The Good Work Plan ( update )

In 2021 we heralded the Government’s plan to upgrade much of the Current Employment Legislation.

The Good Work Plan was the brainchild of Mathew Taylor and out of almost 50 Recommendations the current Conservative government had accepted the vast majority of them.

Sadly because of the Pandemic and the slow return to Preliminary pace much of this has been delayed.

However the good news is that a whole range of draft legislation is going though Parliament as we speak and whilst we still have along way to go there is some great news for those who always said nothing ever changes in our profession.

Here is a brief look at some of the changes that will affect chefs in the UK.

Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill

A Private Members’ Bill to give workers and agency workers the right to request more predictable terms and conditions of work.

The Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons and is due to be considered by the House of Lords shortly. It is being backed by the Government, so is likely to come into effect at some point if that remains the case.

This is MASSIVE for the Industry and will give those on Zero-hour Contracts may now have the right to be given a a more predictable contract according to their history of work. In other words, if a after a period of time (to be determined) you have worked standard 20-40-hour week (or applicable) you will be able to request a predictable contract based of your history of work. The new law will also allow you to continue on a Zero option if so preferred.

This will also apply to those shifts that traditionally get cut in the middle of a shift due to lack of business, in future if your rostered for 8 hours your employer must honour that also unless you have a flexible arrangement that adds up to your contracted hours at the end of the week.

Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill
 

Broadly speaking, the Worker Protection Bill intends to:Re-introduce the duty to protect employees from third-party harassment, and impose a positive duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, giving the Tribunal powers to uplift compensation by 25 per cent where employers fail to do so.

This Bill will be a huge deterrent to those employers who still turn a blind eye to sexual harassment. It will effectively allow tribunals to increase the any compensation award by a massive 25% .This also means that employers will be more likely to settle “out of court” if they feel that a Tribunal will punish them even further.

Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill

The Bill aims to give employees and other workers greater flexibility by having the right to request variations to particular terms and conditions of employment. The main change proposed is for the right to request flexible working to become a day one right, removing the current 26-week qualifying period.

Although some changes have been made to this Bill it now means that workers will have the right (from day 1) to a request flexible work pattern as opposed to the current 26 week lead in period. However, it only gives you the right to request and not the “right to have “
It is a very contentious Bill and will go through more changes and amendments before it is finalised.

Miscarriage Leave Bill 

The Bill aims to give three days of statutory paid leave to employees who have experienced miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy before 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Wonderful news for those women who go through the distress of losing a baby, its not a huge win but it’s a good start.