Millions of flexible workers will receive new employment rights under major government reforms as the UK government responds to the independent Taylor Review.
The Taylor Review, published in 2017, investigated what impact modern working practices are having on the world of work. The review found that the strength of the UK’s labour market is built on flexibility but that a clearer focus is needed on quality of work as well as the quantity of jobs.
In today’s ‘Good Work Plan’ the Government has announced that:
- millions of workers will get new day-one rights with sick and holiday pay to be enforced for vulnerable workers for the first time
- reforms will ensure employment law and practices keep pace with modern ways of working created by rapid technological change
- for the first time the government will be accountable for good quality work as well as quantity of jobs - a key ambition of the UK’s Industrial Strategy
The government will seek to protect workers’ rights by:
- take further action to ensure unpaid interns are not doing the job of a worker;
- introducing a new naming scheme for employers who fail to pay employment tribunal awards
- quadrupling employment tribunal fines for employers showing malice, spite or gross oversight to £20,000 and considering increasing penalties for employers who have previously lost similar cases
The government will ensure workers are paid fairly by:
- providing all 1.2 million agency workers with a clear breakdown of who pays them and any costs or charges deducted from their wages
- asking the Low Pay Commission to consider the impact of higher minimum wage rates for workers on zero-hour contracts
- considering repealing laws allowing agencies to employ workers on cheaper rates
The government will increase transparency in the business environment by:
- defining ‘working time’ for flexible workers who find jobs through apps or online so they know when they should be being paid
- launching a task force with business to promote awareness and take-up of the right to request flexible working introduced in 2014
- making sure new and expectant mothers know their workplace rights and raise awareness amongst employers of their obligations
- launching a new campaign to encourage more working parents to share childcare through Shared Parental Leave – a right introduced in 2015
Quality work will also be considered by the government when agreeing new sector deals with industry, encouraging employers to show how they are investing in their workforces to improve productivity.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will work with labour market experts, trade unions and the business community to measure the standards of quality work established in the Taylor Review.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
“The Taylor Review said that the current approach to employment is successful but that we should build on that success, in preparing for future opportunities.
“We want to embrace new ways of working, and to do so we will be one of the first countries to prepare our employment rules to reflect the new challenges.
“We will take forward Matthew Taylor’s recommendations and commit to pursuing the quality of work as well as number of jobs.
“The ‘Good Work plan’ puts the UK at the front of the pack in addressing the challenges and opportunities of modern ways of working, it is an important part of the Industrial Strategy and will enhance our business environment as one of the best places to work, invest and do business.”
Article Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-to-benefit-from-enhanced-rights-as-government-responds-to-taylor-review-of-modern-working-practices
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