After a historic win for Labour, what will our new government mean for your small business?
Labour made it clear, in their manifesto ‘Change’, of their intention to introduce a raft of new employment legislation within their first 100 days of government. Keir Starmer announced yesterday, ahead of the anticipated result, that he will extend Parliament to the end of July (it was scheduled to recess on July 23rd). It appears he is ready to hit the ground running.
As they look to strengthen workers’ rights, Labour proposals cover many different elements within the workplace. We have already explored some of their key suggestions, ones which are likely to present the biggest changes for small and medium sized businesses. You can read these in full in our whitepaper.
But to summarise what businesses can expect from the ‘Plan to make work pay: Delivering a new deal for working people’:
- There will likely be increases in employee costs through raises to national minimum wage and sick pay being paid from the first day of absence for workers and employees.
- There will be changes to employment status and stopping exploitative zero-hour contracts.
- The right to unfair dismissal protection from day one will be granted and employees will have longer to bring a claim.
- It is anticipated that a policy will be released relating to an employee’s right to switch off.
- There will be more union involvement across the board and a statutory body to investigate firms.
Although not all proposed policies will take effect immediately, and Labour will consult on some measures (some may be changed or discarded), that doesn’t mean that we should not be prepared for when they do come into place.
If you have been following The HR Dept updates in recent weeks, you will know that we have been preparing in advance of the election for potential outcomes and we are ready and waiting to help you futureproof your business, keeping you ahead of any changes.
Get in touch with your local HR Dept office or follow the latest updates on our dedicated election hub.
