Labour’s worker’s rights bill is more of a slow burner

Labour’s long-promised Employment Rights Bill may not be quite as immediately game-changing as the trade unions hoped or the business lobby feared. There will be implementation delays, with most elements not operative until 2026 – unsurprising given the expected complexity of the legislation. Further consultation will be needed before more detailed regulations are tabled. But that’s not to say that, when Angela Rayner’s new workers’ legislation does kick in, all will be business as usual.

The likely creation of a nine-month probationary period for new employees – which would mitigate the effects of scrapping the two-year wait for unfair dismissal law to kick in – may assuage some of the fears of businesses. But let’s see how this shapes up in practice. The government claims that sacking someone during probation will be a simpler process than normal firing procedure, but the new day one unfair dismissal rights for new employees they are bringing in seems to clash with this.

The government’s plans to enhance eligibility for sick pay means workers will be able to claim it from their first day of illness.