The Government has tabled a significant number of amendments to the Employment Rights Bill following its responses to consultations carried out last year. The amendments have been put forward in preparation for the Bill reaching its 3rd reading in Parliament in the House of Commons on 11th and 12th March 2025.
The proposed amendments cover reforms to Statutory Sick Pay, agency workers’ rights, “fire and rehire” and collective redundancies and more. Several changes are proposed to increase trade union rights on the areas of recognition, industrial action, and access to the workplace.
The Government says that up to 1.3 million more workers will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), with those on low wages receiving either 80% of their average weekly earnings or the current rate of SSP, whichever is lower. All workers will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay for the very first time. Workers will also have the right to SSP from the first day of sickness absence. The aim of these changes is to encourage staff to take the time off they need to recover, helping to prevent long-term absences.
The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “For too long millions of workers have been forced to face insecure, low paid and irregular work, while our economy is blighted by low growth and low productivity.
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“We are turning the tide — with the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation, boosting living standards and bringing with it an upgrade to our growth prospects and the reforms our economy so desperately needs.
“We have been working closely with businesses and workers to progress this landmark bill and deliver our Plan for Change — unleashing growth and making work pay for everyone.”
The Government proposes to extend the zero hours contracts measures in the Bill to agency workers, including the right to a guaranteed hours contract which reflects the hours they regularly work, the right to reasonable notice for the cancelling, changing or curtailment of shifts and the right to payment for shifts cancelled, moved or curtailed at short notice.
Other changes include increasing the maximum period of the protective award in collective redundancy and “fire and rehire” situations from 90 days to 180 days.
These Government must now decide whether to accept these amendments into the Bill. The Bill will need to go through the remaining parliamentary process before becoming law.
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