If the Labour Party wins the General Election, as polls predict, it’s planning to radically shake up employment rights. Party leader Sir Keir Starmer described the plans as “the biggest levelling up of rights at work for a very, very long time”. So, what will that mean for employers? Partner Kate Wyatt continues our series looking at the implications for you and your organisation.
Labour’s proposed New Deal for Working People promises to ‘back working people to take their voice back’ and improve their working conditions. One consequence of this turnaround could be your staff getting a much stronger say in the running of your organisation and how you treat them.
In practice, our specialist employment lawyers at Lindsays expect this to mean greater encouragement and opportunities for staff to join trade unions; a strengthening of the rights of trade union members and the permitted activity of trade union reps; and relaxation of some of the laws around strikes.
Given that the Labour Party have also committed to start their employment rights shake-up super-quickly – introducing legislation in their first 100 days of taking office, if they win the election – you need to be on top of this.
A change in industrial relations
These proposals are part of a much wider shift, where Labour wants to change the tone in industrial relations in the UK – and remember that employment legislation is set by Westminster for the whole of the UK, including Scotland. It’s not a devolved issue.
In its New Deal for Working People, it talks about ‘a new era of partnership that sees employers, unions and Government work together in co-operation and through negotiation’. So, this new voice for workers doesn’t appear intended to make trade unions all-powerful, but what does it mean in practice for you, whether you’re an SME, charity or other employer?
New trade union laws on their way?
Well, it’s still not known, because we only have top-line proposals from Labour to look at, and no small-print detail or timelines. And we don’t even know the election results.
But you should still be aware of some of the changes that may be required. This could include:
- Making it easier for trade unions to recruit and organise in your workplace.
- Informing all staff regularly of their right to join a union.
- Changing your induction practices so all new employees are informed about this in writing.
- Getting to grips with new rights and protections for trade union reps operating in your workplace and new rules on trade union recognition.
And beyond any legal requirements, there may also be mindset changes required. After all, a ‘new era of partnership’ and collective activity may instil new expectations in workers about your obligation to consult or involve them in any decisions you make.
How to prepare for change
Should you be apprehensive about what the New Deal involves? No. You just need to manage the change – as you would with employment law anyway, year in and year out.
Even so, change is probably on its way, and the changes could be significant. It’s a good idea for employers to start preparing for a new direction of travel now, where worker voice and representation become more powerful and you are ready for new laws on trade union activity.
Lindsays can help you with this, via prism, our fixed-fee employment solutions for managing risk and handling change in the right way at the right time.
From templates to use in contracts and communications, to training, advice and HR software, prism can help you prepare for and navigate all the upcoming employment rights changes - whatever happens in the election.
Kate Wyatt
Partner in Employment
Keep checking the Lindsays website for more articles on the proposed changes to employment law in the run-up to the election.
Published 24 June 2024
