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Employment Developments: Great Britain New Guides etc. (12 April 2024)

15/04/2024

Employment Developments: Great Britain New Guides etc. (12 April 2024)

For businesses in Northern Ireland, we have some time to wait before we know the details of exactly what, and importantly how, new employment rights will take shape in the planned Northern Ireland Employment Bill expected later this year.

For now, we continue to look across the water at the latest developments in Great Britain, which this week has produced a flurry of guides including:

1. On 11 April 2024, Kevin Hollinrake, Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, issued a Statement on review of domestic abuse statutory leave provision for employees.

In his statement, Mr Hollinrake confirmed the GB Government’s position in relation to domestic abuse statutory leave provisions. In its view, ‘now is not the right time to bring forward specific proposals in this [domestic abuse statutory leave provision for employees] area, which are likely to be complex to design given that the needs of victims of domestic abuse can be very different.’

This is in contrast to Northern Ireland, where the legislative provisions are in place and Domestic Abuse Safe Leave will be implemented when it is fleshed out on how it will operate.

2. On 6 April 2024, ACAS (equivalent to LRA)  published its new new Code of Practice on Flexible Working and an updated Guide on the new extended rights to Flexible Working that came into force in Great Britain on the same date.

3. Carer’s Leave Guidance was published by ACAS and the Government on 5 April 2024, the day before the new right came into force in Great Britain on 6 April 2024.

4. On 5 April 2024, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published an updated toolkit to provide employers with clear advice on what they should do to prevent pregnancy and maternity discrimination at work. The guidance advises employers on updated pregnancy and maternity protections in the workplace.

This updated guidance reflects changes to law which came into effect in April 2024.

5. On 9 April 2024, Disability Confident and CIPD worked in partnership with the Department of Works and Pensions to develop Employing disabled people: manager’s guide on recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition.

The Guide aims to support managers to ‘help recruit, retain and foster the progression of disabled people and those with health conditions in workplace’.

Commentary

Each year, changes are normally expected to be implemented in April or October so it is usual to see new Guides etc.

However, this year there is certainly is a higher flurry of activity perhaps encouraged by a potential imminent General Election. Time will tell when that happens.

In Northern Ireland, we will no doubt look across at what is happening in Great Britain but we will also be looking to the Republic of Ireland.

Conor Murphy, the Economy Minister, has set out in broad terms his Economic Vision and how ‘good jobs’ is an integral part of it. We will undoubtedly see new rights in the employment arena as part of that vision.