Hello Philip, and welcome back to your monthly employment law update. In last week’s case law update, we looked at disability discrimination and type 2 diabetes. Last month’s employment law updated features on workwear, grievances and the gig economy.
With a general election just around the corner, this month’s update focuses on the employment law policies of each party. However, there is some light-hearted relief for those of you who read to the end!
Despite being told we wouldn’t have a General Election this year, we will be heading to the polls on 8th June. Because of Brexit and the rise of the gig economy, several employment law issues have become very prominent. Here is each party’s stance on everything employment law:
Conservatives
• Increase Living Wage to £8.75 by 2020
• Amend Equality Act reducing the amount of time an employee needs to suffer from a mental health issue to qualify as a disability
• Punishments for Director’s mismanaging pension schemes – both criminal and financial
• 12 months’ unpaid carers leave to look after relatives
• Reform employment status
• Race pay gap reporting
• Right for employees to request information about future of company – mergers, redundancies, outsourcing etc.
• No NI contributions for first 12 months’ employment for employees who were long-term unemployed, disabled, veterans, wards of the state and people with spent criminal convictions
• Introduce T-levels as qualifications for technical skills
• Double the immigration skills charge levied on companies employing migrant workers by 2022
Labour
• Protect employment rights governed by EU law
• All employment rights would be day one rights – no two years’ service requirement
• Reform employment status to redefine worker/employee meanings
• Ban zero-hours contracts
• Scrap tribunal fees
• Double paid paternity leave to one month for fathers
• Repeal the Trade Union Act • Set a Living Wage rate of £10
• Introduce penalties into gender pay reporting regulations
• Increase bank holidays to include Saint days – St George’s, St David’s, St Patrick’s etc
• Greater scrutiny on business mergers/acquisitions to protect employee pensions and prevent a BHS style pension swindle
SNP
• Devolve Employment Law to Scottish Parliament
• Increase the National Living Wage
• Promote payment of the scientific living wage
• Increase the number of young people in apprenticeships
• Crack down on the gig economy
• Abolish tribunal fees
Liberal Democrats
• Protect employment rights governed by EU law
• Preserve right of residency for EU workers
• Promote vocational colleges to provide better apprenticeships – akin to polytechnic universities
• Set a genuine living wage of £10
• Ban zero hours’ contracts
• Increase pay reporting to include percentage of staff paid below the living wage and the difference between highest and lowest paid
• Increase pay reporting to include race and sexual orientation
• Scrap tribunal fees
• Grant employees’ rights to request shares in employers of more than 250 staff
• Increase female and employee representation at boardroom level
Greens
• Living wage rate of £10
• Remove NMW age bands
• Phase in 4 days working week / 35 hour weeks
• Ban zero hour contracts
• Increase female board representation to 40%
• Protect rights of EU citizens
UKIP
• Create code of conduct for zero hours’ contracts including compulsory fixed term contract for those employed on one for over a year
• Remove income tax payment for lowest earners instead of raising minimum wage
• Introducing points based visa system for migrant workers
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