On Monday the Government finally issued their response to Matthew Taylor’s Review and the four consultations that took place over the summer. The most relevant decisions for us are:
- Umbrella to be regulated by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate. This will be a very positive development assuming that it will be fit for purpose, and we have been advising BEIS on what this might look like. FCSA will continue play a key role as this develops.
- Key facts statements to be introduced for all agency workers, outlining XYZ This is very positive in theory but will be challenging for recruitment businesses to implement as they will be producing information on behalf of the supply chain. No doubt FCSA members will be ready to support them in this new responsibility.
- Plans to better align employment status for tax and status for employment rights are positive, and it will be interesting to see how this develops. Any changes must not unfairly penalise anyone that chooses to work for themselves, nor compromise the flexibility of the UK’s workforce.
- The decision to repeal Swedish Derogation will be controversial and there needs to be a sufficient timeframe for implementation to enable end-clients to properly plan their workforce requirements taking into account this change.
- There will be a new “right to request a more predictable and stable contract for all workers” once they have been in situ for at least 26 weeks. The aim is to give more security to people who want it, e.g. greater certainty around the number of hours a person receives, or fixed days on which they will be asked to work.
Most of the decisions will require legislative change, so are very unlikely to have an immediate impact, however it would be sensible to start planning for them now. You can read the full report here:
