{"id":8689,"date":"2022-05-18T14:51:42","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T14:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.personneltoday.com\/?p=289511"},"modified":"2022-05-18T14:51:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T14:51:42","slug":"queens-speech-exclusivity-contracts-for-low-paid-workers-to-be-banned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/squarehrwired.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/18\/queens-speech-exclusivity-contracts-for-low-paid-workers-to-be-banned\/","title":{"rendered":"Queen\u2019s Speech: Exclusivity contracts for low-paid workers to be banned"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A ban on exclusivity clauses for low-paid workers and changes to data protection rules are likely to feature in this year\u2019s Queen\u2019s Speech, which will be delivered tomorrow (10 May) to parliament.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has today announced plans to widen the ban on exclusivity clauses to workers below the lower-earnings limit of \u00a3123 a week.<\/p>\n

This means around 1.5 million workers will be able to work for multiple employers to top up their weekly income. The government claims it will give workers more flexibility over when and where they work and to plan jobs around childcare or study.<\/p>\n

It will also help employers to widen their pool of job applicants at a point when vacancies are at an all time high.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile not everyone will want a second job, the reforms will remove red tape that prevents those who want to do so \u2013 for example, gig economy workers, younger people, or those from disadvantaged backgrounds facing barriers to entering the labour market,\u201d the government said.<\/p>\n

While it has been widely reported that tomorrow\u2019s Queen\u2019s Speech will not feature the much-anticipated Employment Bill<\/a>, the exclusivity ban is among a number of pieces of legislation that could affect employers.<\/p>\n

A key feature of the speech is likely to be the Brexit Freedoms Bill, which will make it easier to amend or remove retained EU law, which refers to any legislation kept on the statute book after Brexit as a bridging measure. The government claims this will save \u00a31 billion in red tape.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also thought the government will announce a data reform bill that would allow the UK to deviate from EU privacy legislation. While the bill is still in draft, it could mean changes to obligations around how employee records are stored and processed if businesses are no longer covered by the General Data Protection Regulation.<\/p>\n

Exclusivity clauses were banned for workers on zero-hours contracts in May 2015<\/a>, but the new legislation will cover any worker on or below \u00a3123 a week.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the reform, business minister Paul Scully said: \u201cWe are creating a high skilled, high productivity labour market that supports workers by removing unnecessary red tape, helping the British people boost their incomes and keep more of what they earn.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy extending the ban on exclusivity clauses, we are putting more control into the hands of the lowest paid, giving them the freedom to decide who they work for and how often, including the option to top up their pay packet if they wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement coincides with a new report by the TUC which finds that insecure, low-paid work costs the Treasury almost \u00a310 billion a year in lost taxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBritain\u2019s insecure work epidemic isn\u2019t just punishing workers \u2013 it\u2019s starving the public finances too,\u201d said general secretary Frances O\u2019Grady.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s failure to clamp down on shady employment practices is costing the Treasury a fortune every year. And that means less funding for our cash-strapped hospitals, care homes and schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

The TUC wants the government to push through the Employment Bill to ensure all types of workers enjoy the same \u201cfloor of rights\u201d as permanent employees and to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Grady added: \u201cMinisters must stick to their word and deliver the long overdue Employment Bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeaving insecure work to flourish unchecked would be an act of betrayal. And it would send a green light to bad bosses to carry on cheating their workers and the taxman.\u201d<\/p>\n

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