Millions are set to benefit under the new Workers’ Rights Acts – giving more money and more say back to UK workers.
Benefits range from £200 million more back in the pockets of hard-working people, to greater flexibility over when, where and how you work.
Business and Trade Minister Kevin Hollinrake:
…it’s more vital than ever that we do what we can to support workers and families across the country.
I’d like to encourage businesses to be as flexible as possible and give their hard-working employees the tips they deserve.
I want to thank the MPs who brought forward this legislation to support hard working families and shape the UK’s outstanding workers’ rights record.
Tips
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 became law in May 2023, requires employers to pass all tips on to workers and comes into effect on 1st July 2024. This applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Most employers already pass on tips to the staff who earn them. However, there are still some unacceptable tipping practices by unscrupulous employers, which must be stopped.
All employees deserve to receive their fair share of tips, so the Government is running a public consultation on the Tipping Act’s Code of Practice to gain feedback from employers, workers and other stakeholders on the fair and transparent distribution of tips.
Draft code of practice on fair and transparent distribution of tips (HTML version)
Flexible working
Acas Chief Executive Susan Clews:
The shift in recent years towards increased use of flexible working by organisations has allowed more people to better balance their working lives and enabled employers to attract and retain skilled staff.
Acas has recently consulted on a new draft Code of Practice which outlines good practice around requests for flexible working and explains the forthcoming changes in the law to employers and employees.
7 out of 10 employees are unaware of new day one right to request flexible working
The day one right to request flexible working will come into force on 6th April 2024. Additional law reforms on flexible working that are outlined in the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 are expected to come in at the same time.
New rights to protect new parents from redundancy, give carers extra support and help all employees work flexibly with plans for the measures to come in this spring.
These measures will improve the lives of hard-working families across Britain, aiding workers who have caring responsibilities or parents at risk of redundancy and ensuring everyone is able work as flexibly as needed into the new year.
An extra 2.6 million workers across the UK will benefit from the removal of the 26 week qualifying period that is currently required before making a flexible working request.
Those with caring responsibilities will also be entitled to a brand new employment right to a week’s leave to care for a dependent.
Redundancy protections are also being extended to cover pregnancy, as well as to new parents.
PAYadvice.UK 3/1/2024