King’s Speech contains ‘biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation’, says new UK Government

Consultations on the Employment Rights Bill, which the newly elected Labour Government has described as “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”, will begin during the first 100 days of taking office.

Photograph: House of Lords

In addition to the Employment Rights Bill, the King’s Speech included a pledge through the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill to introduce legislation known as Martyn’s Law, which was proposed after the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017 to ensure that entertainment venues are better prepared in the event of a terrorist attack.

A Skills England Bill, which the King said, “will have a new partnership with employers at its heart”, aims to improve educational and skills training and reform the apprenticeship levy, while a new Mental Health Bill will “modernise the Mental Health Act so it is fit for the 21^st century”, and “ensure mental health is given the same attention and focus as physical health”.

On artificial intelligence (AI), the King announced plans to bring forward legislation that will “place requirements on those working to develop the most powerful artificial intelligence models”. While no specific Bill for worker wellbeing was included in the speech, the King did announce a Children’s Wellbeing Bill, which seeks to raise standards in education and promote the wellbeing of young people.

Announcing the Great British Energy Bill – a publicly owned clean power company headquartered in Scotland with the aim of accelerating investment in renewable energy – the King said that the Government “recognises the urgency of the global climate challenge and the new job opportunities that can come from leading the development of the technologies of the future”.

Commenting on the King’s Speech, British Safety Council chairman, Peter McGettrick, said it marked “a welcome change of pace, focusing on measures to deliver real growth, alongside improvements that offer the hopes of happier and healthier lives for all”.

He added: “We know that to improve public health outcomes, boost productivity and grow the economy, we need a workforce that is safe, happy and healthy; and there were some measures in the King’s Speech which will begin to tackle these challenges head-on.” McGettrick said he particularly welcomed the new Government’s decision “to put employment rights at the heart of its agenda”, as well as its confirmation that Martyn’s Law will reach the statute books.

McGettrick said he hoped the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing Bill would “mark the beginning of a new approach, where wellbeing becomes a golden thread throughout government policy”. Overall, added British Safety Council’s chairman, “this King’s Speech sets out a legislative agenda moving in the right direction for a safer, happier and healthier society, and we stand ready to assist the Government in doing just that”.

Public policy think-tank, the Social Market Foundation, welcomed the measures included in the Employment Rights Bill and the “urgency” with which the Government aims to implement the planned changes. However, it warned that banning zero-hours contracts could lead to reduced flexibility in the labour market, which could come at the detriment of some workers.

“The Government has compensated for this by introducing mandatory flexibility in all forms of work – only time will tell if this approach strikes the right balance,” said Jake Shepherd, senior researcher at Social Market Foundation.

Plans to focus on health were broadly welcomed by Dame Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation, who said: “Without good health there will be no wealth. A cross-government approach to improving the nation’s health needs to sit at the heart of government policy if it is to achieve its ambitions.” She added: “A thriving economy can only be built on the foundations of a healthy population, renewed focus on tackling health inequalities and a strong health service.”

Dame Dixon’s comments come as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released figures showing continued signs of a “gradual cooling” in the labour market, with the percentage of people in employment having fallen to 74.4 per cent and the number of people out of work due to long-term sickness remaining at a near-record high of 2.8 million.

UK Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP has described the figures as “truly dire”, adding: “Our Plan to get Britain Working Again will overhaul job centres, deliver a youth guarantee and give local areas the power they need to tackle economic inactivity and break down barriers to a brighter future.”

Read British Safety Council’s full press release here.