Election 2017: manifesto promises on employment law
Employment rights have figured strongly in the manifestos of the main three political parties. Somewhat surprisingly, the Conservatives are very much a part of a general consensus that employment rights should be expanded.
We outline the various commitments.
Conservatives
- Maintain existing rights after Brexit.
- Continue Taylor review into gig economy rights.
- Up to a year’s unpaid time off to care for sick relatives. Our comments about this are here.
- Introduction of child bereavement leave.
- Additional support after family leave.
- Tackle gender pay gap and ethnicity pay gap.
Labour
- Preserve all employment rights post Brexit.
- Abolish Employment Tribunal fees.
- Make all employment rights apply from day one of employment (this would in particular apply to unfair dismissal).
- Extend duration of maternity and paternity pay.
- Introduce new bereavement leave.
- Ban zero hour contracts.
- Create Ministry of Labour to ensure enforcement.
- New and extended rights to unions.
- Plans to tackle ethnicity pay gap.
- Independent body to oversee gender pay gap reporting obligations.
Liberal Democrats
- Keep UK in single market.
- Preserve freedom of movement.
- Introduce pay gap reporting in relation to race and sexual orientation.
- Introduce name-blind recruitment in public sector.
- Legislate to ensure board room diversity.
- Address the use of zero hour’s contracts.
The Labour Party came into power in 2024 with a promise of substantial reforms aimed at enhancing worker’s rights, improving work-life balance, and addressing inequalities in the workplace.
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