Government concedes workers’ rights overhaul will spark surge in tribunal claims Business The government’s flagship workers’ rights overhaul will spark a 17 per cent surge in employment tribunal cases, according to an official government analysis that claims the radical employment shake-up should reduce joblessness and boost growth. In a paper released on Wednesday, civil servants warned that measures in the act – including bolstering employees’ rights from [...]
Tribunal backlog hits record high ahead of workers’ rights bill Legal The backlog of employment tribunal cases hit a record high between July and September, in a further sign that the UK’s legal system will struggle to absorb any uptick in unfair dismissal claims caused by the government’s workers’ rights package. According to newly released Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures, there were a record 515,000 open [...]
Tory MP takes chainsaw to workers’ rights package in new video Politics The shadow secretary of state for business has channelled Argentina’s red-tape-slashing President, Javier Milei, in a new video in which he vows to “take a chainsaw” to the government’s 300-page workers’ rights overhaul. Tory MP Andrew Griffith filmed himself cutting through the tome of new legislation that the Employment Rights Bill will foist on employers, [...]
Exclusive: Industry chiefs urge MPs to accept workers’ rights amendments July 26, 2025 Seven of Britain’s most influential industry bodies have urged MPs to accept an array of House of Lords amendments to the government’s workers’ rights package, warning the overhaul is already having a “chilling” impact on jobs and the economy. The cohort of heavyweight lobby groups – which includes all the so-called ‘Big Five’ business bodies [...]
Major workers’ rights changes delayed in bid to win over business July 1, 2025 Controversial plans to hand new employees a glut of additional rights from day one and make flexible working the default will not be implemented until 2027, the government has said, after a deluge of warnings from industry that the measures would stifle firms’ ability to hire and invest. As part of the long-awaited roadmap for [...]
Tories vow to rip up workers’ rights package June 26, 2025 The Conservative Party will rip up Labour’s contentious workers’ rights overhaul if they are elected in a bid “once again” to convince voters it is the party of business. In a speech to business leaders on Thursday, shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith will warn attendees the Employment Rights Bill will hand “enormous power” to trade [...]
Business groups pour cold water on pay transparency plans June 18, 2025 Plans to make business tell workers what their colleagues earn have sparked a flurry of warnings from industry chiefs that they will hinder bosses’ flexibility to pay staff fairly, and may not work for smaller employers. Ministers are currently looking at ways to end pay discrimination, with options including making companies publish remuneration structures and [...]
Workers’ rights: £60bn industry warns against Labour overhaul June 4, 2025 The government’s flagship workers’ rights legislation is poised to have “serious unintended consequences” for firms’ capacity to take on new staff and offer them sufficient hours if ministers fail to consult more closely with employers, more than 120 facilities management bosses have warned. Writing in an open letter signed by the likes of FTSE 250 [...]
Small businesses demand workers’ rights sick pay rebate May 26, 2025 Small business owners would continue hiring new staff despite fears around the government’s workers’ rights package if it contained a rebate on the overhaul’s new sick pay rules. According to a poll by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), 35 per cent of entrepreneurs and small business owners believe that a rebate for their firms [...]
Labour’s Employment Rights Bill is a howler that will hammer jobs March 31, 2025 Employment rights is always a balancing act between businesses and workers, but Labour’s legislation swings too far in one direction, says Karen Jackson As an employment discrimination lawyer I’ve devoted my legal career to protecting the rights of workers from discrimination and harassment in the workplace. I see the harsh reality of what really goes [...]