Changes to the Employment Rights Bill – our response

The Department for Business and Trade has announced that the Government will lay a number of amendments to its Employment Rights Bill, which will bring changes to a number of proposals including application of zero-hours contracts to agency workers and Statutory Sick Pay.

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “The business world has fundamentally changed since the publication of the Employment Rights Bill, with significant increases to employer NICs upending the finances of hospitality businesses. Everything must now be viewed in that context.

“We understand the Government’s objectives with this legislation, but how it achieves those goals must be done in a way that doesn’t damage jobs, businesses and growth.

“Some of the changes announced offer practical clarifications on how new regulations will work, but it’s still the case that there is much unknown about how this legislation will work in practice, a lack of detail on several key issues and the scale of the cost these changes will bring.

“With substantial consultation still to come on major parts of the legislation, it’s critical that the Government continues to work with us to answer these questions and get the detail right in a way that benefits both businesses and team members.”