What the latest general election could mean for HR

The result of the recent general election could create increased uncertainty for HR professionals, as promises on employment law and workplace policies are left up in the air.

Despite the Conservatives winning the biggest number of seats and making an agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party, they have not got a large majority, which raises questions as to which policies they will be able to implement.

Pre-election pledges made by the Conservatives included:

• giving workers the right to request leave for training;
• doubling the immigration skills charge for organisations employing migrant workers to £2,000 a year by the end of parliament;
• introducing greater protections for gig economy workers; and
• introducing 30 hours of free childcare for working parents of three and four year olds.

Mike Cherry, the National Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, believes that Brexit negotiations need to be conducted from a position of strength to get the best possible deal for access to workers and skills, even if that means pressing pause on discussions for the time being. “Negotiations should be led by a government and a Prime Minister that will be in place for the duration, and so we call for a delay to the scheduled start of negotiations rather than a rush to begin in 11 days' time,” Cherry said.

Comment

There has been a remarkable period of a lack of change in employment law over the last couple of years, due to the constantly changing political situation and Brexit. While this creates uncertainty in many areas, a lot of employers will welcome the ‘quiet’ period as in the previous 15 years or so they were bombarded with legislative change.

At Frettens, all of our solicitors offer a free initial meeting or chat on the phone to answer your questions. If this article raises issues for you or your business, please call us on 01202 499255 and Paul or Kate will be happy to discuss it with you.