The Employment Rights Bill marks the “biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation”, Labour has told Brits ahead of the legislation being debated in parliament.
The bill – which applies to England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland where employment law is devolved – means workers will have the right to claim unfair dismissal against their employer from day one.
Company bosses will also be required to offer a zero-hours worker a guaranteed-hours contract based on the hours they clock up during a 12-week period.
But the biggest shift concerns flexible working, which is to become the “default” for all workers, with employers required to say yes to requests from staff from their first day starting in a job unless they can prove it is “unreasonable”.
The government defines flexible working as a way of working “that suits an employee’s needs”, for example, having flexible start and finish times, or working from home.
Employees can already request flexible working from their first day in a job, but an employer can refuse an application if they have a good business reason for doing so.
The bill, which will now be debated in parliament, has been lauded by commentators.
The Guardian notes that Labour’s general election manifesto said the government would introduce its workers’ rights package within its first 100 days.
“On Thursday, on day 97, it fulfilled that promise.”
James Austin, meanwhile, said the legislation offers more proof that this is the “most radical left-wing government since at least the 70s.
“A genuinely excellent bit of legislation and a proper step forward on workers rights.”
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