Workers Rights Improve in Changing Employment Laws

The UK Government has created various policies to enhance employee welfare. They firmly believe that security in the workplace is the key to productivity. The government has always overseen the worker‘s rights through ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) which provides free and impartial information and advice to employers and employees on all aspects of workplace relations and employment law. In addition, to ACAS differences can be settled between employers and employees in an Employment Tribunal.

The law demands that employers offer equal opportunities for all employees irrespective of their background, their qualification and skill set should make a difference rather than the other factors like race, religion, gender, colour and sexual orientation. However, discrimination and unfair dismissals claims are on the rise. This increase is despite the effective measures to combat the issues.

The latest initiative by the Government is the Good work plan.

What is the Good Work Plan?

The launch of the Good Work Plan was in December 2018. The Government created this plan post analysis and research of the common problems. This was an attempt to identify feasible solutions to improve worker’s livelihood and provide job security. The plan concentrates on three major categories and here are a few notable features:

Stable Contract

The company sometimes draw contracts that prove risky to the employees under undesirable circumstances. The plan ensures a predictable contract if the employees work for 26 weeks. This also allows the workers to select their feasible work hours

Benefits for agency workers

The agency workers do not enjoy the same benefits as full-time employees. This plan dictates that they can be eligible for the same pay post 12 weeks of employment. This also suggests the removal of ‘the Swedish derogation’ (from April 2020).

Extension of break duration

The current situation is that if an employee takes a break for one week, then their continuity is broken. The Good work plan extends this period to four weeks allowing workers more leverage.

Basic terms

The basic terms statement is an essential document in the employee’s life. This document contains all the details of their contract and conditions of employment. This document is now mandatory for both employees and workers from day one.

Publicising the company mistakes

When a company does not pay any owed compensation on time, the tribunal has the power to levy a fine. They can also make public the non payment which could damage the company’s reputation.

The Good Work Plan categorizes all their features under three main headings. It includes; fair and decent work, clarity for employees and more equitable enforcement. These regulations will support both regular and part-time workers. This enables them to fight for their rights and forces all companies to operate a professional work environment. The plan creation was on the basis of the Taylor Review. This set of recommendations identifies the various problems faced by employees in the work environment. The experts from the Government have also conducted extensive research and analysis. The trade unions and employee welfare associations have shown their appreciation for these guidelines.