The coalition government has published “The Coalition: our programme for government”. There are a number of proposals likely to impact on employment conditions and workplace health and safety. According to the document the government is committed to:
• Restoring rights to non-violent protest.
• Establishing a Commission “to investigate the creation of a British Bill of Rights that incorporates and builds on all our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, ensures that these rights continue to be enshrined in British law, and protects and extends British liberties…..”
• Reviewing employment and workplace laws, for employers and employees, to ensure they “maximise flexibility for both parties while protecting fairness and providing a competitive environment for enterprise to thrive”.
• Imposing “sunset clauses” on regulations and regulators which will “ensure that the need for each regulation is regularly reviewed”.
• Ensuring “there is no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament and work to limit the application of the Working Time Directive”.
• Introducing an annual limit on the number of non-EU economic migrants admitted into the UK to live and work.
• Encouraging shared parenting from the earliest stages of pregnancy – including the promotion of a system of flexible parental leave.
• Extending the right to request flexible working to all employees and they will be “consulting with business” on how best to do so.
• Promoting equal pay and “taking a range of measures to end discrimination in the workplace”.
• Undertaking a fair pay review in the public sector to implement the government’s proposed “20 times” pay multiple.
• Promoting gender equality on the boards of listed companies.
• Phasing out the default retirement age and holding a review to set the date at which the state pension age starts to rise to 66, although it will not be sooner than 2016 for men and 2020 for women.