Change in direction? Preparing employers for a UK general election
Employers are increasingly assessing the potential workforce implications of the next UK general election. To help organisations to prepare for the election, we have created an interactive tracker that will analyse the employment policies from the main political parties in an accessible format below:
As the political parties publish and refine their employment policies and manifesto commitments, we will be updating the content throughout.
Snapshot A summary of key policies across the main political parties
Conservatives
The Conservative Party has yet to announce its general election employment policies. However, it has already committed to strengthening family-friendly and atypical working rights, extending employer duties to prevent sexual harassment and addressing the fair distribution of tips during 2024 (read our Alert for further details). It will implement a new statutory Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement (so-called ‘fire and rehire’) this summer. In relation to labour law, it has plans to restrict the operation of check-off for union subscriptions in the public sector. It is defending legal action challenging minimum service levels during strikes and is deciding whether to once more permit the use of temporary agency workers to replace employees who take part in industrial action or backfill those moved internally to cover striking workers. It has also made a number of recent immigration policy announcements which aim to cut net migration.
Labour
Described as a pro-worker, pro-business model, Labour has highlighted the following from its New Deal for Working People:
- deliver a genuine living wage (linked to the rise in the cost of living and inflation) and strengthen enforcement
- ban zero hours contracts
- end dismissal and re-engagement (so-called ‘fire and rehire’)
- give workers basic rights from day one (including unfair dismissal)
- act to close gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps
- make work more family-friendly
- tackle sexual harassment
- boost collective bargaining
- extend sick pay
It has promised to table the legislation implementing the New Deal within 100 days of taking office. Read: New Deal link 1.1.24
Other parties1
Other parties have yet to announce their general election employment policies.
1 Other parties include: Liberal Democrats, SNP, Reform UK and Green Party, based on polling data: General election 2024 poll tracker: How do the parties compare? - BBC News
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