The House of Commons has voted to reject several key amendments made by the House of Lords to the Employment Rights Bill. The bill, which was a focal point of Labour’s election campaign, has been described by them as “the biggest single upgrade of employment rights in a generation”.
The amendments included replacing day one rights to make unfair dismissal claims with a six-month qualifying length of service, changing zero hours workers’ right to guaranteed hours with a right to request them, and defining a short notice cancellation of a shift as less than 48 hours.
When the Bill returned to the Commons for consideration, MPs overwhelmingly voted to reject the amendments, with the Government citing concerns that the Bill would be “weakened” and the changes would have the effect of “watering down” the protections.
The new business and trade secretary Peter Kyle will now form a committee to explain why the changes were rejected and the Bill will move back to the House of Lords. Kyle has stated that the government would “continue to listen” and that businesses will be able to participate in formal consultations on the changes. The toing and froing between the two houses could last another month or so.
Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the CIPD felt this vote was “disappointing” as the amendments contained “sensible compromises”.
This continued lack of clarity around the major reforms proposed in this Bill will undoubtedly be frustrating for employers who will need time to adapt to the changes.
If you have any questions on any of the issues raised in the above article, please contact Natalia Milne.