Will the Employment Rights Bill 2024 pave the way to reform of employment status for workers? Or will it leave open a trap door for worker rights to fall through?

Institute of Employment Rights Director James Harrison examines the gaps in the Labour Party's Employment Rights Bill with Keith Ewing, Professor of Public Law at King's College London, and Nicola Countouris, Professor of Labour Law at University College London.

These distinguished experts explore the troubled issue of employment status and delve into the significant elements of the bill aimed at improving workers' rights.

They examine the urgency of implementing new rights, the concept of day one rights and the value of probationary periods for new hires.

Digging into zero-hour contracts, the potential for employee coercion, and the impact of sectoral collective bargaining on wages and inequality, James, Keith and Nicola shed light on the bill’s potential impact on workers and the challenges it faces in addressing systemic problems within the employment landscape.

Chapters

00:00 Worker Status, Worker Rights: Closing The Gaps In The Employment Rights Bill

00:01 Welcome

01:33 Five Questions The Bill Must Address

03:27 Protecting Workers from Unfair Dismissal

06:22 Day One Rights In Perspective

09:01 Probation Periods And Short-term Contracts

10:18 Why Worker Status Needs Reform

16:27 A Two-Part Framework for Employment Status

18:00 Case Study: Supreme Court Ruling On Deliveroo Riders

22:19 Zero Hours Contracts: People As Commodities

26:15 Lord Hendy's Status Of Workers Bill

28:12 Collective Bargaining Beyond The Adult Social Care Sector

29:42 Thank You for Listening

Credits:

The IER podcast is supported by Thompsons Solicitors.

This podcast is produced for IER by Creative Kin.

To find out more, visit creativekin.co.uk/ier

Recorded at Creative Kin's London studios.

Studio Producer and Editor: Jason Caffrey

Theme Music: Daniel Jorgensen