The publication of the Employment Rights Bill roadmap has been seen by industry representative bodies as a chance for important consultation to take place within the industry. Reacting to the announcement, Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Chief Executive Neil Carberry said:
“This clear timeline on the Employment Rights Bill gives room for full and frank consultation on how the new rules will be structured. It also gives businesses important time to plan. Now we have the roadmap, ongoing and meaningful engagement will be critical to ensuring new regulations allow the flexibility workers and companies value to remain. That’s what gives workers freedom and choice, and helps businesses adjust in changeable markets. A clear process which addresses reasonable business concerns about the new rules is essential.”
Carberry described the bill as “a real opportunity to update workplace protections in a way that reflects how people work today” however he also notes that there right balance will need to be struck to support the government’s growth ambitions.
“News that the new Fair Work Agency will be up and running by early next year is welcome,” he added. “It’s important that any employment protections are enforced in the right way by a well-resourced agency that understand the agency sector and builds on the expertise of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.”
Tania Bowers, Global Public Policy Director at APSCo welcomed the delay in moving the Bill to Royal Assent, again highlighting the opportunity to consider the impact of the legislation.
“There is an understandable and correct concern in the professional recruitment market that implementing such a significant reform of employment rights without the full understanding of the impact it will have on business growth and the UK’s economic strength simply cannot happen,” she said.
“We saw earlier this week that there was a renewed focus from Lord Chris Holmes to reintroduce an amendment to the Bill which would see a licensing entity created for umbrella companies. It’s clear that there is still a lot to be debated on the topic and continued resistance, which in itself it telling.
“There are also a number of areas in the Employment Rights Bill proposals where the details aren’t substantial enough or haven’t faced the level of scrutiny that will only be detrimental to the Bill’s impact,” Bowers said. “For example, the changes to fire and rehire clauses would mean that it is unlawful for a company to make any contractual change, including a change of office address.
“There will be more consultations in the late summer and throughout Autumn, APSCo hopes that this opportunity is capitalised on now, to prevent future instability for the staffing sector,” she concluded.
Finally, Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the CIPD said the roadmap offered greater clarity on the timelines for implementing the most workplace reforms. “We’ve been making a strong case to government for a clear plan and the need for measures in the bill need to be phased. It’s also positive that the government has recognised the importance of further consultation on key areas still to be finalised, such as the new statutory probation period and new rights for zero hours workers.
“While the publication of the roadmap marks an important step forward, much of the detail around the Bill’s implementation is still to be decided,” observed Willmott. “We’ll be engaging closely with our members to ensure their expertise informs the design of the remaining measures, as well as the guidance employers need.”
