Manifesto promises on Employment Law

The main political parties have all included policies concerning employment law in their manifestos.  They have all made pledges about flexible working and reviewing the default retirement age.  In addition, some of the parties’ main policies are set out below.  You may use this to help you decide which way to vote, and it may be interesting to check back in due course to see if the promises are kept!

 Family Friendly

Conservative

• Introduce a new system that will allow parents to share parental leave.
• Extend the right to request flexible working to every parent with a child under
• the age of 18.
• ¬†Extend the right to request flexible working to public sector employees and eventually, following consultation, to private sector employees.

Labour

• Increase paid paternity leave to four weeks (known as ‚ÄúFathers month‚Äù).
• Introduce the right to request flexible working for older workers.

 Liberal Democrats

• Extend the right to request flexible working to all employees.
• Give fathers the right to time off for ante-natal appointments.
• Allow parents to share maternity and paternity rights for up to 18 months.

 Equality & Human Rights

Conservative

• Require any employer found to be discriminating on the ‚Äúbasis of gender‚Äù to undertake an equal pay audit.
• Ensure NHS staff are protected if they raise concerns over patient safety.

 Labour

• Encourage employers to make greater use of pay reviews and equality checking.

 Liberal Democrats

• Introduce ‚Äúname blind‚Äù application forms, initially for employers with over 100 employees.
• Introduce mandatory equal pay audits for every employer with over 100 employees.
• Restore the public interest defence for civil servant whistleblowers.

 Employing People

Conservative

• Review the criminal records and ‚Äúvetting and barring‚Äù regime and scaling it back.
• Review the Agency Workers Regulations.

 Labour

• Give the Low Pay Commission the goal of increasing the National Minimum Wage at least in line with average earnings until 2015.
• Gradually tightening immigration criteria to make it harder to come and work in the UK.

Liberal Democrats

• Ensure that the minimum wage is paid to everyone in work regardless of age.

 Employment Rights

Conservative

• Look at how to abolish the default retirement age and proceed to end default retirement at 65.
• Consultation on changes to the Employment Tribunal system to ensure that it offers ‚Äúfast, cheap and accessible justice‚Äù that is fair to both sides.
• Look at amending the ‚Äòservice provision changes‚Äô in TUPE
• Extend the licensing approach to labour providers in the construction industry if evidence shows that is the best way to enforce employment rights.

 Liberal Democrats

• Scrapping compulsory retirement ages.
• Paying anyone undertaking an internship a training allowance of ¬£55 per week.