay costs, consulting with them on the best way to do this.
• Extend the use of name-blind recruitment processes.

Read their Manifesto in full here.

From a drop in productivity to having to go through a disciplinary process, losing a member of staff to suffering reputational damage through a provocative social media post, there is the potential for many knock-on effects of a political argument at work. So how can you get ahead of the problem?

Check out our guidance here.

The polls suggest a win for Labour (although the polls have been wrong before!).

They have now released their Green Paper, outlining their plans for employment rights in more detail. The paper, called Plan to Make Work Pay, can be found here.

Our advice? Be prepared.

Take a look at what we are expecting from Labour here.

The starting pistol has been fired for the six-week sprint to a general election which will be held on 4^th July. Issues like small boats, the NHS and the economy may dominate much of the headlines, but the outcome of the election will be of huge significance to employment law too, and therefore SME employers.

We will keep you up to date with all the latest policy updates and news on employment law here.