BRC was mentioned in the third report of the Make Work Pay: Employment Rights Bill 2024-5, following the written and oral evidence provided to the Business and Trade Committee.
The report focuses on the 7 January 2025 evidence session, the letter to the Minister on the Fair Work Agency, and the written evidence provided to the committee on Make Work Pay.
The report states that:
- BRC gave evidence in the Make Work Pay committee sessions.
- BRC research found a 50% increase between 2023 and 2024 in incidents of racial abuse, sexual harassment, physical assaults and threats directed towards workers. This suggested to the committee that there is a need for strengthen safeguards against third-party victimisation of workers.
- The committee heard employer concerns about the lowering of requirements for recognition, turnout for industrial action, and a statutory right of access and concerns from trade unions. The recommendation outlined in the report states that the Bill’s proposed definition of ‘Access’ should be expanded to make explicit mention of a union’s right of digital access to protect against future changes to ways of working and the risk of non-compliance.
- The BRC echoed the concerns about the Fair Work Agency and called on the Government to issue significant financial penalties to perpetrators of labour abuses and to disqualify directors who are implicated in serious incidents.
Read the full report here.
We are expecting the response to the Make Work Pay consultations in the coming week.
For any questions relating to the Employment Rights Bill, please contact Luiza.
