Lack of Employment Bill a missed opportunity

The government’s failure to include the promised Employment Bill in today’s Queen’s Speech is a missed opportunity to shape the future of work as the country emerges form the pandemic, Prospect has warned.

Prospect had called for a Bill to set out new rights and regulations covering areas such as remote working, surveillance of employees, the Right to Disconnect, and providing more security for self-employed workers.

However despite promising to introduce an Employment Bill at some point in the future, the government claimed they would only do so “when the time is right”.

General Secretary of Prospect Mike Clancy said:

“The government have repeatedly promised ‘the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation’ but today that promise has been dropped with no Employment Bill and nothing on measures to increase flexible working from the Queen’s Speech.

“We are at a pivotal point in the future of work in the UK, with remote working set to increase exponentially post-pandemic, new practices such as remote surveillance affecting millions and a crisis in self-employment.

“These new challenges require workers’ rights fit for the twenty first century, including new rights on flexible working and a Right to Disconnect from work.

“The government have missed the opportunity to show leadership and shape the future of work over the coming years, and it is workers who will pay the price.”