Business leaders call for workers’ rights amendments

Seven leading industry bodies have urged MPs to accept amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, saying changes proposed by the House of Lords will ease some of the burdens firms face when new workers’ rights come into force. Peers have called for the removal of a provision that would protect workers from unfair dismissal at “day one” of employment and suggested MPs should vote to retain a turnout threshold of 50% of union members voting in a ballot for it to be valid. Jane Gratton of the British Chambers of Commerce said ministers must accept the proposed changes if they want businesses to help “grow the economy and create more opportunities for people across the country,” while David Hale, government affairs director at the Federation of Small Businesses, said it is “essential” that ministers accept the amendments. Alex Hall-Chen of the Institute of Directors said the amendments “will go a considerable way to stemming the negative impacts that the Bill’s measures are already having on employers’ appetite to hire.” Matthew Percival, future of work and skills director at the Confederation of British Industry, said the Bill is “having a chilling impact on the labour market even before it comes into effect, with jobs down, disputes up and pay slowing.”