The DTI strategy paper,
Success at Work – Protecting Vulnerable Workers, Supporting Good Employers,
(published in March 2006) sets out how the government plans to implement the employment aspects of the so-called “Warwick Agreement” reached between the Labour Party and trade unions prior to the last General Election.
This includes the following proposals of relevance to EEF members:
· Plans to extend the statutory union recognition collective bargaining agenda to cover occupational pensions.
· A review of facilities and time off arrangements for trade union and employee representatives
· A proposed one-off increase in the maximum week's pay used to calculate Statutory Redundancy Pay
· Making bank and public holidays additional to the statutory minimum annual holiday entitlement
The Success at Work paper also outlines a number of areas where the government is looking to simplify existing legislation, including:
· a full review of the Dispute Resolution Regulations
· consulting on replacing the right for employees to have time off for certain public duties with a right to have requests for such time off seriously considered by employers;
· developing proposals for a new employment standard, targeted at SMEs, that would help them understand and meet their minimum employment law responsibilities.
· simplifying the statutory redundancy scheme and produce improved guidance. This will include working with stakeholders to identify possible solutions to what the government regards as unscrupulous practices such as the ‘removal of plant’
· undertaking a separate review of all areas of discrimination law to increase its clarity, improve guidance and make it easier for employers to understand and comply.
· simplifying the law on the statement of employment particulars and make it easier for employers to comply with this legislation when there is a change to employment conditions;
· simplifying the guidance on maternity leave and pay.
EEF is working to limit the impact of the
Success at Work
proposals on our members. This includes:
· Campaigning against plans to extend the statutory trade union collective bargaining agenda to cover occupational pensions;
· Ensuring that the review of facilities and time off arrangements for trade union and employee representatives does not increase the costs and administrative burdens for employers;
· Minimising the size of the proposed one-off increase in the maximum week's pay used to calculate Statutory Redundancy Pay;
· Ensuring that plans to increase annual holiday entitlement are introduced in a phased manner. We have also argued that the legislation should not apply to employers who, by contract, already provide their workers with more than 28 days’ annual holiday entitlement.
· Lobbying to keep the so-called ‘removal of plant’ out of any proposed simplification of statutory redundancy procedures and ensure that this review does not increase the costs and administrative burdens for employers.
We are also working with the government to deliver concrete results on simplifying legislation and guidance in:
· The dispute resolution procedure;
· Maternity leave and pay;
· The statement of employment particulars.