The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
News On Line
The Bill is being introduced amidst growing concerns that workers are increasingly being managed and monitored by AI technologies. Many feel that this is impacting independence, privacy and a right to a private life. According to government statistics, 68% of large companies in the UK and 15% of all British businesses had adopted at least one form of AI by January 2022. It has also been emphasized, that certain strategies make workers feel vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace. An example given during the debate of the Bill, was the case involving Amazon, which was forced to scrap an AI tool that had been used to sift through the CVs of job applicants. The AI tool had learned that the majority of previous hires were males and had taught itself to downgrade applications from women. The AI Bill would also for the first time introduce a ‘right to disconnect’, allowing w orkers to opt out from work communications and monitoring outside of working hours.
Labour MP, Mick Whitley said:
‘‘The central purpose of the Bill is simple: it seeks to protect the rights of those who are working alongside AI in their shops, offices, factories and services, and to preserve those rights for future generations to come. Fundamentally, it is about recognising the importance of people in a world increasingly run by machines.
I want to make it clear that I am not opposed to artificial intelligence.
The Bill would strengthen existing equalities law to prevent discrimination by algorithm.
I also believe that in the workplace, as in wider society, we must guarantee that artificial intelligence works in the interests of the many, not the few. That is why, for the first time, the Bill would give workers specific protections to mitigate against the harmful application of AI. In the meantime, I will highlight some of its key provisions. My Bill is rooted in three key principles: first, that everyone should be free from discrimination in the workplace; secondly, that workers have the right to have a say in the big decisions that affect them; and finally, that we all have a right to understand how our data is being used at work.’’
The Bill has been read for the first time and presented by Mick Whitley. A second reading is scheduled for 24 November 2023.
Read the full passage here.
Back to contents
Parents and carers to be given new protections at work Published: 26 May 2023 Emailed: 31 May 2023
Parents and unpaid carers are set to receive a ‘boost’ with new employment protections, covering leave entitlement and redundancy rules. This is the result of the fact that three government backed Private Members Bills have received royal assent on 24 May 2023.
The new laws that received royal assent were:
• the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act - this will allow eligible employed parents whose new-born baby is admitted to neonatal care to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave so that they can spend more time with their baby at what is a hugely stressful time. This will be in addition to other leave entitlements such as maternity and paternity leave • the Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act - this will allow the extension of existing redundancy protections whilst on maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave to also cover pregnancy and a period of time after a new parent has returned to work • the Carer’s Leave Act - this will create a new statutory flexible unpaid leave entitlement for employees who are caring for a dependant with a long-term care need. This will enable carers to better balance their caring and work responsibilities, supporting them to remain in employment. The government believes when the new laws come into force, this will help to increase workforce participation, protect vulnerable workers and level the playing field. The government will lay down secondary legislation in due course to implement these new entitlements.
cipp.org.uk
Page 60 of 314
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker