COMPLIANCE
New legislation to enhance workers’ rights
Introduction The government’s 2019 manifesto pledged changes to enhance workers' rights and support people to stay in work. As such, a package of legislation has been introduced to help new parents and unpaid carers, and all employees now have easier access to flexible working. Legislation is progressing through Parliament and will come into force in spring 2024. This article sets out the changes that legislation will introduce.
The Department for Business and Trade sets out the changes that various pieces of legislation will bring into the workers’ rights space
Additional redundancy protection for pregnant women and new parents The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023 1 allowed the existing redundancy protection available to people on relevant parental leave (maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave) to be extended by regulations to cover pregnancy and a period of time after the individual has returned to work. That existing protection means that, before making an employee who is on relevant leave redundant, employers have an obligation to offer them a suitable alternative vacancy where one is available, and not just to invite them to apply for one. This protection is sometimes referred to as ‘MAPLE’. The new regulations 2 which come into force on 6 April, amend the existing regulations covering relevant parental leave. This means the MAPLE protection described above could be in place from the point a woman tells her employer she’s pregnant, and continue for 18 months after the birth of the child – which will include the period of relevant parental leave. The 18-month protection period has two main purposes: l it ensures that a mother returning from 12 months of maternity leave will receive six months additional redundancy protection when she goes back to work, meeting the commitment the government made in its consultation response l it will result in a single, consistent and clear period of protection as a simple way of accommodating the flexibility of shared parental leave. The protection period is activated
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | March 2024 | Issue 98 16
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker