Government Publishes Amendments to Employment Rights Bill

The Government has published an updated Amendment Paper listing all amendments tabled to the Employment Rights Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament.

A number of amendments to the Bill have been tabled as a result of consultations with business groups, trade unions and wider society. Notable examples include:

• Extending the measures in respect of zero hours contracts to agency workers. These measures are intended to give workers the right to a contract which reflects the hours they regularly work. The amendments will ensure that agency work does not become a loophole in the Government's plans to end exploitative zero hours contracts;
• Increasing the maximum award an Employment Tribunal can make for an employer's failure to follow the collective redundancy consultation requirements from 90 days' pay to 180 days' pay;
• Setting the rate of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) at 80 per cent of a worker's average weekly earnings or the current rate of SSP – whichever is lower. The Lower Earnings Limit for SSP is to be abolished.