General Election 2019 – Liberal Democrats Manifesto – analysis of their employment promises

The Liberal Democrats’ 2019 Election Manifesto has a focus on stopping Brexit, but also proposes a number of changes to employment law and worker’s rights:

1. Providing a ‘Skills Wallet’ worth £10,000 for every worker, allowing people to, ‘retrain and upskill’ when needed;

2. Allowing all employees to request flexible working from day 1 on the job, rather than the current 26 week minimum.

3. Creating a new minimum wage for people on zero-hour contracts, at a rate which is 20% higher than employees on fixed hour contracts. This differs from their 2017 manifesto pledge which promised a complete ban on zero hours contracts.

4. Giving a right to request a fixed-hours contract after 12 months for workers on zero hours contracts and agency workers. This request cannot be ‘unreasonably refused’.

5. Offering parental leave and pay to the self-employed.

6. Giving staff in listed companies with more than 250 employees a right to request shares, to be held in Trust for the benefit of employees, and requiring all UK-listed companies and all private companies with more than 250 employees to have at least one employee representative on their boards. A similar idea was in their 2017 manifesto.

Whilst there are some new employment-law ideas within the 2019 manifesto (although some are already recommendations by the ‘Good Work Report’ commissioned by the Government from February 2018 on the ‘Gig Economy’), the manifesto appears focused on winning the votes of those workers who perhaps have less job security.

To read the Liberal Democrat’s full manifesto you can click on the link below:- https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/libdems/pages/57307/attachments/original/1574876491/Stop_Brexit_and_Build_a_Brighter_Future_CLEARPRINT.pdf?1574876491.

If you want to discuss the past or proposed changes to employment law, or any other employment issue, please feel free to email ben.stanton@franklins-sols.co.uk, or call our Employment Team on 01908 660966 or 01604 828282.