Labour Party Manifesto 2024 - Which pledges affect Education HR?


14th June 2024

The Labour party published it's Manifesto on 12 June ahead of the general election on 4 July.

Many of the proposals were included in the document: Labour's Plan to Make Work Pay published May 24.

Below is a summary of the proposals which if enacted will be relevant to all Education HR practitioners.

We are working on a checklist which summarising  actions you may wish to take now in light of the proposals. Check back on the #Election Hub early next week.

Area for reform

Proposal

Employment Law

Implementing of their plan to Make Work Pay: Delivering a New Deal for Working People introducing legislation within 100 days

Introducing a’ day one’ right to parental leave

Introducing a ‘day one’ right to unfair dismissal (this will not prevent fair dismissal, which includes dismissal for reasons of capability, conduct or redundancy, or probationary periods with fair and transparent rules and processes)

Introduce a genuine living wage by changing the Low Pay Commission’s remit to ensure that the minimum wage reflects the cost of living,  age bands will be removed, ensuring all adult workers benefit equally from the minimum wage increase

Banning 'exploitative' zero-hour contracts, ensuring all workers have a contract that reflects their regular hours, based on a 12-week reference period, this move aims to provide more job security and predictability for workers​ (it will not be an outright ban)

Reforms to statutory sick pay (SSP) including the removal of the lower earnings limit for eligibility, making it a ‘day one’ right and removing the three qualifying days at the start of a period of absence before eligibility for SSP commences

Ending the practice of "fire and rehire," where employees are dismissed and rehired on less favourable terms, this will involve strengthening the existing codes of practice to protect workers' conditions and stops short of a clear out-right ban

Extending basic workers' rights to gig and self-employed workers. This includes the right to a written contract, measures to tackle late payments, and extending health and safety protections​

Simplification of employment classifications by creating a single 'worker' status to end 'bogus' self-employment used by some employers to avoid granting workers their rights, this includes extending statutory sick pay to self-employed individuals​

Making flexible working the default from ‘day one’ for all workers, except where it is not reasonably feasible, this aims to help workers balance their professional and personal lives better​

Introduction of a new ‘right to disconnect’– sometimes called the ‘right to switch off’, this is not likely to become law – however provides workers & employers opportunities to have conversations about the need to respond to work communications outside of normal working hours and to create a bespoke policy suited to their workplace.

Introduction of a single enforcement body with the authority to impose strong sanctions to ensure workers' rights are upheld (as previously recommended by the Taylor Review)

 

Immigration

A reduction in net migration reforming the points-based immigration system so that it is 'fair and properly managed'

 

Equality Law

Strengthening rights to equal pay and protections from maternity and menopause discrimination and sexual harassment

Introduction of Race Equality Act to affect the full right to equal pay for Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority people

Introduction of the full right to equal pay for disabled people

Introduction of disability and ethnicity pay gap reporting for large employers (>250 employees)

 

Strengthening Trade Unions

Boosting collective bargaining by allowing electronic and workplace balloting and removing the thresholds introduced for ballots and restrictions on pickets

Simplifying the process for union recognition through lowering the threshold for Trade Union and introducing automatic recognition of 50% of workers in a bargaining unit

Introducing a new duty for employers to inform their workers of their right to join a union

Education

Introduction of  a new requirement for every new teacher to hold (or be working towards) qualified teacher status (QTS), this would change requirements for academies and independent schools, which currently don’t require teachers to hold QTS

Updating the early career framework, maintaining 'its grounding in evidence'

Introduction of a teacher training entitlement to 'ensure teachers stay up to date on best practice with continuing professional development'

Creating a new excellence in leadership programme, a 'mentoring framework that expands the capacity of headteachers and leaders to improve their schools'

Ending VAT exemption for private schools – this would also end business rates relief for the schools affected

 

Teacher Recruitment & Retention

Recruit an additional 6,500 new 'expert' teachers into shortage subjects, support 'areas that face recruitment challenges', and tackle retention issues

Review the way bursaries are allocated and the 'structure of retention payments'

Reinstate the school support staff negotiating body, which will 'help address the acute recruitment and retention crisis in support roles'

 

Labour Party Manifesto 2024 - Which pledges affect Education HR?

Start using the Strictly HR Resources Hub for FREE

Access all the features for 7 days, then decide if you want to sign up for 12 months

Register for FREE to gain access to:

  Sample articles & resources

  Selected online briefing content

  Priority offers