Government urged to avoid 'unnecessary bureaucracy' for retailers in Employment Rights Bill

Convenience store body Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has given evidence to the bill committee for the Employment Rights Bill, urging the Government to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy for retailers that are already providing genuine flexibility, security and local employment in their businesses.

The session featured James Lowman (ACS), Helen Dickinson (BRC) and Claire Costello (Co-op), outlining the anticipated impact of the measures set out in the Employment Rights Bill on businesses.

The Employment Rights Bill was first published in October this year, featuring 28 employment reforms aimed at meeting the Government’s manifesto commitment to ‘make work pay’.

Speaking during the committee inquiry session, ACS chief executive James Lowman said, “Working in the convenience sector already provides genuine two-sided flexibility. We support the intention of the Bill, and it’s important that the measures in the Bill are not just pro-worker, but pro-business and pro-investment.

"We are committed to working with the Government to ensure that the Bill does not have unintended consequences – particularly when it comes to unnecessary bureaucracy at a time when retailers are under pressure to make every hour in the business as productive as possible.”

Measures announced in the Employment Rights Bill include:

• Ending exploitative zero hours contracts and the right to guaranteed hours based on the hours worked during a 12 week reference period
• Giving greater protections against unfair dismissal from day one of employment
• Day one rights for paternity, parental and bereavement leave for workers
• Changing the law to make flexible working the default for all, unless the employer can prove it’s unreasonable
• Tackling low pay by accounting for the cost of living when setting the Minimum Wage and removing age bands (as already announced in the remit given to the Low Pay Commission earlier this year)
• Establishing a new Fair Work Agency that will bring together different Government enforcement bodies, enforce holiday pay and strengthen statutory sick pay
• Requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace
• Requiring reasonable notice for shift changes, and payment to colleagues for change or cancellation of shifts at short notice (specifics of notice periods to be determined)

The full evidence session is available on the Parliament live website here: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/8cf67773-6711-4a36-9e91-54013e382870