Following recent consultation, the Government have announced their ‘Good Work Plan’ which sets out to strengthen workers’ rights and recognise the changing labour market.
The new legislation introduced on 17th December will:
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close a loophole which currently allows agency workers to be employed on cheaper rates than permanent counterparts
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quadruple the current maximum employment tribunal fines for employers who are demonstrated to have shown malice, spite or gross oversight from £5,000 to £20,000 from 6th April 2019
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extend the right to a written statement of particulars from day one (reducing from two months) from 6th April 2020
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extending rights on written statements of particulars to include details on rights such as eligibility for sick leave and pay and details of other types of paid leave, such as maternity and paternity leave from 6th April 2020
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extending the holiday pay reference period from 12 to 52 weeks, giving those in seasonal or atypical roles a proportionally reflective amount of paid time off from 6th April 2020
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lowering the threshold required for a request to set up Information and Consultation arrangements from 10% to 2% from 6th April 2020
With more changes planned by the government to increase the rights of agency workers and those on zero-hours contracts, employers need to keep their ears to the ground and a close eye on their compliance.
If you’d like our support with any of these changes, please get in touch with Redway HR. We’ll guide you through things in a friendly and down to earth manner to ensure you are working within the law.