The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have launched a series of consultations seeking views on various aspects of the Government’s proposals issued as part of its Plan to Make Work Pay.

Statutory Sick Pay

Making Work Pay: Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay invites comments on the percentage replacement rate for those earning below the current rate of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). The deadline for submitting responses to this consultation is 4 December 2024.

This argues that the current SSP system fosters economic insecurity at work and proposes removing the existing requirements to serve waiting days and extending eligibility to those earning below the lower earnings limit.

Collective redundancy and fire and re-hire

For the collective redundancy framework, the Government is seeking views on the proposal to increase the maximum period of the protective award that a tribunal can award. This would either mean increasing the protective award from 90 to 180 days or removing the cap on the protective award entirely.

With regard to fire and re-hire, it is considering making interim relief available to employees who are bringing an unfair dismissal claim under a new right which will be introduced by the Employment Rights Bill.

The closing date for Making Work Pay: Collective Redundancy and Fire and Rehire is 2 December 2024.

Zero-hours contracts and agency workers

Also open until 2 December 2024, this consultation aims to tackle “one-sided flexibility” in zero-hours contracts through a right to guaranteed hours with a contract that reflects the number of hours regularly worked and a right to reasonable notice of shifts with payment for shifts cancelled or curtailed at short notice.

Making Work Pay: the Application of Zero Hours Contracts Measures to Agency Workers applies specifically to agency workers.

Modern framework for industrial relations

The fourth consultation concerns modernising the legislative framework that underpins trade unions, with proposals including:

simplifying the amount of information unions are required to provide in industrial action notices

strengthening provisions to prevent unfair practices during the trade union recognition process

removing the 10-year ballot requirement on political funds

reducing the industrial action notice period.

Again, with a closing date of 2 December 2024, Making Work Pay: Creating a Modern Framework for Industrial Relations aims to ensure industrial relations are based around collaboration, proportionality, accountability and balancing the interests of workers, businesses and the wider public.

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