The House of Commons considered the Lords’ amendments to the Employment Rights Bill on 15 September. As widely expected, all the non-Government amendments have been rejected. In most cases this was because they would have undermined some of Labour’s key manifesto commitments on employment rights.
There were a few additional tweaks to the Bill as follows:
- NDAs: The new measures on non-disclosure agreements relating to harassment and discrimination, introduced by the Government in the House of Lords, were amended so that the new restrictions will apply to allegations about failure to make reasonable adjustments as well as other forms of discrimination. In addition, these measures have been extended to cover staff in both Houses of Parliament.
- Time off for public duties: Although an amendment which would have extended these rights to special constables was rejected, a new clause has been added which commits the Government to undertake a general review of these rights and to publish a report within 12 months of Royal Assent.
These are relatively minor changes. What was probably more significant about the debate on 15 September was that it provided the first opportunity to see the Government’s new team in action after the recent re-shuffle.
The new Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, was there to re-assure his backbenchers that the implementation timetable published in July would not be allowed to slip. This was welcomed by the outgoing junior minister, Justin Madders, who wished his replacement “every success working through and navigating the 80 or so statutory instruments that will be needed to ensure that the Bill is implemented in full”.
For more information about the Lords’ amendments that have now been rejected, see our earlier post here.
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