Lisa Nandy MP: this Government will make work pay with Employment Rights Bill

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This month the Government has delivered on its commitment to introduce its Employment Rights Bill within the first 100 days of entering office to the future benefit of thousands of workers in Wigan.

Our proposals represent the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation.

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They address many of the most frequent issues raised with me by employees in Wigan, from ending exploitative zero-hours contracts and “fire and rehire” practices, to establishing enhanced rights to paternity, parental and bereavement leave.

Too many people have waited too long for these changes.

Wigan MP Lisa NandyWigan MP Lisa Nandy
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy

This Bill will champion and extend the employment rights already provided by the best British employers and companies to millions more workers in our country.

Over a million workers in the UK are currently on zero-hour contracts which allow employers to only pay staff when they need them.

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For years, there have been concerns that zero-hours contracts can lead to “one sided flexibility” which may unfairly benefit employers.

The new Bill will outlaw exploitative zero-hours contracts by introducing a right for workers to receive reasonable notice of shifts and to be offered a contract with guaranteed hours.

The Bill will also give new rights to workers for paternity, parental and bereavement leave from day one.

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Under these changes it is estimated that an additional 1.5 million parents will have the right to unpaid leave from day one and tens of thousands of fathers or partners will become eligible for paternity leave.

The two-year qualifying period for protections from unfair dismissal will also be removed so employees are protected from unfair dismissal from the first day of employment.

Around 9 million people who have been with their employer for less than two years are set to benefit.

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Flexible working will be made the default right for all employees with employers being required to justify the refusal of flexible working requests.

1.7 million people who are aren’t working because they are looking after family, or their home, could benefit from new policies on flexible working and other measures in the Bill.

We will tackle the inappropriate use of “fire and rehire” practices (when an employer fires an employee and offers them a new contract on new, often less favourable terms).

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The Bill will make it automatically unfair to dismiss workers because they refuse to agree to a variation of contract.

Statutory Sick Pay will be strengthened by removing the three-day waiting period (so employees are eligible from the first day of illness or injury) and the lower earnings limit test for eligibility.

Up to 1.3 million people are thought to be under the lower earnings limit at present.

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New measures will also be brought in to increase protection from sexual harassment at work along with plans to help support employees through

menopause and improved rights for pregnant workers and new parents.

At the election Labour promised to make work pay and fix a situation that has seen too many people trapped in low paid and insecure work.

With these changes we are raising the floor on workplace rights to deliver a stronger, fairer and brighter future for the world of work in the UK.

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