UK Government unveils new bill to ‘upgrade’ workers’ rights

UK Government unveils new bill to ‘upgrade’ workers’ rights

Under a proposed overhaul of UK workers' rights, more individuals will become eligible for statutory sick pay, parental and bereavement leave, and enhanced protections regarding unfair dismissal. 

Most of the proposed changes will take effect in two years after an initial consultation period. The new Labour government calls it "the biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation," aiming to balance worker and business interests, with some details still under discussion.

Ministers say this change will impact about nine million workers employed by their current employer for less than two years.

What will change?

Flexible working: Employers must consider all flexible working requests from day one unless they can demonstrate the request is unreasonable.

Statutory sick pay (SSP) with lower earning threshold: SSP will start from the first day of illness. Workers earning under £123 weekly will now be eligible for SSP at a new reduced rate.

Paternity leave and unpaid parental leave: Eligibility for paternity and unpaid parental leave will begin from day one of employment.

Unpaid bereavement leave: This will now be a right from day one of employment.

Unfair dismissal protections: Removal of the two-year qualifying period, but a proposed nine-month probation period allows dismissal without a full process.

Zero contract hour regulations: Employers must provide guaranteed-hours contracts reflecting hours worked over 12 weeks. Zero-hour workers should expect reasonable notice of any shift changes and compensation for cancelled shifts or shifts that were reduced in length.

"Too many people are drawn into a race to the bottom, denied the security they need to raise a family while businesses are unable to retain the workers they need to grow," said Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. 

"We’re raising the floor on rights at work to deliver a stronger, fairer and brighter future of work for Britain." 

Approximately 30,000 fathers or partners will qualify for paternity leave due to this change, and 1.5 million parents will gain the right to unpaid leave from the first day. 

Learn more in our upcoming webinar 

Join us for a joint webinar with Impellam UK and DWF (UK and Ireland) to discuss employment law changes under the new Labour government, key upcoming changes, and how employers can prepare.

Sign up to attend

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