The Business and Trade Committee has published a report on the Employment Rights Bill currently making its way through Parliament. The bill was introduced to Parliament in October 2024 as part of the Government’s comprehensive agenda to improve workers’ rights by boosting wages and reducing insecure work.
The report recommends that Government makes clarifications to the Bill regarding zero hour contracts, by defining the meaning of reasonable notice of shifts, removing reference to a minimum number of hours, and providing more detail on compensating workers for cancelled shifts.
The report also highlights legislation that may be affected by the introduction of the Bill such as the Modern Slavery Act. The Committee recommends that the Government amends Section 54 of the Act to ensure better transparency in the private sector, and to align UK standards with similar global legislation on modern slavery and human rights.
Similarly, the report recommends revisiting the regime for enforcing equality law by setting out how the Fair Work Agency and EHRC responsibilities will interact and reviewing enforcement policies to protect workers from abuse based on protected characteristics.
In addition, the report calls on the Government to develop a clearer long-term strategy for industrial relations to ensure productive engagement between trade unions, employers, ACAS and other stakeholders.
Southwell and Partners specialises in advice on Modern Slavery law and representing victims and potential victims of modern slavery.
You can access the full report referred to above by visiting here.
